10 Copyright (c) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
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16 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
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19 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
20 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
21 License'' in the Emacs manual.
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333 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
338 @setchapternewpage odd
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
353 @top The Gnus Newsreader
357 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
358 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
359 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
362 This manual corresponds to Gnus v5.10.6.
373 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
374 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
376 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
377 being accused of plagiarism:
379 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
380 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
381 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
382 can even read news with it!
384 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
385 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
386 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
387 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
388 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
394 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
395 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
396 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
397 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
398 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
399 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
400 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
401 * Various:: General purpose settings.
402 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
403 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
404 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
405 * Key Index:: Key Index.
407 Other related manuals
409 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
410 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
411 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
412 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
413 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
416 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
420 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
421 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
422 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
423 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
424 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
425 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
426 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
427 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
428 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
429 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
430 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
434 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
435 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
436 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
440 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
441 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
442 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
443 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
444 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
445 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
446 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
447 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
448 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
449 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
450 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
451 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
452 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
453 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
454 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
455 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
456 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
460 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
461 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
462 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
466 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
467 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
468 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
469 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
470 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
474 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
475 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
476 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
477 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
478 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
482 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
483 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
484 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
485 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
486 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
487 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
488 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
489 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
490 * Threading:: How threads are made.
491 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
492 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
493 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
494 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
495 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
496 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
497 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
498 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
499 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
500 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
501 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
502 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
503 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
504 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
505 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
506 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
507 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
508 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
509 or reselecting the current group.
510 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
511 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
512 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
513 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
515 Summary Buffer Format
517 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
518 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
519 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
520 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
524 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
525 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
527 Reply, Followup and Post
529 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
530 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
531 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
532 * Canceling and Superseding::
536 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
537 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
538 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
542 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
543 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
544 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
548 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
549 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
551 Customizing Threading
553 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
554 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
555 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
556 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
560 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
561 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
562 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
563 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
564 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
565 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
569 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
570 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
571 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
575 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
576 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
577 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
578 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
579 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
580 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
581 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
582 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
583 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
584 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
585 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
587 Alternative Approaches
589 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
590 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
592 Various Summary Stuff
594 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
595 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
596 * Summary Generation Commands::
597 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
601 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
602 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
603 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
604 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
605 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
609 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
610 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
611 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
612 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
613 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
614 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
615 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
616 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
617 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
621 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
622 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
623 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
624 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
625 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
626 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
627 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
628 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
632 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
633 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
634 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
635 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
636 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
637 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
638 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
642 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
643 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
647 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
648 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
649 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
653 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
654 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
655 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
656 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
657 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
658 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
659 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
660 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
661 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
662 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
663 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
664 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
665 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
669 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
670 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
671 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
673 Choosing a Mail Back End
675 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
676 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
677 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
678 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
679 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
680 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
681 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
686 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
687 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
688 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
689 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
690 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
691 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
695 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
696 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
697 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
698 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
699 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
700 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
704 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
705 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
706 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
707 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
708 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
712 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
716 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
717 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
718 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
722 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
723 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
727 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
728 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
729 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
730 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
731 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
732 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
733 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
734 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
735 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
736 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
737 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
738 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
739 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
743 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
744 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
745 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
749 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
750 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
751 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
755 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
756 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
757 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
758 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
759 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
760 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
761 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
762 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
763 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
764 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
765 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
766 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
767 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
768 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
769 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
770 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
774 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
775 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
776 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
780 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
781 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
782 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
783 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
784 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
785 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
786 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
787 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
788 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
789 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
790 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
791 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
792 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
793 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
794 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
795 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
796 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
797 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
798 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
799 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
803 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
804 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
805 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
806 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
807 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
808 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
809 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
810 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
814 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
815 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
816 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
817 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
818 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
822 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
823 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
824 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
825 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
826 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
827 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
829 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
831 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
832 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
833 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
834 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
835 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
837 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
838 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
840 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
842 * SpamAssassin backend::
843 * ifile spam filtering::
844 * spam-stat spam filtering::
846 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
848 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
850 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
851 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
852 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
856 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
857 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
858 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
859 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
860 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
861 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
862 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
863 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
864 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
868 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
869 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
870 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
871 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
872 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
873 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
874 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
875 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
876 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
880 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
881 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
882 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
883 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
884 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
885 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
886 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
890 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
891 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
892 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
893 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
897 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
898 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
899 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
900 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
901 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
902 * Group Info:: The group info format.
903 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
904 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
905 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
909 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
910 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
911 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
912 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
913 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
914 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
918 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
919 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
923 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
924 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
930 @chapter Starting Gnus
935 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
936 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
939 @findex gnus-other-frame
940 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
941 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
942 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
944 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
945 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
946 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
948 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
949 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
952 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
953 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
954 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
955 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
956 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
957 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
958 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
959 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
960 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
961 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
962 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
966 @node Finding the News
967 @section Finding the News
970 @vindex gnus-select-method
972 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
973 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
974 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
975 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
978 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
979 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
982 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
985 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
988 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
991 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
992 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
993 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
995 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
997 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
998 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
999 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1000 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1001 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1002 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1003 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1007 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1008 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1011 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1012 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1013 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1014 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1015 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1016 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1017 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1018 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1021 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1023 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1024 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1025 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1026 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1027 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1028 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1030 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1032 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1033 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1034 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1035 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1036 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1037 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1040 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1041 you would typically set this variable to
1044 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1048 @node The First Time
1049 @section The First Time
1050 @cindex first time usage
1052 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1053 be subscribed by default.
1055 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1056 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1057 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1058 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1061 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1062 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1063 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1065 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1066 help you with most common problems.
1068 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1069 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1073 @node The Server is Down
1074 @section The Server is Down
1075 @cindex server errors
1077 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1078 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1079 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1081 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1082 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1083 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1084 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1085 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1086 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1087 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1089 @findex gnus-no-server
1090 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1092 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1093 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1094 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1095 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1096 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1097 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1098 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1102 @section Slave Gnusae
1105 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1106 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1107 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1108 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1110 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1111 @file{.newsrc} file.
1113 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1114 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1115 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1116 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1117 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1118 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1119 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1122 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1123 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1124 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1125 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1126 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1127 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1128 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1129 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1131 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1132 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1134 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1135 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1136 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1137 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1138 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1140 @node Fetching a Group
1141 @section Fetching a Group
1142 @cindex fetching a group
1144 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1145 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1146 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1147 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1148 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1149 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1155 @cindex subscription
1157 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1158 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1159 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1160 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1161 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1162 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1163 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1164 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1165 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1168 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1169 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1170 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1174 @node Checking New Groups
1175 @subsection Checking New Groups
1177 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1178 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1179 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1180 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1181 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1182 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1183 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1184 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1185 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1186 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1188 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1189 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1190 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1191 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1192 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1193 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1194 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1195 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1196 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1197 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1198 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1200 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1201 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1202 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1203 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1204 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1205 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1208 @node Subscription Methods
1209 @subsection Subscription Methods
1211 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1212 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1213 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1215 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1216 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1218 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1222 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1223 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1224 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1225 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1226 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1230 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1231 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1233 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1235 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1237 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1238 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1239 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1240 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1241 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1242 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1243 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1244 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1245 up. Or something like that.
1247 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1248 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1249 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1250 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1251 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1253 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1254 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1255 Kill all new groups.
1257 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1258 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1259 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1260 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1261 topic parameter that looks like
1267 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1270 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1275 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1276 A closely related variable is
1277 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1278 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1279 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1280 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1283 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1284 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1285 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1286 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1289 @node Filtering New Groups
1290 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1292 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1293 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1294 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1297 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1300 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1301 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1302 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1303 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1304 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1305 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1306 subscribing these groups.
1307 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1308 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1310 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1311 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1312 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1313 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1314 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1315 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1316 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1317 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1319 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1320 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1321 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1322 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1323 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1324 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1325 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1326 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1327 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1328 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1331 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1332 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1335 @node Changing Servers
1336 @section Changing Servers
1337 @cindex changing servers
1339 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1340 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1341 very flaky and you want to use another.
1343 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1344 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1348 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1349 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1350 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1351 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1354 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1355 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1356 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1357 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1359 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1360 @findex gnus-change-server
1361 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1362 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1363 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1364 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1365 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1367 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1368 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1369 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1370 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1371 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1373 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1374 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1375 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1376 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1377 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1378 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1380 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1381 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1382 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1383 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1385 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1386 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1387 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1388 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1389 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1390 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1391 cache for all groups).
1395 @section Startup Files
1396 @cindex startup files
1401 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1402 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1404 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1405 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1406 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1407 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1408 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1409 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1410 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1412 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1413 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1414 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1415 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1416 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1417 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1419 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1420 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1421 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1422 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1423 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1424 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1425 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1426 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1427 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1428 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1430 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1431 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1432 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1433 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1434 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1435 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1436 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1437 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1438 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1439 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1440 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1441 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1443 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1444 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1445 @vindex version-control
1446 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1447 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1448 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1449 If you want version control for this file, set
1450 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1451 @code{version-control} variable.
1453 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1454 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1455 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1456 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1457 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1458 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1459 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1460 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1461 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1462 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1465 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1466 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1468 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1469 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1472 @vindex gnus-init-file
1473 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1474 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1475 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1476 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1477 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1478 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1479 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1480 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1481 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1482 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1488 @cindex dribble file
1491 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1492 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1493 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1494 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1495 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1498 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1499 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1502 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1503 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1504 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1506 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1507 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1508 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1509 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1510 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1511 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1513 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1514 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1515 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1518 @node The Active File
1519 @section The Active File
1521 @cindex ignored groups
1523 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1524 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1525 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1527 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1528 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1529 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1530 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1531 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1532 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1533 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1536 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1537 @c if you set it to anything else.
1539 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1541 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1542 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1543 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1545 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1546 you actually subscribe to.
1548 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1549 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1550 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1551 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1553 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1554 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1555 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1556 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1557 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1558 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1560 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1561 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1562 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1565 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1566 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1567 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1568 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1569 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1570 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1572 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1573 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1575 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1576 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1578 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1579 secondary select methods.
1582 @node Startup Variables
1583 @section Startup Variables
1587 @item gnus-load-hook
1588 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1589 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1590 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1591 times you start Gnus.
1593 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1594 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1595 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1597 @item gnus-startup-hook
1598 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1599 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1601 @item gnus-started-hook
1602 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1603 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1606 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1608 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1609 generating the group buffer.
1611 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1612 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1613 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1614 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1615 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1616 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1617 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1618 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1620 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1621 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1622 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1623 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1624 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1625 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1627 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1628 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1629 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1631 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1632 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1633 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1635 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1636 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1637 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1638 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1644 @chapter Group Buffer
1645 @cindex group buffer
1647 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1649 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1650 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1651 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1652 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1653 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1654 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1655 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1656 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1657 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1658 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1659 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1660 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1661 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1662 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1663 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1664 @c human rights at 9...
1667 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1668 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1669 long as Gnus is active.
1673 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1674 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1675 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1676 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1677 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1678 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1679 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1680 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1686 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1687 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1688 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1689 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1690 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1691 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1692 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1693 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1694 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1695 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1696 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1697 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1698 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1699 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1700 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1701 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1702 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1706 @node Group Buffer Format
1707 @section Group Buffer Format
1710 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1711 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1712 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1716 @node Group Line Specification
1717 @subsection Group Line Specification
1718 @cindex group buffer format
1720 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1721 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1723 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1726 25: news.announce.newusers
1727 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1732 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1733 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1734 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1735 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1737 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1738 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1739 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1740 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1741 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1742 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1744 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1746 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1747 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1748 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1749 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1750 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1752 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1753 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1754 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1756 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1761 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1764 Whether the group is subscribed.
1767 Level of subscribedness.
1770 Number of unread articles.
1773 Number of dormant articles.
1776 Number of ticked articles.
1779 Number of read articles.
1782 Number of unseen articles.
1785 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1786 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1788 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1789 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1790 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1791 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1792 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1793 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1794 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1795 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1798 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1801 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1810 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1811 comment element in the group parameters.
1814 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1815 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1816 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1820 @samp{m} if moderated.
1823 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1829 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1835 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1839 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1842 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1843 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1844 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1845 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1846 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1849 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1851 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1855 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1858 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1862 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1863 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1864 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1865 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1868 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1869 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1870 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1871 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1872 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1873 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1878 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1879 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1880 group, or a bogus native group.
1883 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1884 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1885 @cindex group mode line
1887 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1888 The mode line can be changed by setting
1889 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1890 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1894 The native news server.
1896 The native select method.
1900 @node Group Highlighting
1901 @subsection Group Highlighting
1902 @cindex highlighting
1903 @cindex group highlighting
1905 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1906 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1907 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1908 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1909 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1911 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1915 (cond (window-system
1916 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1917 (defface my-group-face-1
1918 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1919 (defface my-group-face-2
1920 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1921 "Second group face")
1922 (defface my-group-face-3
1923 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1924 (defface my-group-face-4
1925 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1926 (defface my-group-face-5
1927 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1929 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1930 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1931 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1932 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1933 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1934 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1937 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1939 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1946 The number of unread articles in the group.
1950 Whether the group is a mail group.
1952 The level of the group.
1954 The score of the group.
1956 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1958 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1959 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1961 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1962 topic being inserted.
1965 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1966 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1967 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1969 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1970 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1971 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1972 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1973 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1976 @node Group Maneuvering
1977 @section Group Maneuvering
1978 @cindex group movement
1980 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1981 expected, hopefully.
1987 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1988 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1989 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1995 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1996 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1997 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2001 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2002 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2006 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2007 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2011 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2012 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2013 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2017 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2018 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2019 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2022 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2028 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2029 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2030 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2035 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2036 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2037 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2041 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2042 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2043 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2046 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2047 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2048 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2049 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2053 @node Selecting a Group
2054 @section Selecting a Group
2055 @cindex group selection
2060 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2061 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2062 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2063 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2064 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2065 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2066 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2067 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2068 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2069 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2071 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2072 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2073 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2075 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2076 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2081 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2082 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2083 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2084 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2085 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2089 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2090 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2091 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2092 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2093 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2094 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2095 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2096 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2097 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2098 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2101 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2102 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2103 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2104 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2105 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2108 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2109 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2110 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2111 doing any processing of its contents
2112 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2113 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2114 manner will have no permanent effects.
2118 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2119 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2120 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2121 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2122 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2123 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2124 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2125 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2126 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2127 most recently will be fetched.
2129 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2130 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2131 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2134 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2135 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2136 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2137 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2138 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2139 Which article this is is controlled by the
2140 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2146 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2149 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2152 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2154 @item unseen-or-unread
2155 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2156 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2160 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2164 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2165 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2167 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2168 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2169 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2170 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2174 @node Subscription Commands
2175 @section Subscription Commands
2176 @cindex subscription
2184 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2185 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2186 Toggle subscription to the current group
2187 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2193 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2194 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2195 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2196 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2202 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2203 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2204 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2210 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2211 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2214 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2215 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2216 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2217 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2218 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2224 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2225 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2229 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2230 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2233 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2234 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2235 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2236 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2237 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2238 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2239 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2240 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2241 @file{.newsrc} file.
2245 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2255 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2256 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2257 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2258 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2259 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2260 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2265 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2266 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2267 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2271 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2272 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2273 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2275 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2276 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2277 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2278 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2279 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2280 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2287 @section Group Levels
2291 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2292 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2293 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2294 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2295 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2297 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2303 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2304 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2305 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2306 prompted for a level.
2309 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2310 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2311 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2312 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2313 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2314 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2315 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2316 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2317 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2318 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2319 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2320 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2321 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2322 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2323 reasons of efficiency.
2325 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2326 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2328 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2329 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2330 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2331 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2332 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2333 groups are hidden, in a way.
2335 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2336 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2337 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2338 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2339 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2340 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2342 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2343 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2344 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2345 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2346 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2347 list of killed groups.)
2349 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2350 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2351 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2353 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2354 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2355 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2356 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2357 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2358 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2359 relevant valid ranges.
2361 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2362 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2363 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2364 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2365 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2366 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2369 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2370 one with the best level.
2372 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2373 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2374 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2377 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2378 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2379 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2380 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2383 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2384 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2385 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2386 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2388 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2389 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2390 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2391 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2392 to 5. The default is 6.
2396 @section Group Score
2401 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2402 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2403 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2406 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2407 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2408 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2409 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2410 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2411 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2412 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2413 least significant part.))
2415 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2416 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2417 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2418 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2419 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2420 action after each summary exit, you can add
2421 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2422 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2423 slow things down somewhat.
2426 @node Marking Groups
2427 @section Marking Groups
2428 @cindex marking groups
2430 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2431 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2432 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2433 bidding on those groups.
2435 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2436 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2437 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2445 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2446 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2452 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2453 Remove the mark from the current group
2454 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2458 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2459 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2464 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2468 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2469 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2473 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2474 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2475 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2478 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2480 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2481 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2482 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2483 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2484 the command to be executed.
2487 @node Foreign Groups
2488 @section Foreign Groups
2489 @cindex foreign groups
2491 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2492 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2493 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2494 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2501 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2502 @cindex making groups
2503 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2504 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2505 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2509 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2510 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2511 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2515 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2516 @cindex renaming groups
2517 Rename the current group to something else
2518 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2519 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2525 @findex gnus-group-customize
2526 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2530 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2531 @cindex renaming groups
2532 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2533 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2537 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2538 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2539 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2544 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2545 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2549 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2551 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2552 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2557 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2558 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2562 @cindex (ding) archive
2563 @cindex archive group
2564 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2565 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2566 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2567 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2568 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2569 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2570 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2574 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2576 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2577 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2578 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2579 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2583 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2585 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2586 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2587 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2591 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2592 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2594 Make a group based on some file or other
2595 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2596 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2597 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2598 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2599 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2600 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2601 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2602 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2603 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2607 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2608 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2609 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2610 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2614 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2618 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2619 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2620 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2621 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2622 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2623 @xref{Web Searches}.
2625 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2626 to a particular group by using a match string like
2627 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2631 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2632 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2633 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2637 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2638 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2639 This function will delete the current group
2640 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2641 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2642 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2643 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2644 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2648 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2649 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2650 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2654 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2655 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2656 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2659 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2662 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2663 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2664 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2665 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2666 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2667 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2671 @node Group Parameters
2672 @section Group Parameters
2673 @cindex group parameters
2675 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2676 Here's an example group parameter list:
2679 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2683 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2684 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2685 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2686 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2688 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2689 is an alist of regexps and values.
2691 The following group parameters can be used:
2696 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2699 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2702 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2703 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2704 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2705 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2706 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2708 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2709 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2710 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2711 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2712 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2713 list address instead.
2715 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2719 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2722 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2725 It is totally ignored
2726 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2727 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2729 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2730 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2731 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2732 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2733 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2735 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2736 @cindex mail list groups
2737 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2738 entering summary buffer.
2740 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2745 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2746 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2747 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2748 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2749 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2750 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2751 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2752 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2755 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2756 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2759 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2760 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2764 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2765 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2766 of whether it has any unread articles.
2768 @item broken-reply-to
2769 @cindex broken-reply-to
2770 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2771 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2772 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2773 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2774 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2775 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2779 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2780 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2784 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2785 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2786 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2791 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2792 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2793 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2794 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2795 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2796 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2797 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2799 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2800 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2801 doesn't accept articles.
2805 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2806 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2807 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2809 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2812 @cindex total-expire
2813 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2814 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2815 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2816 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2819 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2823 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2824 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2825 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2826 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2827 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2828 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2829 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2832 @cindex expiry-target
2833 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2834 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2837 @cindex score file group parameter
2838 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2839 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2840 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2843 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2844 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2845 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2846 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2849 @cindex admin-address
2850 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2851 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2852 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2853 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2857 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2858 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2862 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2865 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2866 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2869 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2873 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2875 Here are some examples:
2879 Display only unread articles.
2882 Display everything except expirable articles.
2884 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2885 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2889 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2890 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2891 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2892 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2893 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2897 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2898 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2899 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2903 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2904 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2905 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2909 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2910 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2911 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2913 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2915 @item ignored-charsets
2916 @cindex ignored-charset
2917 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2918 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2919 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2921 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2924 @cindex posting-style
2925 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2926 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2927 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2928 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2929 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2931 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2932 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2933 like this in the group parameters:
2938 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2939 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2944 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2945 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2949 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2950 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2951 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2952 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2953 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2957 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2958 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2959 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2960 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2962 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2963 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2964 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2965 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2968 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2969 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2973 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
2974 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
2976 @item (agent parameters)
2977 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
2978 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
2979 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
2980 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
2981 minimize the configuration effort.
2983 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2984 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2985 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2986 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2987 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2988 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2989 @code{eval}ed there.
2991 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
2992 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
2993 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
2994 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
2995 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
2996 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
2997 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
2998 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3001 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3004 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3005 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3006 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3009 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3012 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3013 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3014 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3015 into the group parameters for the group.
3017 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3018 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3019 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3020 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3023 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3024 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3025 following is added to a group parameter
3028 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3029 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3032 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3037 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3038 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3039 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3040 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3041 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3043 @vindex gnus-parameters
3044 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3045 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3049 (setq gnus-parameters
3051 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3052 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3053 (gnus-summary-line-format
3054 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3058 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3062 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3066 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3069 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3070 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3073 @node Listing Groups
3074 @section Listing Groups
3075 @cindex group listing
3077 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3085 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3086 List all groups that have unread articles
3087 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3088 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3089 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3090 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3097 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3098 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3099 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3100 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3101 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3102 unsubscribed groups).
3106 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3107 List all unread groups on a specific level
3108 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3109 with no unread articles.
3113 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3114 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3115 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3116 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3121 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3122 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3126 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3127 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3128 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3132 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3133 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3137 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3138 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3139 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3140 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3141 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3142 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3143 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3144 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3148 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3149 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3150 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3154 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3155 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3156 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3160 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3161 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3165 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3166 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3170 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3171 List groups limited within the current selection
3172 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3176 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3177 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3181 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3182 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3186 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3187 @cindex visible group parameter
3188 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3189 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3190 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3191 get the same effect.
3193 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3194 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3195 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3196 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3197 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3200 @node Sorting Groups
3201 @section Sorting Groups
3202 @cindex sorting groups
3204 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3205 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3206 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3207 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3208 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3209 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3214 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3215 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3216 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3218 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3219 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3220 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3222 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3223 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3224 Sort by group level.
3226 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3227 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3228 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3230 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3231 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3232 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3233 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3235 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3236 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3237 Sort by number of unread articles.
3239 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3240 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3241 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3243 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3244 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3245 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3250 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3251 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3255 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3256 some sorting criteria:
3260 @kindex G S a (Group)
3261 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3262 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3263 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3266 @kindex G S u (Group)
3267 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3268 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3269 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3272 @kindex G S l (Group)
3273 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3274 Sort the group buffer by group level
3275 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3278 @kindex G S v (Group)
3279 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3280 Sort the group buffer by group score
3281 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3284 @kindex G S r (Group)
3285 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3286 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3287 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3290 @kindex G S m (Group)
3291 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3292 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3293 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3296 @kindex G S n (Group)
3297 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3298 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3299 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3303 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3304 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3306 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3307 commands will sort in reverse order.
3309 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3313 @kindex G P a (Group)
3314 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3315 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3316 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3319 @kindex G P u (Group)
3320 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3321 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3322 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3325 @kindex G P l (Group)
3326 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3327 Sort the groups by group level
3328 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3331 @kindex G P v (Group)
3332 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3333 Sort the groups by group score
3334 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3337 @kindex G P r (Group)
3338 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3339 Sort the groups by group rank
3340 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3343 @kindex G P m (Group)
3344 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3345 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3346 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3349 @kindex G P n (Group)
3350 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3351 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3352 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3355 @kindex G P s (Group)
3356 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3357 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3361 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3365 @node Group Maintenance
3366 @section Group Maintenance
3367 @cindex bogus groups
3372 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3373 Find bogus groups and delete them
3374 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3378 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3379 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3380 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3381 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3382 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3386 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3387 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3388 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3389 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3390 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3391 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3394 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3395 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3396 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3397 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3402 @node Browse Foreign Server
3403 @section Browse Foreign Server
3404 @cindex foreign servers
3405 @cindex browsing servers
3410 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3411 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3412 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3413 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3416 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3417 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3418 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3419 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3421 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3426 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3427 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3431 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3432 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3435 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3436 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3437 Enter the current group and display the first article
3438 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3441 @kindex RET (Browse)
3442 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3443 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3447 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3448 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3449 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3455 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3456 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3460 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3461 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3465 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3466 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3467 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3472 @section Exiting Gnus
3473 @cindex exiting Gnus
3475 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3480 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3481 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3482 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3483 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3487 @findex gnus-group-exit
3488 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3489 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3493 @findex gnus-group-quit
3494 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3495 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3498 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3499 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3500 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3501 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3502 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3503 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3509 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3510 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3511 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3517 @section Group Topics
3520 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3521 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3522 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3523 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3524 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3525 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3529 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3530 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3541 2: alt.religion.emacs
3544 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3546 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3547 13: comp.sources.unix
3550 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3552 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3553 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3554 is a toggling command.)
3556 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3557 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3558 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3559 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3562 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3563 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3564 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3567 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3571 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3572 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3573 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3574 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3575 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3579 @node Topic Commands
3580 @subsection Topic Commands
3581 @cindex topic commands
3583 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3584 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3585 definitions slightly.
3587 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3588 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3589 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3590 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3591 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3592 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3594 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3601 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3602 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3603 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3607 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3609 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3610 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3611 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3612 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3615 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3616 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3617 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3618 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3622 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3623 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3624 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3625 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3631 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3632 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3633 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3637 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3638 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3639 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3642 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3643 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3644 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3645 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3646 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3648 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3649 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3653 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3654 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3661 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3663 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3664 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3665 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3666 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3667 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3668 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3672 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3678 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3679 Move the current group to some other topic
3680 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3681 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3685 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3686 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3690 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3691 Copy the current group to some other topic
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3693 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3697 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3698 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3699 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3703 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3704 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3705 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3709 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3710 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3711 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3712 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3713 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3714 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3715 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3718 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3719 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3723 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3724 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3725 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3729 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3730 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3731 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3735 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3736 Toggle hiding empty topics
3737 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3741 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3742 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3743 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3744 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3747 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3748 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3749 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3750 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3751 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3754 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3755 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3756 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3757 expiry process (if any)
3758 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3762 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3763 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3766 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3767 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3768 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3772 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3773 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3774 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3777 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3778 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3779 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3782 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3783 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3784 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3788 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3789 @cindex group parameters
3790 @cindex topic parameters
3792 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3793 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3798 @node Topic Variables
3799 @subsection Topic Variables
3800 @cindex topic variables
3802 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3803 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3805 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3806 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3807 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3820 Number of groups in the topic.
3822 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3824 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3827 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3828 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3829 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3832 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3833 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3835 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3836 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3837 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3841 @subsection Topic Sorting
3842 @cindex topic sorting
3844 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3850 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3851 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3852 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3853 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3856 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3857 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3858 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3859 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3862 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3863 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3864 Sort the current topic by group level
3865 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3868 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3869 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3870 Sort the current topic by group score
3871 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3874 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3875 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3876 Sort the current topic by group rank
3877 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3880 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3881 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3882 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3883 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3886 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3887 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3888 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3889 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3892 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3893 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3894 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3895 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3896 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3900 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3901 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3905 @node Topic Topology
3906 @subsection Topic Topology
3907 @cindex topic topology
3910 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3917 2: alt.religion.emacs
3920 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3922 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3923 13: comp.sources.unix
3927 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3928 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3929 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3934 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3935 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3939 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3940 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3941 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3942 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3943 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3944 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3946 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3947 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3948 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3951 @node Topic Parameters
3952 @subsection Topic Parameters
3953 @cindex topic parameters
3955 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3956 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3957 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3958 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3959 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3961 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3966 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3967 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3968 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3971 @item subscribe-level
3972 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3973 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3974 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3978 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3979 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3980 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3981 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3988 2: alt.religion.emacs
3992 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3994 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3995 13: comp.sources.unix
4000 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4001 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4002 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4003 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4004 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4005 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4007 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4008 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4009 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4010 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4011 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4013 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4014 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4015 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4016 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4017 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4018 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4019 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4020 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4023 @node Misc Group Stuff
4024 @section Misc Group Stuff
4027 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4028 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4029 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4030 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4031 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4038 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4039 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4040 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4044 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4045 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4046 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4047 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4048 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4049 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4050 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4054 @findex gnus-group-mail
4055 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4056 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4057 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4058 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4062 @findex gnus-group-news
4063 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4064 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4065 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4067 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4068 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4069 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4070 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4071 for this to work though.
4075 Variables for the group buffer:
4079 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4080 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4081 is called after the group buffer has been
4084 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4085 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4086 is called after the group buffer is
4087 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4090 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4091 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4092 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4093 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4095 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4096 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4097 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4098 whether they are empty or not.
4100 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4101 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4102 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4103 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4107 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4108 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4111 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4112 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4113 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4114 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4115 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4116 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4117 default is @code{nil}.
4121 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4122 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4127 @node Scanning New Messages
4128 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4129 @cindex new messages
4130 @cindex scanning new news
4136 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4137 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4138 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4139 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4140 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4141 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4146 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4147 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4148 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4149 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4150 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4151 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4152 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4154 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4155 @cindex activating groups
4157 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4158 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4163 @findex gnus-group-restart
4164 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4165 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4166 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4170 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4171 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4173 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4174 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4178 @node Group Information
4179 @subsection Group Information
4180 @cindex group information
4181 @cindex information on groups
4188 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4189 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4192 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4193 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4194 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4195 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4196 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4197 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4198 used for fetching the file.
4200 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4201 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4205 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4206 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4208 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4209 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4212 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4213 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4214 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4218 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4219 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4220 @cindex control message
4221 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4222 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4223 group if given a prefix argument.
4225 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4226 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4227 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4228 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4230 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4231 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4232 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4236 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4238 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4239 @cindex describing groups
4240 @cindex group description
4241 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4242 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4243 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4247 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4248 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4249 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4256 @findex gnus-version
4257 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4261 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4262 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4265 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4268 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4269 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4273 @node Group Timestamp
4274 @subsection Group Timestamp
4276 @cindex group timestamps
4278 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4279 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4280 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4283 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4286 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4288 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4289 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4292 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4293 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4296 This will result in lines looking like:
4299 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4300 0: custom 19961002T012713
4303 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4304 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4308 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4309 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4312 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4313 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4317 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4318 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4319 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4320 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4322 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4328 @subsection File Commands
4329 @cindex file commands
4335 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4336 @vindex gnus-init-file
4337 @cindex reading init file
4338 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4339 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4343 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4344 @cindex saving .newsrc
4345 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4346 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4347 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4350 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4351 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4352 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4357 @node Sieve Commands
4358 @subsection Sieve Commands
4359 @cindex group sieve commands
4361 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4362 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4363 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4364 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4365 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4367 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4368 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4369 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4370 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4371 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4372 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4373 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4374 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4375 regenerate the Sieve script.
4377 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4378 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4379 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4380 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4381 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4382 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4383 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4384 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4385 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4386 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4389 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4390 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4395 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4401 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4402 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4403 @cindex generating sieve script
4404 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4405 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4409 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4410 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4411 @cindex updating sieve script
4412 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4413 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4414 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4419 @node Summary Buffer
4420 @chapter Summary Buffer
4421 @cindex summary buffer
4423 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4424 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4426 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4427 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4429 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4432 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4433 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4434 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4435 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4436 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4437 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4438 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4439 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4440 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4441 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4442 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4443 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4444 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4445 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4446 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4447 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4448 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4449 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4450 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4451 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4452 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4453 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4454 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4455 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4456 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4457 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4458 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4459 or reselecting the current group.
4460 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4461 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4462 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4463 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4467 @node Summary Buffer Format
4468 @section Summary Buffer Format
4469 @cindex summary buffer format
4473 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4474 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4475 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4481 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4482 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4483 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4484 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4487 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4488 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4489 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4490 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4491 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4492 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4493 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4494 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4495 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4496 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4497 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4500 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4501 'mail-extract-address-components)
4504 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4505 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4506 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4507 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4510 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4511 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4513 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4514 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4515 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4516 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4517 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4519 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4520 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4521 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4522 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4523 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4524 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4526 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4528 The following format specification characters and extended format
4529 specification(s) are understood:
4535 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4536 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4538 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4539 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4540 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4542 Full @code{From} header.
4544 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4546 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4549 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4550 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4551 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4552 may be more thorough.
4554 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4557 Number of lines in the article.
4559 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4560 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4562 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4563 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4565 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4567 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4568 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4581 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4582 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4583 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4584 line-drawing glyphs.
4586 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4587 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4588 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4589 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4591 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4592 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4593 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4594 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4596 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4597 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4598 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4599 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4601 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4602 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4603 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4605 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4606 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4607 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4609 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4610 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4611 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4613 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4614 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4615 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4620 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4621 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4623 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4624 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4626 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4627 for adopted articles.
4629 One space for each thread level.
4631 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4633 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4636 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4637 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4638 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4641 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4643 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4644 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4645 default level. If the difference between
4646 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4647 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4655 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4657 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4663 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4664 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4666 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4667 article has any children.
4673 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4674 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4676 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4677 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4678 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4679 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4680 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4681 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4684 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4685 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4686 There can only be one such area.
4688 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4689 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4690 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4691 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4692 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4693 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4695 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4696 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4698 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4701 @node To From Newsgroups
4702 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4706 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4707 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4708 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4709 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4710 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4714 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4715 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4716 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4720 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4721 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4724 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4725 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4728 @findex gnus-extra-header
4729 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4730 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4731 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4734 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4738 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4739 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4740 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4741 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4742 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4743 headers are used instead.
4747 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4748 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4749 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4750 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4751 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4752 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4755 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4756 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4757 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4758 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4760 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4764 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4766 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4767 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4768 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4769 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4773 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4776 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4777 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4780 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4781 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4782 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4788 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4789 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4792 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4793 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4795 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4796 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4797 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4798 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4800 Here are the elements you can play with:
4806 Unprefixed group name.
4808 Current article number.
4810 Current article score.
4814 Number of unread articles in this group.
4816 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4819 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4820 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4821 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4822 and no unselected ones.
4824 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4825 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4827 Subject of the current article.
4829 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4831 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4833 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4835 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4837 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4839 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4843 @node Summary Highlighting
4844 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4848 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4849 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4850 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4851 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4852 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4854 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4855 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4856 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4857 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4859 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4860 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4861 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4862 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4864 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4865 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4866 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4867 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4868 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4869 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4872 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4873 ((> score default) . bold))
4875 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4876 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4880 @node Summary Maneuvering
4881 @section Summary Maneuvering
4882 @cindex summary movement
4884 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4885 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4887 None of these commands select articles.
4892 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4893 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4894 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4895 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4896 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4900 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4901 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4902 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4903 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4904 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4907 @kindex G g (Summary)
4908 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4909 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4910 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4913 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4914 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4915 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4916 to the group buffer.
4918 Variables related to summary movement:
4922 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4923 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4924 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4925 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4926 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4927 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4928 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4929 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4930 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4931 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4932 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4933 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4934 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4935 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4937 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4938 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4939 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4940 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4941 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4942 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4943 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4945 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4947 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4948 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4949 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4950 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4951 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4953 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4954 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4955 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4956 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4957 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4958 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4959 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4960 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4963 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4964 the given number of lines from the top.
4969 @node Choosing Articles
4970 @section Choosing Articles
4971 @cindex selecting articles
4974 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4975 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4979 @node Choosing Commands
4980 @subsection Choosing Commands
4982 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4983 and they all select and display an article.
4985 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4986 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4990 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4991 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4992 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4993 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4995 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4996 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4997 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5002 @kindex G n (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5004 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5005 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5010 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5011 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5012 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5017 @kindex G N (Summary)
5018 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5019 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5024 @kindex G P (Summary)
5025 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5026 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5029 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5030 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5031 Go to the next article with the same subject
5032 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5035 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5036 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5037 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5038 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5042 @kindex G f (Summary)
5044 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5045 Go to the first unread article
5046 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5050 @kindex G b (Summary)
5052 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5053 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5054 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5055 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5060 @kindex G l (Summary)
5061 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5062 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5065 @kindex G o (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5068 @cindex article history
5069 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5070 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5071 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5072 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5073 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5074 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5079 @kindex G j (Summary)
5080 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5081 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5082 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5087 @node Choosing Variables
5088 @subsection Choosing Variables
5090 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5093 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5094 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5095 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5096 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5097 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5098 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5100 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5101 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5102 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5103 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5104 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5105 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5107 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5108 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5109 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5110 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5111 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5112 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5113 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5114 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5115 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5116 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5117 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5118 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5119 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5120 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5125 @node Paging the Article
5126 @section Scrolling the Article
5127 @cindex article scrolling
5132 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5133 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5134 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5135 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5136 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5138 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5139 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5140 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5141 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5142 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5143 what is considered uninteresting with
5144 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5145 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5148 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5149 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5150 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5153 @kindex RET (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5155 Scroll the current article one line forward
5156 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5159 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5160 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5161 Scroll the current article one line backward
5162 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5166 @kindex A g (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5169 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5170 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5171 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5172 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5173 the way it came from the server.
5175 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5176 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5177 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5180 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5185 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5190 @kindex A < (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5192 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5193 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5198 @kindex A > (Summary)
5199 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5200 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5204 @kindex A s (Summary)
5206 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5207 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5208 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5212 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5213 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5218 @node Reply Followup and Post
5219 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5222 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5223 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5224 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5225 * Canceling and Superseding::
5229 @node Summary Mail Commands
5230 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5232 @cindex composing mail
5234 Commands for composing a mail message:
5240 @kindex S r (Summary)
5242 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5243 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5244 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5245 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5246 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5251 @kindex S R (Summary)
5252 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5253 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5254 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5255 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5256 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5259 @kindex S w (Summary)
5260 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5261 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5262 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5263 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5264 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5265 present, that's used instead.
5268 @kindex S W (Summary)
5269 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5270 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5271 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5272 the process/prefix convention.
5275 @kindex S v (Summary)
5276 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5277 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5278 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5279 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5280 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5281 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5284 @kindex S V (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5286 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5287 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5288 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5291 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5293 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5294 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5295 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5296 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5297 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5298 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5301 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5302 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5303 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5304 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5305 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5309 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5310 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5311 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5312 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5313 Forward the current article to some other person
5314 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5315 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5316 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5317 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5318 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5319 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5320 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5321 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5322 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5328 @kindex S m (Summary)
5329 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5330 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5331 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5332 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5333 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5338 @kindex S i (Summary)
5339 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5340 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5341 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5342 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5344 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5345 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5346 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5347 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5348 for this to work though.
5351 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5352 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5353 @cindex bouncing mail
5354 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5355 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5356 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5357 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5358 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5359 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5360 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5361 very well fail, though.
5364 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5366 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5367 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5368 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5369 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5370 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5371 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5372 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5373 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5375 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5376 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5377 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5378 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5379 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5381 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5382 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5385 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5386 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5388 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5389 if it were a new message before resending.
5392 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5394 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5395 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5396 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5399 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5400 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5401 @cindex crossposting
5402 @cindex excessive crossposting
5403 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5404 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5406 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5407 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5408 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5409 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5410 command understands the process/prefix convention
5411 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5415 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5416 Manual}, for more information.
5419 @node Summary Post Commands
5420 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5422 @cindex composing news
5424 Commands for posting a news article:
5430 @kindex S p (Summary)
5431 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5432 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5433 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5434 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5435 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5440 @kindex S f (Summary)
5441 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5442 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5443 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5447 @kindex S F (Summary)
5449 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5450 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5451 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5452 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5453 process/prefix convention.
5456 @kindex S n (Summary)
5457 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5458 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5459 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5462 @kindex S N (Summary)
5463 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5464 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5465 message through mail and include the original message
5466 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5467 the process/prefix convention.
5470 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5471 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5472 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5473 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5474 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5475 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5476 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5477 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5478 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5479 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5480 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5481 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5482 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5485 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5486 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5488 @cindex making digests
5489 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5490 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5491 process/prefix convention.
5494 @kindex S u (Summary)
5495 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5496 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5497 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5498 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5501 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5502 Manual}, for more information.
5505 @node Summary Message Commands
5506 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5510 @kindex S y (Summary)
5511 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5512 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5513 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5514 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5515 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5520 @node Canceling and Superseding
5521 @subsection Canceling Articles
5522 @cindex canceling articles
5523 @cindex superseding articles
5525 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5526 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5528 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5530 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5532 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5533 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5534 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5535 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5536 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5537 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5539 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5540 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5543 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5544 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5545 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5547 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5548 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5549 message, Message Manual}).
5551 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5552 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5553 your original article.
5555 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5557 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5558 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5559 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5562 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5563 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5564 have posted almost the same article twice.
5566 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5567 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5568 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5569 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5570 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5571 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5572 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5573 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5574 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5575 canceled/superseded.
5577 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5579 @node Delayed Articles
5580 @section Delayed Articles
5581 @cindex delayed sending
5582 @cindex send delayed
5584 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5585 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5586 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5587 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5590 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5593 @findex gnus-delay-article
5594 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5595 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5596 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5597 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5601 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5602 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5603 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5604 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5607 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5608 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5609 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5612 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5613 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5614 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5615 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5616 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5617 that means a time tomorrow.
5620 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5621 couple of variables:
5624 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5625 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5626 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5627 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5629 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5630 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5631 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5632 formats described above.
5634 @item gnus-delay-group
5635 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5636 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5637 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5638 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5640 @item gnus-delay-header
5641 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5642 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5643 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5644 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5647 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5648 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5649 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5650 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5651 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5653 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5654 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5655 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5656 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5657 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5658 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5659 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5662 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5663 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5664 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5665 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5666 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5667 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5668 argument is ignored.
5670 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5671 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5672 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5676 @node Marking Articles
5677 @section Marking Articles
5678 @cindex article marking
5679 @cindex article ticking
5682 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5684 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5685 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5686 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5688 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5691 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5692 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5693 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5697 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5701 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5702 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5703 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5707 @node Unread Articles
5708 @subsection Unread Articles
5710 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5715 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5716 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5718 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5719 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5720 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5721 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5722 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5723 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5724 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5727 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5728 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5730 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5731 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5732 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5733 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5737 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5738 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5740 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5745 @subsection Read Articles
5746 @cindex expirable mark
5748 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5753 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5754 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5755 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5758 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5759 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5762 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5763 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5764 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5767 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5768 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5771 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5772 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5775 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5776 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5779 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5780 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5783 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5784 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5787 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5788 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5791 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5792 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5796 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5797 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5798 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5802 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5803 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5805 One more special mark, though:
5809 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5810 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5812 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5813 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5814 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5815 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5821 @subsection Other Marks
5822 @cindex process mark
5825 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5831 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5832 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5833 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5834 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5835 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5838 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5839 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5840 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5841 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5844 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5845 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5846 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5849 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5850 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5851 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5854 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5855 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5856 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5857 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5860 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5861 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5862 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5863 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5864 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5865 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5868 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5869 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5870 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5871 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5874 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5875 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5876 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5877 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5878 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5882 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5883 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5884 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5885 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5886 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5887 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5890 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5891 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5892 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5893 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5894 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5895 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5899 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5900 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5901 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5902 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5903 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5906 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5907 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5908 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5909 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5910 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5911 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5915 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5916 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5917 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5919 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5920 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5921 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5925 @subsection Setting Marks
5926 @cindex setting marks
5928 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5933 @kindex M c (Summary)
5934 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5935 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5936 @cindex mark as unread
5937 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5938 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5944 @kindex M t (Summary)
5945 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5946 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5947 @xref{Article Caching}.
5952 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5953 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5954 Mark the current article as dormant
5955 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5959 @kindex M d (Summary)
5961 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5962 Mark the current article as read
5963 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5967 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5968 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5969 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5974 @kindex M k (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5976 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5977 and then select the next unread article
5978 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5982 @kindex M K (Summary)
5983 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5985 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5986 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5989 @kindex M C (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5991 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5992 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5995 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5996 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5997 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5998 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6001 @kindex M H (Summary)
6002 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6003 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6004 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6007 @kindex M h (Summary)
6008 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6009 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6010 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6013 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6014 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6015 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6016 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6019 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6020 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6021 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6022 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6026 @kindex M e (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6029 Mark the current article as expirable
6030 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6033 @kindex M b (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6035 Set a bookmark in the current article
6036 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6039 @kindex M B (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6041 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6042 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6045 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6047 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6048 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6051 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6053 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6054 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6057 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6059 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6060 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6061 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6064 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6065 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6066 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6067 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6068 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6069 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6070 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6071 The default is @code{t}.
6074 @node Generic Marking Commands
6075 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6077 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6078 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6079 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6080 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6081 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6084 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6085 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6088 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6089 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6090 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6091 to list in this manual.
6093 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6094 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6095 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6096 article, you could say something like:
6100 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6101 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6102 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6110 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6111 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6115 @node Setting Process Marks
6116 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6117 @cindex setting process marks
6119 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6120 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6121 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6122 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6123 commands into the cache. For more information,
6124 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6131 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6132 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6133 Mark the current article with the process mark
6134 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6135 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6139 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6140 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6141 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6142 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6145 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6146 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6147 Remove the process mark from all articles
6148 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6151 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6152 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6153 Invert the list of process marked articles
6154 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6157 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6158 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6159 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6160 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6163 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6164 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6165 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6166 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6169 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6170 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6171 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6174 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6175 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6176 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6179 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6180 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6181 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6182 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6185 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6186 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6187 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6188 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6191 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6193 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6194 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6197 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6198 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6199 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6202 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6203 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6204 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6205 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6208 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6209 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6210 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6213 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6214 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6215 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6216 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6219 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6220 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6221 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6222 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6225 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6226 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6227 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6228 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6231 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6232 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6233 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6234 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6238 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6239 set process marks based on article body contents.
6246 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6247 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6248 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6251 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6252 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6253 additional articles.
6259 @kindex / / (Summary)
6260 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6261 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6262 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6266 @kindex / a (Summary)
6267 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6268 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6269 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6273 @kindex / x (Summary)
6274 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6275 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6276 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6277 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6282 @kindex / u (Summary)
6284 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6285 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6286 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6287 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6288 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6291 @kindex / m (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6293 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6294 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6297 @kindex / t (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6299 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6300 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6301 articles younger than that number of days.
6304 @kindex / n (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6306 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6308 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6311 @kindex / w (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6313 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6314 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6318 @kindex / . (Summary)
6319 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6320 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6321 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6324 @kindex / v (Summary)
6325 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6326 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6327 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6330 @kindex / p (Summary)
6331 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6332 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6333 group parameter predicate
6334 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6335 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6338 @kindex / r (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6340 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6341 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6346 @kindex M S (Summary)
6347 @kindex / E (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6349 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6350 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6353 @kindex / D (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6355 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6356 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6359 @kindex / * (Summary)
6360 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6361 Include all cached articles in the limit
6362 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6365 @kindex / d (Summary)
6366 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6367 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6368 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6371 @kindex / M (Summary)
6372 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6373 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6376 @kindex / T (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6378 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6381 @kindex / c (Summary)
6382 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6383 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6384 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6387 @kindex / C (Summary)
6388 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6389 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6390 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6391 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6394 @kindex / N (Summary)
6395 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6396 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6397 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6400 @kindex / o (Summary)
6401 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6402 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6403 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6411 @cindex article threading
6413 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6414 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6415 hierarchical fashion.
6417 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6418 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6419 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6420 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6421 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6422 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6423 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6425 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6429 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6432 A tree-like article structure.
6435 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6438 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6439 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6440 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6441 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6442 called loose threads.
6444 @item thread gathering
6445 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6447 @item sparse threads
6448 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6449 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6455 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6456 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6460 @node Customizing Threading
6461 @subsection Customizing Threading
6462 @cindex customizing threading
6465 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6466 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6467 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6468 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6473 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6476 @cindex loose threads
6479 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6480 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6481 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6482 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6483 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6484 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6486 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6487 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6488 There are four possible values:
6492 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6493 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6494 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6495 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6496 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6501 @cindex adopting articles
6506 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6507 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6508 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6509 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6512 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6513 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6514 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6515 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6516 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6517 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6518 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6519 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6520 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6521 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6524 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6525 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6526 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6530 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6531 display them after one another.
6534 Don't gather loose threads.
6537 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6538 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6539 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6540 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6541 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6542 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6543 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6544 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6545 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6546 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6547 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6549 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6550 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6551 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6554 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6555 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6556 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6557 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6558 simplification is used.
6560 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6561 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6562 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6563 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6565 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6567 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6573 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6574 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6575 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6576 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6581 (mapconcat 'identity
6582 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6584 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6587 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6590 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6591 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6592 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6593 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6594 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6595 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6597 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6600 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6601 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6602 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6604 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6605 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6608 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6609 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6610 Remove excessive whitespace.
6612 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6613 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6614 Remove all whitespace.
6617 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6620 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6621 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6622 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6623 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6624 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6625 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6626 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6627 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6629 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6630 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6631 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6632 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6633 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6634 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6635 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6636 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6637 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6641 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6642 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6643 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6644 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6646 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6647 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6648 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6651 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6655 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6656 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6662 @node Filling In Threads
6663 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6666 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6667 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6668 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6669 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6670 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6671 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6672 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6673 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6674 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6675 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6676 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6677 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6680 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6681 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6682 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6684 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6685 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6686 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6689 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6690 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6691 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6692 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6693 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6694 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6695 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6696 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6697 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6698 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6699 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6700 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6701 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6702 @code{nil} by default.
6704 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6705 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6706 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6707 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6708 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6709 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6710 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6712 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6713 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6714 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6719 @node More Threading
6720 @subsubsection More Threading
6723 @item gnus-show-threads
6724 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6725 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6726 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6727 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6728 slower and more awkward.
6730 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6731 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6732 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6735 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6736 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6737 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6742 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6743 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6744 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6747 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6748 unread, but you get my drift.)
6751 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6752 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6753 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6754 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6755 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6756 threads are expunged.
6758 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6759 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6760 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6763 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6764 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6765 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6766 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6767 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6768 result in a new thread.
6770 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6771 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6772 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6775 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6776 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6777 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6778 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6779 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6780 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6781 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6782 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6783 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6784 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6785 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6790 @node Low-Level Threading
6791 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6795 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6796 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6797 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6799 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6800 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6801 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6802 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6803 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6804 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6805 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6806 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6807 meaningful. Here's one example:
6810 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6812 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6813 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6815 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6817 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6824 @node Thread Commands
6825 @subsection Thread Commands
6826 @cindex thread commands
6832 @kindex T k (Summary)
6833 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6834 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6835 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6836 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6837 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6842 @kindex T l (Summary)
6843 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6844 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6845 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6846 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6849 @kindex T i (Summary)
6850 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6851 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6852 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6855 @kindex T # (Summary)
6856 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6857 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6858 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6861 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6862 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6863 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6864 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6867 @kindex T T (Summary)
6868 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6869 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6872 @kindex T s (Summary)
6873 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6874 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6875 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6878 @kindex T h (Summary)
6879 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6880 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6883 @kindex T S (Summary)
6884 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6885 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6888 @kindex T H (Summary)
6889 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6890 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6893 @kindex T t (Summary)
6894 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6895 Re-thread the current article's thread
6896 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6897 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6900 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6901 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6902 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6903 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6907 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6908 understand the numeric prefix.
6913 @kindex T n (Summary)
6915 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6917 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6918 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6919 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6922 @kindex T p (Summary)
6924 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6926 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6927 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6928 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6931 @kindex T d (Summary)
6932 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6933 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6936 @kindex T u (Summary)
6937 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6938 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6941 @kindex T o (Summary)
6942 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6943 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6946 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6947 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6948 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6949 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6950 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6951 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6952 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6953 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6954 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6955 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6956 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6957 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6961 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6962 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6964 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6965 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6966 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6967 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6968 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6969 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6970 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6971 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6972 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6973 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6974 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6975 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6976 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6977 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6979 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6980 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6981 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6982 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6983 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6984 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6985 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6986 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6988 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6989 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6990 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6992 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6993 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6994 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6995 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6996 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6997 ascending article order.
6999 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7000 by number, you could do something like:
7003 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7004 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7005 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7006 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7009 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7010 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7011 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7012 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7013 which the articles arrived.
7015 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7019 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7021 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7022 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7025 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7026 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7027 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7028 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7031 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7032 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7033 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7034 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7035 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7036 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7037 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7038 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7039 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7040 variable. It is very similar to the
7041 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7042 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7043 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7044 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7045 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7046 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7047 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7049 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7053 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7054 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7055 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7060 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7061 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7062 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7063 @cindex article pre-fetch
7066 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7067 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7068 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7069 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7070 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7072 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7073 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7075 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7076 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7077 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7078 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7079 connection is blocked.
7081 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7082 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7083 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7084 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7086 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7087 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7088 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7089 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7092 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7095 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7096 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7097 happen automatically.
7099 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7100 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7101 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7102 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7103 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7104 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7105 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7107 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7108 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7109 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7110 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7111 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7112 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7113 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7114 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7115 article data structure as the only parameter.
7117 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7118 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7121 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7122 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7123 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7124 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7127 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7130 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7131 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7132 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7134 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7135 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7136 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7137 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7141 Remove articles when they are read.
7144 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7147 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7149 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7150 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7151 @c from the next group.
7154 @node Article Caching
7155 @section Article Caching
7156 @cindex article caching
7159 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7160 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7161 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7162 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7163 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7165 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7167 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7168 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7169 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7170 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7171 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7172 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7173 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7174 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7176 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7177 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7178 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7179 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7180 as dormant, and don't worry.
7182 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7184 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7185 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7186 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7187 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7188 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7189 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7190 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7191 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7192 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7193 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7195 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7196 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7197 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7198 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7199 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7200 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7201 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7202 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7203 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7204 not then be downloaded by this command.
7206 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7207 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7208 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7209 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7210 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7211 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7213 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7214 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7215 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7216 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7217 variables, the group is not cached.
7219 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7220 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7221 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7222 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7223 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7224 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7225 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7226 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7227 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7230 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7231 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7232 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7233 where, isn't that cool?
7235 @node Persistent Articles
7236 @section Persistent Articles
7237 @cindex persistent articles
7239 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7240 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7241 useful in my opinion.
7243 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7244 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7245 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7246 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7247 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7248 the expiry going on at the news server.
7250 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7251 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7252 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7258 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7259 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7262 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7263 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7264 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7265 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7269 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7271 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7272 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7273 interested in persistent articles:
7276 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7280 @node Article Backlog
7281 @section Article Backlog
7283 @cindex article backlog
7285 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7286 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7287 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7288 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7289 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7290 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7291 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7292 increase memory usage some.
7294 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7295 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7296 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7297 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7298 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7299 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7300 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7302 The default value is 20.
7305 @node Saving Articles
7306 @section Saving Articles
7307 @cindex saving articles
7309 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7310 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7311 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7312 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7313 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7315 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7316 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7317 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7319 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7320 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7321 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7323 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7324 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7325 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7326 deleted before saving.
7332 @kindex O o (Summary)
7334 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7335 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7336 Save the current article using the default article saver
7337 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7340 @kindex O m (Summary)
7341 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7342 Save the current article in mail format
7343 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7346 @kindex O r (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7348 Save the current article in Rmail format
7349 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7352 @kindex O f (Summary)
7353 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7354 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7355 Save the current article in plain file format
7356 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7359 @kindex O F (Summary)
7360 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7361 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7362 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7365 @kindex O b (Summary)
7366 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7367 Save the current article body in plain file format
7368 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7371 @kindex O h (Summary)
7372 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7373 Save the current article in mh folder format
7374 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7377 @kindex O v (Summary)
7378 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7379 Save the current article in a VM folder
7380 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7384 @kindex O p (Summary)
7386 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7387 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7388 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7389 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7390 complete headers in the piped output.
7393 @kindex O P (Summary)
7394 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7395 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7396 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7397 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7398 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7399 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7400 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7404 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7405 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7406 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7407 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7408 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7409 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7410 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7411 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7412 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7413 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7414 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7415 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7419 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7420 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7421 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7422 functions below, or you can create your own.
7426 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7427 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7428 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7429 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7430 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7431 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7432 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7434 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7435 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7436 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7437 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7438 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7439 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7441 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7442 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7443 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7444 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7445 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7446 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7447 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7449 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7450 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7451 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7452 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7453 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7454 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7456 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7457 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7458 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7459 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7460 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7462 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7463 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7464 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7465 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7466 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7469 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7470 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7471 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7472 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7473 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7475 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7476 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7477 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7478 reader to use this setting.
7481 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7482 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7483 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7484 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7487 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7488 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7489 available functions that generate names:
7493 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7494 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7495 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7497 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7498 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7499 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7501 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7502 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7503 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7505 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7506 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7507 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7509 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7510 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7511 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7514 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7515 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7516 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7517 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7518 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7522 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7523 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7524 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7525 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7528 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7529 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7530 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7531 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7532 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7533 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7534 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7535 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7536 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7538 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7539 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7540 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7541 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7543 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7544 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7545 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7548 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7549 lots of mail groups called things like
7550 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7551 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7552 following will do just that:
7555 (defun my-save-name (group)
7556 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7557 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7559 (setq gnus-split-methods
7560 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7565 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7566 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7567 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7568 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7569 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7570 all the files in the top level directory
7571 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7572 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7573 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7574 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7576 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7577 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7578 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7579 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7580 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7583 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7587 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7588 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7589 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7592 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7593 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7594 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7595 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7598 @node Decoding Articles
7599 @section Decoding Articles
7600 @cindex decoding articles
7602 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7603 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7606 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7607 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7608 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7609 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7610 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7611 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7615 @cindex article series
7616 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7617 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7618 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7619 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7620 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7622 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7623 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7624 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7626 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7627 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7628 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7630 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7631 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7632 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7635 @node Uuencoded Articles
7636 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7638 @cindex uuencoded articles
7643 @kindex X u (Summary)
7644 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7645 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7646 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7649 @kindex X U (Summary)
7650 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7651 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7652 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7655 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7656 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7657 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7660 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7661 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7662 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7663 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7667 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7668 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7669 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7670 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7671 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7673 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7674 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7675 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7676 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7679 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7680 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7681 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7682 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7683 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7684 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7688 @node Shell Archives
7689 @subsection Shell Archives
7691 @cindex shell archives
7692 @cindex shared articles
7694 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7695 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7696 some commands to deal with these:
7701 @kindex X s (Summary)
7702 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7703 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7706 @kindex X S (Summary)
7707 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7708 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7711 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7712 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7713 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7716 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7717 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7718 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7719 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7723 @node PostScript Files
7724 @subsection PostScript Files
7730 @kindex X p (Summary)
7731 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7732 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7735 @kindex X P (Summary)
7736 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7737 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7738 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7741 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7742 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7743 View the current PostScript series
7744 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7747 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7748 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7749 View and save the current PostScript series
7750 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7755 @subsection Other Files
7759 @kindex X o (Summary)
7760 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7761 Save the current series
7762 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7765 @kindex X b (Summary)
7766 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7767 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7768 doesn't really work yet.
7772 @node Decoding Variables
7773 @subsection Decoding Variables
7775 Adjective, not verb.
7778 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7779 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7780 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7784 @node Rule Variables
7785 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7786 @cindex rule variables
7788 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7789 variables are of the form
7792 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7799 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7800 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7802 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7803 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7806 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7807 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7810 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7811 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7812 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7813 user and default view rules.
7815 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7816 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7817 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7822 @node Other Decode Variables
7823 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7826 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7828 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7829 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7830 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7831 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7832 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7836 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7837 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7840 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7841 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7842 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7845 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7846 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7847 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7848 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7849 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7852 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7853 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7854 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7856 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7857 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7858 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7859 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7860 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7863 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7864 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7865 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7867 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7868 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7869 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7870 looking for files to display.
7872 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7873 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7874 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7877 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7878 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7879 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7882 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7883 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7884 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7887 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7888 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7889 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7892 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7893 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7894 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7895 decoded articles as unread.
7897 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7898 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7899 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7900 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7902 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7903 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7904 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7906 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7907 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7909 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7910 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7911 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7912 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7914 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7915 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7916 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7917 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7918 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7919 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7920 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7921 simply dropped them.
7926 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7927 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7931 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7932 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7933 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7934 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7935 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7936 for you when you post the article.
7938 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7939 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7940 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7941 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7943 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7944 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7945 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7946 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7947 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7948 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7949 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7951 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7952 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7953 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7954 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7955 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7956 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7957 Default is @code{t}.
7963 @subsection Viewing Files
7964 @cindex viewing files
7965 @cindex pseudo-articles
7967 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7968 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7969 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7970 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7971 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7972 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7973 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7975 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7976 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7977 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7978 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7980 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7981 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7982 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7984 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7985 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7986 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7987 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7988 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7990 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7991 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7992 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7993 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7994 a list of parameters to that command.
7996 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7997 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7998 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8000 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8001 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8002 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8005 @node Article Treatment
8006 @section Article Treatment
8008 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8009 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8010 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8011 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8012 these articles easier.
8015 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8016 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8017 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8018 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8019 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8020 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8021 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8022 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8023 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8024 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8025 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8029 @node Article Highlighting
8030 @subsection Article Highlighting
8031 @cindex highlighting
8033 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8034 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8039 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8040 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8041 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8042 Do much highlighting of the current article
8043 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8044 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8047 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8048 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8049 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8050 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8051 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8052 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8053 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8054 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8055 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8056 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8057 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8058 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8061 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8062 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8063 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8065 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8068 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8070 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8071 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8072 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8074 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8075 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8076 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8078 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8079 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8080 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8081 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8082 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8083 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8085 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8086 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8087 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8089 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8090 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8091 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8093 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8094 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8095 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8096 that it's a citation.
8098 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8099 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8100 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8102 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8103 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8104 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8106 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8107 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8108 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8109 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8111 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8112 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8113 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8114 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8115 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8122 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8123 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8124 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8125 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8126 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8127 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8128 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8129 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8134 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8137 @node Article Fontisizing
8138 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8140 @cindex article emphasis
8142 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8143 @kindex W e (Summary)
8144 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8145 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8146 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8147 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8149 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8150 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8151 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8152 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8153 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8154 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8155 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8156 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8160 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8161 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8162 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8171 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8172 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8173 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8174 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8175 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8176 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8177 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8178 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8179 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8180 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8181 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8182 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8183 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8185 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8186 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8187 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8191 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8194 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8196 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8197 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8198 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8199 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8201 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8204 @node Article Hiding
8205 @subsection Article Hiding
8206 @cindex article hiding
8208 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8209 too much cruft in most articles.
8214 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8215 @findex gnus-article-hide
8216 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8217 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8218 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8221 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8222 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8223 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8227 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8228 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8229 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8230 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8233 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8234 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8235 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8239 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8240 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8241 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8242 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8243 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8244 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8245 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8246 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8250 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8251 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8252 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8253 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8258 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8259 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8260 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8261 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8264 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8265 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8266 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8267 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8270 @cindex stripping advertisements
8271 @cindex advertisements
8272 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8273 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8274 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8275 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8276 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8277 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8278 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8279 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8280 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8281 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8284 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8285 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8286 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8290 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8291 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8292 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8293 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8294 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8295 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8296 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8297 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8298 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8299 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8300 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8303 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8304 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8310 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8311 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8312 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8313 customizing the hiding:
8317 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8318 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8319 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8320 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8321 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8322 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8323 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8328 Starting point of the hidden text.
8330 Ending point of the hidden text.
8332 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8334 Number of lines of hidden text.
8337 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8338 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8339 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8340 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8341 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8346 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8347 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8349 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8350 following two variables:
8353 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8354 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8355 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8356 50), hide the cited text.
8358 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8359 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8360 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8365 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8366 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8367 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8368 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8369 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8370 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8374 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8375 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8376 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8378 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8379 citation customization.
8381 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8385 @node Article Washing
8386 @subsection Article Washing
8388 @cindex article washing
8390 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8391 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8393 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8394 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8397 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8398 articles by default.
8403 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8404 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8408 Force redisplaying of the current article
8409 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8410 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8411 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8412 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8415 @kindex W l (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8417 Remove page breaks from the current article
8418 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8422 @kindex W r (Summary)
8423 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8424 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8425 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8426 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8427 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8428 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8430 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8431 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8432 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8433 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8436 @kindex W m (Summary)
8437 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8438 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8442 @kindex W t (Summary)
8444 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8445 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8446 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8449 @kindex W v (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8451 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8452 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8455 @kindex W o (Summary)
8456 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8457 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8460 @kindex W d (Summary)
8461 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8462 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8464 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8466 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8467 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8468 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8469 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8472 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8473 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8474 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8475 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8478 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8480 @cindex Outlook Express
8481 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8482 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8483 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8486 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8487 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8488 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8489 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8490 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8491 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8492 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8493 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8494 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8495 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8498 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8500 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8501 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8504 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8505 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8506 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8507 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8510 @kindex W w (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8512 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8514 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8518 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8519 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8520 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8523 @kindex W C (Summary)
8524 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8525 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8526 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8529 @kindex W c (Summary)
8530 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8531 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8532 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8533 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8534 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8537 @kindex W q (Summary)
8538 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8539 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8540 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8541 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8542 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8543 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8544 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8545 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8546 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8549 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8550 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8551 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8552 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8553 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8554 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8555 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8556 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8559 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8561 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8562 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8563 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8566 @kindex W A (Summary)
8567 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8568 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8569 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8570 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8571 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8574 @kindex W u (Summary)
8575 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8576 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8577 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8578 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8579 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8582 @kindex W h (Summary)
8583 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8584 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8585 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8586 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8588 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8590 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8591 The default is to use the function specified by
8592 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8593 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8594 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8595 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8603 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8606 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8609 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8612 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8617 @kindex W b (Summary)
8618 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8619 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8620 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8623 @kindex W B (Summary)
8624 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8625 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8626 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8629 @kindex W p (Summary)
8630 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8631 Verify a signed control message
8632 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8633 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8634 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8635 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8636 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8637 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8640 @kindex W s (Summary)
8641 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8642 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8643 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8644 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8647 @kindex W a (Summary)
8648 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8649 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8650 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8653 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8654 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8655 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8656 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8659 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8660 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8661 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8662 lines with a single empty line.
8663 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8666 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8667 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8668 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8669 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8672 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8673 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8674 Do all the three commands above
8675 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8678 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8679 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8680 Remove all blank lines
8681 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8684 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8686 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8687 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8690 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8691 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8692 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8693 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8697 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8700 @node Article Header
8701 @subsection Article Header
8703 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8708 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8709 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8710 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8713 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8714 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8715 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8716 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8719 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8721 Fold all the message headers
8722 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8725 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8727 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8728 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8733 @node Article Buttons
8734 @subsection Article Buttons
8737 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8738 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8739 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8740 button on these references.
8742 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8743 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8744 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8745 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8746 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8750 @item gnus-button-alist
8751 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8752 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8755 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8761 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8762 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8763 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8764 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8765 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8768 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8769 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8770 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8773 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8774 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8775 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8776 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8777 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8779 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8782 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8785 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8786 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8790 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8793 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8796 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8797 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8798 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8799 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8800 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8803 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8806 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8809 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8812 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8813 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8815 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8817 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8818 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8819 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8820 default values of the variables above.
8822 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8824 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8825 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8826 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8827 argument with a string naming the man page.
8829 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8831 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8832 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8833 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8835 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8836 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8837 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8838 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8839 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8840 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8841 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8842 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8843 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8844 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8845 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8846 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8848 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8849 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8850 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8851 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8852 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8855 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8856 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8857 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8858 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8860 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8862 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8863 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8864 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8865 argument, the string naming the URL.
8868 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8869 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8870 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8874 @item gnus-article-button-face
8875 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8876 Face used on buttons.
8878 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8879 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8880 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8884 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8887 @node Article Button Levels
8888 @subsection Article button levels
8889 @cindex button levels
8890 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8891 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8892 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8893 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8894 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8895 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8896 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8897 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8900 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8901 (setq gnus-parameters
8902 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8903 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8904 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8909 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8910 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8911 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8912 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8913 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8914 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8916 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8917 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8918 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8919 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8920 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8921 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8922 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8923 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8924 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8925 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8926 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8927 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8928 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8930 @item gnus-button-man-level
8931 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8932 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8933 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8935 @item gnus-button-message-level
8936 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8937 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8938 Related variables and functions include
8939 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8940 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8941 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8942 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8944 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8945 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8946 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8947 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8948 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8949 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8950 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8956 @subsection Article Date
8958 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8959 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8960 when the article was sent.
8965 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8966 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8967 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8968 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8971 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8972 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8974 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8975 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8978 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8979 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8980 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8983 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8984 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8985 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8986 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8989 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8990 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8991 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8992 @findex format-time-string
8993 Display the date using a user-defined format
8994 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8995 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8996 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8997 for a list of possible format specs.
9000 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9001 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9002 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9003 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9004 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9005 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9008 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9011 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9012 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9013 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9016 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9017 into wonderful absurdities.
9019 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9022 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9025 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9026 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9030 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9031 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9032 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9033 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9034 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9035 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9036 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9040 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9041 preferred format automatically.
9044 @node Article Display
9045 @subsection Article Display
9050 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9051 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9053 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9054 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9056 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9057 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9059 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9060 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9062 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9063 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9065 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9070 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9071 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9072 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9073 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9076 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9077 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9078 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9079 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9082 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9083 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9084 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9087 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9088 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9089 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9092 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9093 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9094 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9095 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9098 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9099 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9100 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9101 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9104 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9105 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9106 Remove all images from the article buffer
9107 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9113 @node Article Signature
9114 @subsection Article Signature
9116 @cindex article signature
9118 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9119 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9120 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9121 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9122 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9123 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9124 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9125 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9126 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9129 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9130 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9131 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9132 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9133 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9134 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9135 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9136 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9139 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9142 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9143 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9144 signature when displaying articles.
9148 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9151 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9154 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9155 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9157 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9158 in question is not a signature.
9161 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9162 listed above. Here's an example:
9165 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9166 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9169 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9170 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9171 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9172 signature after all.
9175 @node Article Miscellanea
9176 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9180 @kindex A t (Summary)
9181 @findex gnus-article-babel
9182 Translate the article from one language to another
9183 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9189 @section MIME Commands
9190 @cindex MIME decoding
9192 @cindex viewing attachments
9194 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9195 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9201 @kindex K v (Summary)
9202 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9205 @kindex K o (Summary)
9206 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9209 @kindex K c (Summary)
9210 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9213 @kindex K e (Summary)
9214 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9217 @kindex K i (Summary)
9218 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9221 @kindex K | (Summary)
9222 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9225 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9230 @kindex K b (Summary)
9231 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9232 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9236 @kindex K m (Summary)
9237 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9238 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9239 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9240 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9241 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9244 @kindex X m (Summary)
9245 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9246 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9247 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9248 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9251 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9252 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9253 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9254 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9257 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9258 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9259 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9260 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9263 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9264 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9265 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9266 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9268 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9269 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9270 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9271 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9272 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9273 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9276 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9277 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9278 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9279 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9286 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9287 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9288 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9289 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9292 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9295 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9299 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9300 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9301 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9302 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9303 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9304 default is @code{nil}.
9306 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9307 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9308 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9309 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9310 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9311 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9312 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9314 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9315 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9316 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9317 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9318 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9319 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9320 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9321 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9323 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9324 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9325 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9326 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9327 displayed. This variable overrides
9328 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9329 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9332 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9333 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9334 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9336 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9337 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9338 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9339 default value is @code{nil}.
9341 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9342 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9343 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9344 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9345 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9346 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9347 save all jpegs into some directory).
9349 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9352 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9353 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9355 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9356 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9357 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9358 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9359 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9362 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9363 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9364 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9366 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9367 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9368 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9370 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9371 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9372 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9374 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9375 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} in @ref{Display Customization,
9376 Display Customization, , emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}. Images or
9377 other material inside a "multipart/related" part might be overlooked
9378 when this variable is nil.
9380 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9381 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9382 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If t, it overrides nil
9383 values of @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9384 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9386 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9387 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9388 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9389 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9391 Ready-made functions include@*
9392 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9393 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9394 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9395 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9396 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9397 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9398 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9399 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9400 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9401 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9402 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9403 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9405 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9406 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9408 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9409 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9410 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9413 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9414 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9415 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9416 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9420 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9429 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9430 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9431 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9432 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9433 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9434 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9435 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9437 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9438 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9439 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9440 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9442 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9443 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9444 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9445 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9446 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9447 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9448 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9449 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9450 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9452 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9453 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9454 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9455 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9456 quoted-printable header encoding.
9458 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9459 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9460 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9464 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9467 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9468 means encode all charsets),
9470 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9471 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9472 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9479 @cindex coding system aliases
9480 @cindex preferred charset
9482 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9483 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9484 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9486 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9488 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9489 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9492 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9493 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9496 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9497 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9499 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9502 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9505 This will almost do the right thing.
9507 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9511 (codepage-setup 1251)
9512 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9516 @node Article Commands
9517 @section Article Commands
9524 @kindex A P (Summary)
9525 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9526 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9527 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9528 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9529 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9530 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9535 @node Summary Sorting
9536 @section Summary Sorting
9537 @cindex summary sorting
9539 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9540 can't really see why you'd want that.
9545 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9546 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9547 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9550 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9551 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9552 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9555 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9556 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9557 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9560 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9561 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9562 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9565 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9566 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9567 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9570 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9571 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9572 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9575 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9576 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9577 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9580 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9581 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9582 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9585 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9586 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9587 Sort using the default sorting method
9588 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9591 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9592 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9593 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9594 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9595 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9599 @node Finding the Parent
9600 @section Finding the Parent
9601 @cindex parent articles
9602 @cindex referring articles
9607 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9608 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9609 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9610 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9611 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9612 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9613 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9614 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9615 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9617 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9618 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9619 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9620 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9621 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9625 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9626 @kindex A R (Summary)
9627 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9628 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9631 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9632 @kindex A T (Summary)
9633 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9634 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9635 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9636 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9637 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9638 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9639 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9641 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9642 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9643 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9644 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9645 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9646 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9649 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9650 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9652 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9653 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9654 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9655 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9656 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9657 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9658 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9661 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9662 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9663 by giving this command a prefix.
9665 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9666 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9667 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9668 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9669 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9670 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9673 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9674 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9675 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9678 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9679 then ask Google if that fails:
9682 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9684 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9687 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9688 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9689 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9690 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9691 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9692 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9693 not support this at all.
9696 @node Alternative Approaches
9697 @section Alternative Approaches
9699 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9700 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9703 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9704 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9709 @subsection Pick and Read
9710 @cindex pick and read
9712 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9713 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9714 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9715 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9717 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9718 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9719 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9720 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9721 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9722 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9724 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9729 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9730 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9731 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9732 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9733 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9734 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9735 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9736 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9739 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9740 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9741 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9742 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9746 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9747 Unpick the thread or article
9748 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9749 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9750 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9751 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9752 the thread or article at that line.
9756 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9757 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9758 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9759 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9760 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9761 will still be visible when you are reading.
9765 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9766 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9767 which is mapped to the same function
9768 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9770 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9773 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9776 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9777 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9779 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9780 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9781 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9783 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9784 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9785 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9786 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9787 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9788 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9789 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9793 @subsection Binary Groups
9794 @cindex binary groups
9796 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9797 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9798 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9799 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9800 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9801 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9802 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9805 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9806 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9807 command, when you have turned on this mode
9808 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9810 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9811 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9815 @section Tree Display
9818 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9819 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9820 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9821 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9824 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9827 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9828 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9829 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9831 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9832 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9833 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9834 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9835 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9837 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9838 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9839 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9840 default is @code{modeline}.
9842 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9843 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9844 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9845 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9846 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9847 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9848 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9854 The name of the poster.
9856 The @code{From} header.
9858 The number of the article.
9860 The opening bracket.
9862 The closing bracket.
9867 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9869 Variables related to the display are:
9872 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9873 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9874 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9875 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9877 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9878 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9879 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9881 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9883 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9884 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9885 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9886 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9890 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9891 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9892 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9893 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9894 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9895 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9896 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9897 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9898 other windows displayed next to it.
9900 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9904 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9905 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9908 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9909 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9910 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9911 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9912 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9913 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9914 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9918 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9921 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9931 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9936 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9937 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9939 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9941 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9947 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9948 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9949 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9952 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9953 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9954 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9955 (gnus-add-configuration
9959 (summary 0.75 point)
9964 @xref{Window Layout}.
9967 @node Mail Group Commands
9968 @section Mail Group Commands
9969 @cindex mail group commands
9971 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9972 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9974 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9975 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9980 @kindex B e (Summary)
9981 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9982 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9983 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9984 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9985 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9988 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9989 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9990 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9991 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9992 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9993 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9996 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9997 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9998 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9999 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10000 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10001 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10004 @kindex B m (Summary)
10006 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10007 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10008 Move the article from one mail group to another
10009 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10010 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10013 @kindex B c (Summary)
10015 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10016 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10017 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10018 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10019 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10022 @kindex B B (Summary)
10023 @cindex crosspost mail
10024 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10025 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10026 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10027 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10028 be properly updated.
10031 @kindex B i (Summary)
10032 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10033 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10034 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10035 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10038 @kindex B I (Summary)
10039 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10040 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10041 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10042 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10045 @kindex B r (Summary)
10046 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10047 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10048 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10049 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10050 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10051 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10052 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10053 (which is the default).
10057 @kindex B w (Summary)
10058 @kindex e (Summary)
10059 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10060 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10061 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10062 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10063 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10064 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10065 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10068 @kindex B q (Summary)
10069 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10070 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10071 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10072 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10075 @kindex B t (Summary)
10076 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10077 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10078 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10081 @kindex B p (Summary)
10082 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10083 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10084 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10085 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10086 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10087 article from your news server (or rather, from
10088 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10089 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10090 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10091 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10092 just not have arrived yet.
10095 @kindex K E (Summary)
10096 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10097 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10098 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10099 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10100 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10104 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10105 @cindex moving articles
10106 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10107 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10108 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10109 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10110 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10111 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10112 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10115 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10116 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10117 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10118 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10122 @node Various Summary Stuff
10123 @section Various Summary Stuff
10126 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10127 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10128 * Summary Generation Commands::
10129 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10133 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10134 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10135 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10136 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10137 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10138 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10140 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10141 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10142 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10145 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10146 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10147 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10149 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10150 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10151 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10152 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10153 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10154 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10157 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10158 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10159 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10160 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10161 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10163 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10164 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10165 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10168 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10169 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10170 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10171 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10172 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10173 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10174 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10175 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10176 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10177 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10179 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10180 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10181 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10182 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10183 list of articles to be selected.
10185 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10186 the list in one particular group:
10189 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10190 (if (string= group "some.group")
10191 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10195 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10196 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10197 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10198 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10199 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10202 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10203 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10204 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10205 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10206 variable will be used instead.
10208 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10209 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10210 buffers. For example:
10213 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10214 '(message-use-followup-to
10215 (gnus-visible-headers .
10216 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10219 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10223 @node Summary Group Information
10224 @subsection Summary Group Information
10229 @kindex H f (Summary)
10230 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10231 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10232 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10233 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10234 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10235 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10236 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10237 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10238 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10241 @kindex H d (Summary)
10242 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10243 Give a brief description of the current group
10244 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10245 rereading the description from the server.
10248 @kindex H h (Summary)
10249 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10250 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10251 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10254 @kindex H i (Summary)
10255 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10256 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10260 @node Searching for Articles
10261 @subsection Searching for Articles
10266 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10267 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10268 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10269 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10272 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10273 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10274 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10275 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10278 @kindex & (Summary)
10279 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10280 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10281 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10282 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10283 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10284 search backward instead.
10286 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10287 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10290 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10291 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10292 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10293 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10296 @node Summary Generation Commands
10297 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10302 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10303 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10304 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10307 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10308 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10309 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10310 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10313 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10314 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10315 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10316 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10321 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10322 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10328 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10329 @kindex A D (Summary)
10330 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10331 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10332 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10333 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10334 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10335 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10336 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10337 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10341 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10342 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10343 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10344 several documents into one biiig group
10345 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10346 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10347 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10348 command understands the process/prefix convention
10349 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10352 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10353 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10354 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10355 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10356 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10357 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10360 @kindex = (Summary)
10361 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10362 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10363 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10366 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10367 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10368 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10369 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10372 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10373 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10374 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10375 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10380 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10381 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10382 @cindex summary exit
10383 @cindex exiting groups
10385 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10386 group and return you to the group buffer.
10393 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10394 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10395 @kindex q (Summary)
10396 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10397 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10398 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10399 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10400 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10401 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10402 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10403 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10404 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10405 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10406 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10407 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10411 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10412 @kindex Q (Summary)
10413 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10414 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10415 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10419 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10420 @kindex c (Summary)
10421 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10422 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10423 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10424 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10427 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10428 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10429 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10430 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10433 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10434 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10435 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10436 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10440 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10441 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10442 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10443 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10444 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10445 all articles, both read and unread.
10449 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10450 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10451 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10452 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10453 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10454 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10455 articles, both read and unread.
10458 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10459 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10460 Exit the group and go to the next group
10461 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10464 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10465 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10466 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10467 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10470 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10471 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10472 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10473 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10474 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10475 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10478 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10479 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10480 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10481 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10483 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10484 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10485 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10486 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10487 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10488 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10489 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10490 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10491 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10492 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10493 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10494 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10496 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10498 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10499 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10500 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10501 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10502 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10503 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10504 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10505 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10506 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10509 @node Crosspost Handling
10510 @section Crosspost Handling
10514 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10515 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10516 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10517 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10518 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10519 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10522 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10523 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10524 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10525 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10526 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10528 @cindex cross-posting
10530 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10531 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10532 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10533 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10534 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10535 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10536 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10537 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10538 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10539 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10540 the cross reference mechanism.
10542 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10543 @cindex overview.fmt
10544 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10545 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10546 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10547 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10548 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10549 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10552 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10553 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10554 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10559 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10562 @node Duplicate Suppression
10563 @section Duplicate Suppression
10565 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10566 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10567 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10568 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10573 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10574 is evil and not very common.
10577 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10578 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10581 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10582 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10585 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10588 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10589 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10591 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10592 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10593 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10594 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10595 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10596 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10597 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10600 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10601 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10602 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10603 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10604 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10605 saw the article in.
10608 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10609 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10610 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10612 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10613 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10614 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10615 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10616 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10617 session are suppressed.
10619 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10620 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10621 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10622 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10624 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10625 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10626 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10627 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10630 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10631 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10632 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10633 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10634 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10635 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10636 to you to figure out, I think.
10641 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10642 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10643 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10648 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10649 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10650 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10651 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10654 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10655 or newer is recommended.
10659 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10660 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10663 @item mm-verify-option
10664 @vindex mm-verify-option
10665 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10666 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10667 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10669 @item mm-decrypt-option
10670 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10671 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10672 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10673 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10676 @vindex mml1991-use
10677 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10678 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10679 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10683 @vindex mml2015-use
10684 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10685 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10686 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10691 @cindex snarfing keys
10692 @cindex importing PGP keys
10693 @cindex PGP key ring import
10694 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10695 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10696 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10697 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10698 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10699 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10700 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10701 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10702 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10705 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10708 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10709 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10712 @section Mailing List
10713 @cindex mailing list
10716 @kindex A M (summary)
10717 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10718 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10719 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10720 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10723 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10728 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10729 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10730 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10733 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10734 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10735 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10738 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10739 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10740 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10744 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10745 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10746 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10749 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10750 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10751 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10754 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10755 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10756 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10761 @node Article Buffer
10762 @chapter Article Buffer
10763 @cindex article buffer
10765 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10766 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10767 tell Gnus otherwise.
10770 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10771 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10772 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10773 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10774 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10778 @node Hiding Headers
10779 @section Hiding Headers
10780 @cindex hiding headers
10781 @cindex deleting headers
10783 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10784 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10786 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10787 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10788 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10789 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10790 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10791 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10792 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10793 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10794 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10796 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10800 @item gnus-visible-headers
10801 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10802 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10803 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10804 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10806 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10807 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10810 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10813 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10816 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10817 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10818 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10819 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10820 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10821 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10823 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10824 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10827 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10830 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10833 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10834 variable will have no effect.
10838 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10839 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10840 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10841 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10842 the headers are to be displayed.
10844 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10845 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10848 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10851 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10852 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10854 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10855 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10856 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10857 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10858 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10859 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10860 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10863 These conditions are:
10866 Remove all empty headers.
10868 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10869 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10871 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10872 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10875 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10878 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10879 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10881 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10882 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10884 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10885 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10887 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10890 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10892 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10895 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10898 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10899 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10902 This is also the default value for this variable.
10906 @section Using MIME
10907 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10909 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10910 while people stand around yawning.
10912 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10913 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10915 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10916 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10917 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10919 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10920 @findex gnus-display-mime
10921 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10922 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10923 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10924 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
10926 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10927 @acronym{MIME} button:
10930 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10931 @item RET (Article)
10932 @kindex RET (Article)
10933 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10934 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
10935 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
10936 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10937 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10938 object is displayed inline.
10940 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10941 @item M-RET (Article)
10942 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10944 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10945 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10947 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10949 @kindex t (Article)
10950 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
10951 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10953 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10955 @kindex C (Article)
10956 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10957 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10959 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10961 @kindex o (Article)
10962 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
10963 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10965 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10966 @item C-o (Article)
10967 @kindex C-o (Article)
10968 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
10969 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10970 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10971 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
10972 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10973 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10975 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
10977 @kindex d (Article)
10978 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
10979 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
10980 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
10982 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10984 @kindex c (Article)
10985 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10986 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
10987 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
10988 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
10989 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
10991 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10993 @kindex p (Article)
10994 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10995 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10996 @file{.mailcap} file.
10998 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11000 @kindex i (Article)
11001 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11002 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
11003 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11004 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11005 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11008 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11010 @kindex E (Article)
11011 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11012 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11013 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11015 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11017 @kindex e (Article)
11018 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11019 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11021 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11023 @kindex | (Article)
11024 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11026 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11028 @kindex . (Article)
11029 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11030 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11034 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11035 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11036 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11038 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11039 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11040 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11041 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11042 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11043 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11044 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11045 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11046 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11048 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11050 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11053 @node Customizing Articles
11054 @section Customizing Articles
11055 @cindex article customization
11057 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11058 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11059 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11060 called automatically when you select the articles.
11062 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11063 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11064 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11065 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11067 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11068 for sensible values.
11072 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11075 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11078 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11081 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
11084 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11088 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11089 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11090 regexps in the list.
11093 A list where the first element is not a string:
11095 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11096 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11097 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11101 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11106 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11107 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11108 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11109 considered to contain just a single part.
11111 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11112 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11113 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11114 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11115 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11116 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11117 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11119 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11120 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11121 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11122 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11125 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11126 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11128 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11130 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11131 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11132 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11133 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11134 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11135 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11136 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11137 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11138 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11139 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11141 @xref{Article Washing}.
11143 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11144 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11145 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11146 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11147 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11148 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11149 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11151 @xref{Article Date}.
11153 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11154 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11155 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11159 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11161 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11163 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11164 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11165 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11169 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11173 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11177 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11178 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11179 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11180 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11181 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11182 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11183 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11184 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11185 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11186 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11188 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11190 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11191 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11192 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11194 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11196 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11197 @item gnus-treat-translate
11198 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11199 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11201 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11202 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11203 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11204 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11206 @xref{Article Header}.
11211 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11212 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11213 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11214 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11215 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11219 @node Article Keymap
11220 @section Article Keymap
11222 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11223 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11224 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11225 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11228 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11233 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11234 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11235 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11236 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11239 @kindex DEL (Article)
11240 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11241 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11242 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11245 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11246 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11247 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11248 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11249 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11252 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11253 @findex gnus-article-mail
11254 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11255 given a prefix, include the mail.
11258 @kindex s (Article)
11259 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11260 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11261 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11264 @kindex ? (Article)
11265 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11266 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11267 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11270 @kindex TAB (Article)
11271 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11272 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11273 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11276 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11277 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11278 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11281 @kindex R (Article)
11282 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11283 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11284 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11285 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11289 @kindex F (Article)
11290 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11291 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11292 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11293 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11301 @section Misc Article
11305 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11306 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11307 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11308 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11311 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11312 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11313 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11314 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11315 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11317 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11318 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11319 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11320 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11321 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11322 the contents of the article buffer.
11324 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11325 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11326 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11328 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11329 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11330 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11331 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11333 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11334 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11335 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11336 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11338 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11339 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11340 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11341 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11342 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11343 with two extensions:
11348 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11349 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11350 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11355 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11358 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11361 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11362 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11363 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11366 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11369 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11372 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11377 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11381 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11383 @item gnus-break-pages
11384 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11385 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11386 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11387 paging will not be done.
11389 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11390 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11391 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11395 @cindex internationalized domain names
11396 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11397 @item gnus-use-idna
11398 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11399 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11400 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11401 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11402 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11407 @node Composing Messages
11408 @chapter Composing Messages
11409 @cindex composing messages
11412 @cindex sending mail
11417 @cindex using s/mime
11418 @cindex using smime
11420 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11421 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11422 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11423 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11424 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11425 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11428 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11429 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11430 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11431 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11432 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11433 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11434 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11435 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11436 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11439 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11440 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11446 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11449 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11450 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11451 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11452 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11453 @code{nil} include all headers.
11455 @item gnus-add-to-list
11456 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11457 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11458 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11460 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11461 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11462 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11463 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11464 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11465 confirmation is should be asked for.
11467 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11468 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11470 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11471 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11472 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11473 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11474 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11479 @node Posting Server
11480 @section Posting Server
11482 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11483 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11485 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11487 It can be quite complicated.
11489 @vindex gnus-post-method
11490 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11491 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11492 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11493 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11494 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11495 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11496 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11497 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11498 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11501 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11504 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11505 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11506 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11507 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11509 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11510 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11512 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11513 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11516 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11517 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11519 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11520 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11521 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11522 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11523 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11524 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11525 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11526 package correctly. An example:
11529 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11530 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11533 To the thing similar to this, there is
11534 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11535 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11536 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11538 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11539 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11540 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11542 @node POP before SMTP
11543 @section POP before SMTP
11544 @cindex pop before smtp
11545 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11546 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11548 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11549 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11550 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11551 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11552 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11555 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11556 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11560 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11561 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11562 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11563 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11564 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11565 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11566 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11567 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11569 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11570 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11571 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11572 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11573 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11574 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11577 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11578 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11579 :password "secret"))
11583 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11584 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11587 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11589 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11590 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11591 :password "secret")))
11592 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11595 @node Mail and Post
11596 @section Mail and Post
11598 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11602 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11603 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11604 @cindex mailing lists
11606 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11607 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11608 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11609 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11610 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11611 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11612 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11613 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11614 still a pain, though.
11616 @item gnus-user-agent
11617 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11620 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11621 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11622 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11623 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11624 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11625 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11626 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11630 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11631 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11632 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11635 @findex ispell-message
11637 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11640 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11641 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11644 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11648 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11649 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11651 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11654 Modify to suit your needs.
11657 @node Archived Messages
11658 @section Archived Messages
11659 @cindex archived messages
11660 @cindex sent messages
11662 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11663 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11664 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11665 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11668 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11669 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11672 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11673 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11674 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11677 (nnfolder "archive"
11678 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11679 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11680 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11681 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11684 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11685 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11686 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11687 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11690 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11691 '(nnfolder "archive"
11692 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11693 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11694 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11697 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11699 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11700 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11701 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11703 This variable can be used to do the following:
11707 Messages will be saved in that group.
11709 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11710 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11711 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11712 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11713 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11714 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11715 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11716 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11719 @item a list of strings
11720 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11722 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11723 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11726 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11731 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11733 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11736 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11738 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11741 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11743 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11744 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11745 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11746 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11749 More complex stuff:
11751 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11752 '((if (message-news-p)
11757 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11758 messages in one file per month:
11761 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11762 '((if (message-news-p)
11764 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11767 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11768 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11770 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11771 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11772 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11773 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11774 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11775 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11776 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11777 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11778 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11779 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11781 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11782 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11783 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11784 this will disable archiving.
11787 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11788 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11789 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11790 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11791 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11794 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11795 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11796 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11799 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11800 but the latter is the preferred method.
11802 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11803 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11804 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11806 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11807 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11808 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11809 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11810 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11811 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11812 changed in the future.
11817 @node Posting Styles
11818 @section Posting Styles
11819 @cindex posting styles
11822 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11824 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11825 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11826 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11829 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11830 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11831 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11832 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11833 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11838 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11839 (organization "What me?"))
11841 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11842 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11843 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11846 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11847 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11848 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11849 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11850 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11851 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11852 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11853 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11855 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11856 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11857 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11858 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11859 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11860 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11861 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11862 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11863 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11864 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11865 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11866 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11867 said to @dfn{match}.
11869 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11870 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11871 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11872 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11873 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11874 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11875 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11876 name can be one of:
11879 @item @code{signature}
11880 @item @code{signature-file}
11881 @item @code{x-face-file}
11882 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11883 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11887 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11888 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11889 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11890 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11891 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11893 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11894 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11895 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11896 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11897 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11898 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11899 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11900 references chars lines xref extra.
11902 @vindex message-reply-headers
11904 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11905 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11906 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11908 @findex message-mail-p
11909 @findex message-news-p
11911 So here's a new example:
11914 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11916 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11918 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11919 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11921 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11922 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11923 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11924 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11925 (signature my-news-signature))
11926 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11927 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11928 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11929 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11930 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11931 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11932 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11933 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11934 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11935 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11937 (From (save-excursion
11938 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11939 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11941 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11944 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11945 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11946 if you fill many roles.
11953 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11954 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11955 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11956 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11957 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11959 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11960 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11961 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11962 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11963 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11967 @vindex nndraft-directory
11968 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11969 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11970 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11971 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11972 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11973 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11975 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11976 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11977 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11978 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11979 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11980 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11981 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11982 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11983 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11985 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11986 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11987 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11988 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11989 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11990 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11991 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11992 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11993 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11994 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11995 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11996 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11997 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11998 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12000 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12001 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12002 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12004 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12005 @kindex D e (Draft)
12006 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12007 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12008 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12010 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12013 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12014 @kindex D s (Draft)
12015 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12016 @kindex D S (Draft)
12017 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12018 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12019 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12020 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12021 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12024 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12025 @kindex D t (Draft)
12026 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12027 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12028 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12031 @node Rejected Articles
12032 @section Rejected Articles
12033 @cindex rejected articles
12035 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12036 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12037 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12038 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12040 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12041 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12042 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12043 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12044 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12046 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12047 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12048 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12050 @node Signing and encrypting
12051 @section Signing and encrypting
12053 @cindex using s/mime
12054 @cindex using smime
12056 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12057 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12058 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12059 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12061 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12062 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12063 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12064 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12065 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12066 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12067 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12068 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12069 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12070 automatically encrypted messages.
12072 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12073 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12074 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12079 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12080 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12082 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12085 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12086 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12088 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12091 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12092 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12094 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12097 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12098 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12100 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12103 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12104 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12106 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12109 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12110 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12112 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12115 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12116 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12117 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12121 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12123 @node Select Methods
12124 @chapter Select Methods
12125 @cindex foreign groups
12126 @cindex select methods
12128 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12129 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12130 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12131 personal mail group.
12133 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12134 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12135 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12136 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12137 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12138 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12140 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12141 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12143 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12146 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12147 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12148 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12149 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12150 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12152 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12155 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12156 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12157 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12158 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12159 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12160 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12161 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12162 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12166 @node Server Buffer
12167 @section Server Buffer
12169 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12170 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12171 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12172 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12173 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12174 back end represents a virtual server.
12176 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12177 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12178 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12179 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12181 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12182 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12183 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12184 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12185 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12186 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12187 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12189 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12190 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12193 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12194 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12195 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12196 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12197 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12198 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12199 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12202 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12203 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12206 @node Server Buffer Format
12207 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12208 @cindex server buffer format
12210 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12211 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12212 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12213 variable, with some simple extensions:
12218 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12221 The name of this server.
12224 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12227 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12230 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12231 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12232 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12233 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12243 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12246 @node Server Commands
12247 @subsection Server Commands
12248 @cindex server commands
12254 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12255 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12259 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12260 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12263 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12264 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12265 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12269 @findex gnus-server-exit
12270 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12274 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12275 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12279 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12280 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12284 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12285 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12289 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12290 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12294 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12295 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12296 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12301 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12302 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12303 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12304 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12309 @node Example Methods
12310 @subsection Example Methods
12312 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12315 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12318 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12324 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12325 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12328 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12329 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12331 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12332 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12336 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12339 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12340 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12342 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12343 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12344 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12348 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12351 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12354 Here's the method for a public spool:
12358 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12359 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12365 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12366 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12367 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12368 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12369 should probably look something like this:
12373 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12374 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12375 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12376 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12379 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12380 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12381 configuration to the example above:
12384 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12387 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12389 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12390 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12391 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12395 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12396 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12397 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12398 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12401 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12402 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12403 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12404 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12407 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12408 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12410 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12411 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12413 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12414 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12415 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12417 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12419 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12420 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12421 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12422 will contain the following:
12432 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12433 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12436 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12437 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12438 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12441 @node Server Variables
12442 @subsection Server Variables
12443 @cindex server variables
12444 @cindex server parameters
12446 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12447 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12448 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12449 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12450 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12452 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12453 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12454 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12455 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12456 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12457 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12458 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12459 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12460 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12464 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12465 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12466 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12469 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12471 @node Servers and Methods
12472 @subsection Servers and Methods
12474 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12475 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12476 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12477 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12481 @node Unavailable Servers
12482 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12484 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12485 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12486 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12487 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12488 actually the case or not.
12490 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12491 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12492 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12493 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12494 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12495 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12496 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12497 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12499 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12500 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12502 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12503 with the following commands:
12509 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12510 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12511 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12515 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12516 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12517 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12521 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12522 Mark the current server as unreachable
12523 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12526 @kindex M-o (Server)
12527 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12528 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12529 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12532 @kindex M-c (Server)
12533 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12534 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12535 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12539 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12540 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12541 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12545 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12546 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12552 @section Getting News
12553 @cindex reading news
12554 @cindex news back ends
12556 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12557 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12558 or it can read from a local spool.
12561 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12562 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12570 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12571 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12572 server as the, uhm, address.
12574 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12575 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12576 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12577 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12579 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12580 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12581 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12583 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12588 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12589 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12590 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12592 @cindex authentification
12593 @cindex nntp authentification
12594 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12595 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12596 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12597 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12598 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12599 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12600 present in this hook.
12602 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12603 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12604 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12605 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12606 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12607 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12608 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12609 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12610 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12611 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12612 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12613 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12617 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12620 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12622 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12623 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12624 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12625 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12626 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12627 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12628 @samp{force} is explained below.
12632 Here's an example file:
12635 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12636 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12639 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12640 have to be first, for instance.
12642 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12643 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12644 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12645 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12646 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12647 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12648 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12650 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12651 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12657 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12658 previously mentioned.
12660 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12662 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12663 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12664 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12665 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12666 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12669 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12670 '(("innd" (ding))))
12673 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12675 The default value is
12678 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12679 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12680 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12683 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12684 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12686 @item nntp-maximum-request
12687 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12688 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12689 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12690 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12691 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12692 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12693 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12695 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12696 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12697 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12698 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12699 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12700 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12701 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12702 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12703 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12704 no timeouts are done.
12706 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12707 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12708 @c @cindex PPP connections
12709 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12710 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12711 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12712 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12713 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12714 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12715 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12716 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12717 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12718 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12720 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12721 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12722 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12723 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12724 @c described above.
12726 @item nntp-server-hook
12727 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12728 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12731 @item nntp-buggy-select
12732 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12733 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12735 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12736 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12737 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12738 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12741 @item nntp-xover-commands
12742 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12743 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12745 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12746 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12750 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12751 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12752 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12753 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12754 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12755 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12756 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12757 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12758 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12759 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12760 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12762 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12763 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12764 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12766 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12767 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12768 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12769 server closes connection.
12771 @item nntp-record-commands
12772 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12773 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12774 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12775 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12776 that doesn't seem to work.
12778 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12779 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12780 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12781 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12782 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12783 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12784 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12785 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12787 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12788 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12789 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12790 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12791 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12792 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12793 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12796 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12799 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12800 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12802 @item nntp-read-timeout
12803 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12804 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12805 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12806 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12807 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12813 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12814 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12815 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12819 @node Direct Functions
12820 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12821 @cindex direct connection functions
12823 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12824 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12825 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12826 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12829 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12830 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12831 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12834 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12835 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12836 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12837 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12838 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12841 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12842 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12844 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12845 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12846 (nntp-port-number )
12847 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12850 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12851 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12852 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12853 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12854 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12855 then define a server as follows:
12858 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12859 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12861 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12862 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12863 (nntp-port-number 563)
12864 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12867 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12868 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12869 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12870 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12871 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12872 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12873 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12874 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12878 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12879 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12880 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12883 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12884 session, which is not a good idea.
12888 @node Indirect Functions
12889 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12890 @cindex indirect connection functions
12892 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12893 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12894 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12895 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12896 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12897 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12900 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12901 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12902 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12903 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12904 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12906 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12909 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12910 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12911 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12912 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12914 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12915 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12916 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12917 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12918 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12919 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12920 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12921 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12925 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12926 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12928 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12929 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12930 Does essentially the same, but uses
12931 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} instead of @samp{telnet}
12932 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
12934 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
12937 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
12938 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
12939 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
12940 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
12941 programs like @uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html,
12944 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
12945 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
12946 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12947 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
12949 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12950 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12951 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12952 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12954 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12955 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12956 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12957 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
12960 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12961 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12962 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12963 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12965 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12968 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12969 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12970 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12973 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12974 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12975 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12976 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12978 @item nntp-via-user-password
12979 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12980 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12982 @item nntp-via-envuser
12983 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12984 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12985 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12986 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12988 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12989 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12990 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12991 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12995 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12996 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13000 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13005 @item nntp-via-user-name
13006 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13007 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13009 @item nntp-via-address
13010 @vindex nntp-via-address
13011 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13016 @node Common Variables
13017 @subsubsection Common Variables
13019 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13020 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13025 @item nntp-pre-command
13026 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13027 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13028 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13029 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
13030 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13033 @vindex nntp-address
13034 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13036 @item nntp-port-number
13037 @vindex nntp-port-number
13038 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13039 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13040 @acronym{tls}/@acronym{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13041 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13042 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13043 not work with named ports.
13045 @item nntp-end-of-line
13046 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13047 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13048 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13049 using a non native telnet connection function.
13051 @item nntp-telnet-command
13052 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13053 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13054 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13055 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13058 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13059 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13060 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13067 @subsection News Spool
13071 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13072 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13073 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13076 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13077 anything else) as the address.
13079 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13080 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13081 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13082 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13086 @item nnspool-inews-program
13087 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13088 Program used to post an article.
13090 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13091 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13092 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13094 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13095 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13096 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13097 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13099 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13100 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13101 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13102 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13104 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13105 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13106 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13108 @item nnspool-active-file
13109 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13110 The name of the active file.
13112 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13113 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13114 The name of the group descriptions file.
13116 @item nnspool-history-file
13117 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13118 The name of the news history file.
13120 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13121 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13122 The name of the active date file.
13124 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13125 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13126 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13129 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13130 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13132 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13133 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13134 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13141 @section Getting Mail
13142 @cindex reading mail
13145 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13149 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13150 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13151 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13152 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13153 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13154 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13155 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13156 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13157 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13158 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13159 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13160 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13161 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13165 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13166 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13168 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13169 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13170 of a culture shock.
13172 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13173 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13175 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13176 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13177 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13178 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13180 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13182 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13183 deleted? How awful!
13185 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13186 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13187 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13188 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13191 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13192 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13193 they want to treat a message.
13195 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13196 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13197 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13198 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13199 archived somewhere else.
13201 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13202 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13203 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13204 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13205 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13207 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13208 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13209 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13211 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13212 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13215 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13216 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13217 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13218 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13219 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13221 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13222 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13223 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13224 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13225 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13226 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13230 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13231 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13233 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13234 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13235 and things will happen automatically.
13237 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13238 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13241 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13244 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13245 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13246 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13247 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13248 like any other group.
13250 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13253 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13254 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13255 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13259 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13260 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13261 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13264 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13265 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13266 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13269 @node Splitting Mail
13270 @subsection Splitting Mail
13271 @cindex splitting mail
13272 @cindex mail splitting
13273 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13275 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13276 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13277 to be split into groups.
13280 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13281 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13282 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13283 ("mail.other" "")))
13286 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13287 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13288 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13289 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13290 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13291 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13292 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13295 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13299 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13300 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13302 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13303 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13304 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13305 mail belongs in that group.
13307 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13308 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13309 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13310 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13311 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13312 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) When new groups are
13313 created by splitting mail, you may want to run
13314 @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to see the new groups.
13316 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13317 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13318 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13319 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13320 thinks should carry this mail message.
13322 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13323 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13324 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13325 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13327 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13328 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13329 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13330 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13331 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13333 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13336 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13337 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13338 links. If that's the case for you, set
13339 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13340 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13342 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13343 @findex nnmail-split-history
13344 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13345 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13346 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13347 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13350 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13351 Header lines longer than the value of
13352 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13355 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13356 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13357 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13358 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13359 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13360 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13361 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13362 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13364 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13365 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13366 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13367 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13368 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13369 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13370 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13371 other kinds of entries.)
13373 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13374 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13375 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13376 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13377 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13378 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13379 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13380 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13381 month's rent money.
13385 @subsection Mail Sources
13387 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13388 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13389 maildir, for instance.
13392 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13393 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13394 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13398 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13399 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13401 @cindex mail server
13404 @cindex mail source
13406 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13407 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13412 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13415 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13416 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13417 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13420 The following mail source types are available:
13424 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13430 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13431 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13432 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13436 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13439 An example file mail source:
13442 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13445 Or using the default file name:
13451 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13452 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13453 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13454 mail spool while moving the mail.
13456 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13460 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13463 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13467 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13470 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13472 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13475 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13479 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13480 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13481 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13482 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13483 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13484 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13485 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13486 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13487 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13488 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13490 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13491 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13492 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13493 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13499 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13503 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13507 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13508 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13509 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13510 predicate are considered.
13514 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13518 An example directory mail source:
13521 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13526 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13532 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13533 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13536 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13537 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13538 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13539 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13540 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13543 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13547 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13548 the user is prompted.
13551 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13552 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13555 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13558 The valid format specifier characters are:
13562 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13563 included in this string.
13566 The name of the server.
13569 The port number of the server.
13572 The user name to use.
13575 The password to use.
13578 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13579 corresponding keywords.
13582 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13583 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13586 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13587 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13590 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13591 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13592 mail should be moved to.
13594 @item :authentication
13595 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13596 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13601 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13602 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13603 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13604 left on the POP server after fetching.
13606 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13607 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13613 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13616 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13617 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13620 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13623 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13627 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13628 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13629 contains exactly one mail.
13635 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13636 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13639 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13640 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13642 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13643 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13644 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13647 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13648 from locking problems).
13652 Two example maildir mail sources:
13655 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13656 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13660 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13665 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13666 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13667 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13668 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13669 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13671 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13672 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13678 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13679 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13682 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13683 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13686 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13690 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13694 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13695 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13696 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13697 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13699 @item :authentication
13700 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13701 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13702 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13703 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13706 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13707 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13708 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13714 The valid format specifier characters are:
13718 The name of the server.
13721 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13724 The port number of the server.
13727 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13728 corresponding keywords.
13731 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13732 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13735 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13736 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13737 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13738 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13739 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13740 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13743 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13744 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13745 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13746 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13749 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13750 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13754 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13757 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13759 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13763 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13764 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13765 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13767 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13768 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13770 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13776 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13777 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13780 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13784 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13788 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13789 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13793 An example webmail source:
13796 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13798 :password "secret")
13803 @item Common Keywords
13804 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13810 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13811 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13816 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13821 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13822 useful when you use local mail and news.
13827 @subsubsection Function Interface
13829 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13830 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13831 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13832 consider the following mail-source setting:
13835 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13836 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13839 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13840 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13841 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13842 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13843 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13845 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13848 @node Mail Source Customization
13849 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13851 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13852 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13856 @item mail-source-crash-box
13857 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13858 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13859 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13861 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13862 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13863 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13864 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13865 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13866 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13867 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13868 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13870 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13871 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13872 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13873 files. This variable only applies when
13874 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13876 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13877 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13878 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13880 @item mail-source-directory
13881 @vindex mail-source-directory
13882 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
13883 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
13884 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
13885 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
13887 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13888 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13889 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13890 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13891 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13892 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13894 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13895 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13896 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13898 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13899 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13900 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13901 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13906 @node Fetching Mail
13907 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13909 @vindex mail-sources
13910 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13911 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13912 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13913 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13915 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13916 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13919 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13920 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13925 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13926 :password "secret")))
13929 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13933 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13934 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13937 :password "secret")))
13941 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13942 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13943 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13944 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13945 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13946 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13950 @node Mail Back End Variables
13951 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13953 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13957 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13958 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13959 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13960 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13962 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13963 @item nnmail-split-hook
13964 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13965 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
13966 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
13967 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13968 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13969 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13970 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13971 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13972 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13975 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13976 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13977 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13978 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13979 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13980 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13981 starting to handle the new mail) and
13982 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13983 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13984 default file modes the new mail files get:
13987 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13988 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13990 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13991 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13994 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13995 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13996 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13997 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13998 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13999 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14000 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14002 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14003 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14004 @findex delete-file
14005 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14007 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14008 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14009 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14010 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14011 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14013 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14014 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14015 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14016 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14017 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14019 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14020 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14021 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14026 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14027 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14028 @cindex mail splitting
14029 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14031 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14032 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14033 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14034 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14035 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14036 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14038 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14041 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14042 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14043 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14044 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14046 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14047 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14048 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14049 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14050 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14051 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14052 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14053 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14054 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14055 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14056 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14057 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14058 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14059 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14060 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14061 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14062 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14066 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14067 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14068 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14073 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14074 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14076 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14077 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14078 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14079 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14080 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14081 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14082 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14084 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14085 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14086 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14087 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14088 stored in one or more groups.
14090 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14091 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14092 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14095 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14096 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14098 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14099 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14100 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14101 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14104 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14105 body of the messages:
14108 (defun split-on-body ()
14112 (goto-char (point-min))
14113 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14117 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14118 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14119 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14120 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
14121 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14122 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14123 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14125 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14126 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14127 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14128 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14129 should return a split.
14132 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14136 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14137 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14138 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14139 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14140 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14142 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14143 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14144 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14145 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14146 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14147 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14148 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14152 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14154 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14155 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14157 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14160 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14161 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14162 when all this splitting is performed.
14164 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14165 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14166 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14169 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14172 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14173 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14175 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14176 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14177 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14178 groupings 1 through 9.
14180 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14181 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14182 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14183 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14184 groups when users send to an address using different case
14185 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14188 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14189 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14190 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14192 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14193 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14194 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14195 surrounded by anything.
14198 (any "joe" "joemail")
14201 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14202 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14203 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to t, however, the
14204 match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word boundary is
14205 removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14207 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14208 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14209 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14210 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14211 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14212 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14213 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14214 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14215 it once per thread.
14217 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14218 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14219 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14220 using the colon feature, like so:
14222 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14223 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14225 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14226 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14230 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14231 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14232 in the file specified by the variable
14233 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14234 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14235 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14236 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14237 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14238 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14239 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14240 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14241 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14242 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14243 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14244 300 kBytes in size.)
14245 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14246 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14247 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14248 messages goes into the new group.
14250 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14251 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14252 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14253 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14254 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14255 ``outgoing'' group.
14258 @node Group Mail Splitting
14259 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14260 @cindex mail splitting
14261 @cindex group mail splitting
14263 @findex gnus-group-split
14264 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14265 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14266 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14267 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14268 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14269 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14270 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14271 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14273 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14274 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14275 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14276 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14278 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14279 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14280 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14281 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14282 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14283 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14284 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14286 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14287 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14288 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14289 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14290 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14291 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14292 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14294 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14295 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14296 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14297 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14298 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14299 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14300 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14301 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14302 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14303 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14304 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14305 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14306 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14308 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14313 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14314 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14316 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14317 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14318 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14319 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14321 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14324 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14325 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14326 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14329 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14330 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14331 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14335 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14336 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14337 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14341 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14344 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14345 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14346 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14347 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14348 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14349 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14350 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14351 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14352 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14354 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14355 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14356 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14357 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14358 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14359 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14360 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14361 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14362 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14364 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14365 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14366 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14367 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14368 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14369 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14372 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14375 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14376 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14377 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14378 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14379 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14382 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14383 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14384 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14385 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14387 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14388 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14389 @cindex incorporating old mail
14390 @cindex import old mail
14392 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14393 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14394 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14397 Doing so can be quite easy.
14399 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14400 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14401 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14402 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14403 your @code{nnml} groups.
14409 Go to the group buffer.
14412 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14413 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14416 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14419 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14420 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14423 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14424 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14427 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14428 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14429 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14430 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14431 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14433 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14434 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14435 using the new mail back end.
14438 @node Expiring Mail
14439 @subsection Expiring Mail
14440 @cindex article expiry
14442 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14443 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14444 different approach to mail reading.
14446 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14447 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14448 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14449 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14450 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14451 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14454 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14455 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14456 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14457 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14458 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14459 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14460 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14461 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14462 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14464 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14465 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14466 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14467 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14468 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14469 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14470 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14473 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14474 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14475 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14476 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14477 into its own group.)
14479 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14480 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14481 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14482 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14483 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14484 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14485 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14486 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14489 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14490 Groups that match the regular expression
14491 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14492 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14493 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14495 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14496 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14497 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14498 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14499 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14501 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14503 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14504 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14505 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14508 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14509 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14510 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14511 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14512 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14514 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14515 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14518 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14519 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14522 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14523 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14525 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14526 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14527 don't really mix very well.
14529 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14530 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14531 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14532 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14535 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14536 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14537 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14538 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14541 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14543 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14545 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14547 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14549 ((string= group "important")
14555 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14556 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14558 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14559 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14560 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14563 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14564 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14566 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14567 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14568 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14569 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14570 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14571 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14572 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14573 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14574 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14575 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14576 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14577 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14578 name or @code{delete}.
14580 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14582 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14585 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14586 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14587 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14588 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14589 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14592 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14593 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14594 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14595 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14596 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14599 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14600 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14601 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14602 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14603 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14604 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14606 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14607 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14608 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14609 easier for procmail users.
14611 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14612 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14613 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14614 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14615 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14616 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14617 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14618 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14619 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14620 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14621 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14622 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14623 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14626 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14628 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14629 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14630 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14631 auto-expire turned on.
14635 @subsection Washing Mail
14636 @cindex mail washing
14637 @cindex list server brain damage
14638 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14640 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14641 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14642 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14643 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14644 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14645 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14647 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14648 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14649 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14652 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14653 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14654 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14655 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14658 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14659 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14660 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14661 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14662 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14665 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14666 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14667 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14668 Emacs running on MS machines.
14672 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14673 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14674 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14675 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14678 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14679 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14680 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14681 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14683 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14684 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14685 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14686 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14687 into a feature by documenting it.)
14689 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14690 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14691 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14692 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14693 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14694 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14695 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14698 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14699 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14702 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14703 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14706 This can also be done non-destructively with
14707 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14709 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14710 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14711 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14713 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14714 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14716 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14717 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14718 @code{References} headers.
14722 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14723 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14724 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14728 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14729 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14730 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14737 @subsection Duplicates
14739 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14740 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14741 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14742 @cindex duplicate mails
14743 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14744 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14745 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14746 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14747 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14748 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14749 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14750 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14751 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14752 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14753 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14754 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14755 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14757 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14758 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14759 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14760 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14762 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14765 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14766 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14770 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14771 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14772 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14773 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14774 (any mail "mail.misc")
14775 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14781 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14782 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14783 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14787 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14788 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14789 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14790 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14791 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14794 @node Not Reading Mail
14795 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14797 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14798 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14799 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14801 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14802 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14803 mail, which should help.
14805 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14806 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14807 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14808 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14809 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14810 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14811 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14812 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14813 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14814 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14815 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14817 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14818 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14822 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14823 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14825 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14826 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14827 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14829 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14830 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14831 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14835 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14836 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14837 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14838 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14839 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14840 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14841 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14845 @node Unix Mail Box
14846 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14848 @cindex unix mail box
14850 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14851 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14852 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14853 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14854 which group it belongs in.
14856 Virtual server settings:
14859 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14860 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14861 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14864 @item nnmbox-active-file
14865 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14866 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14867 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14869 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14870 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14871 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14872 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14877 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14881 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14882 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14883 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14884 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14885 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14887 Virtual server settings:
14890 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14891 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14892 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14894 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14895 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14896 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14897 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14899 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14900 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14901 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14907 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14909 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14911 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14912 format. It should be used with some caution.
14914 @vindex nnml-directory
14915 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14916 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14917 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14918 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14920 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14923 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14924 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14925 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14926 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14927 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14928 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14929 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14930 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14932 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14933 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14934 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14935 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14937 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14939 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14940 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14941 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14942 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14943 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14944 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14945 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14946 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14949 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14950 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14951 them next time it starts.
14953 Virtual server settings:
14956 @item nnml-directory
14957 @vindex nnml-directory
14958 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14959 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14962 @item nnml-active-file
14963 @vindex nnml-active-file
14964 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14965 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14967 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14968 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14969 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14970 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14972 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14973 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14974 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14977 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14978 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14979 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14980 default is @code{nil}.
14982 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14983 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14984 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14986 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14987 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14988 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14990 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14991 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14992 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14993 default is @code{nil}.
14995 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14996 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14997 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14999 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15000 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15001 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15006 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15007 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15008 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15009 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15010 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15011 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15012 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15017 @subsubsection MH Spool
15019 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15021 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15022 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15023 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15024 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15027 Virtual server settings:
15030 @item nnmh-directory
15031 @vindex nnmh-directory
15032 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15033 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15036 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15037 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15038 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15042 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15043 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15044 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15045 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15046 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15047 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15048 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15053 @subsubsection Maildir
15057 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15058 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15059 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15060 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15061 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15064 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15065 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15066 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15067 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15068 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15069 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15070 that appear as group in Gnus.
15072 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15073 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15074 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15076 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15077 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15078 another, and you will keep your marks.
15080 Virtual server settings:
15084 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15085 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15086 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15087 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15088 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15089 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15090 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15091 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15092 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15093 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15095 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15096 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15097 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15098 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15099 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15100 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15101 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15102 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15103 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15104 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15107 @item target-prefix
15108 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15109 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15110 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15113 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15114 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15115 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15116 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15117 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15118 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15119 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15120 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15121 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15123 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15124 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15125 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15126 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15127 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15129 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15130 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15131 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15132 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15133 @code{force} argument.
15135 @item directory-files
15136 This should be a function with the same interface as
15137 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15138 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15139 parameter is optional; the default is
15140 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15141 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15142 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15143 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15144 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15145 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15148 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15149 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15150 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15151 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15152 value is @code{nil}.
15154 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15155 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15156 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15157 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15158 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15161 @subsubsection Group parameters
15163 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15164 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15165 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15166 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15167 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15168 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15171 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15172 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15173 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15174 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15175 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15176 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15177 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15178 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15179 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15183 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15184 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15185 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15186 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15187 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15188 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15189 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15190 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15191 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15192 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15193 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15194 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15197 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15199 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15201 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15202 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15203 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15204 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15205 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15206 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15207 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15208 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15209 article. So that form can refer to
15210 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15211 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir} does
15212 not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15213 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15216 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15217 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15218 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15219 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15220 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15221 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15222 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15223 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15224 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15225 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15226 contain extra copies of the articles.
15228 @item directory-files
15229 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15230 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15231 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15232 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15234 @item distrust-Lines:
15235 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15236 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15237 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15240 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15241 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15242 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15243 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15244 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15245 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15248 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15249 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15250 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15251 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15252 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15253 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15254 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15256 @item nov-cache-size
15257 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15258 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15259 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15260 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15261 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15262 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15263 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15264 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15265 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15266 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15267 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15270 @subsubsection Article identification
15271 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15272 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15273 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15274 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15275 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15276 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15277 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15278 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15279 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15280 request the article in the summary buffer.
15282 @subsubsection NOV data
15283 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15284 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15285 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15286 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15287 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15288 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15289 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15290 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15291 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15292 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15293 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15295 @subsubsection Article marks
15296 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15297 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15298 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15299 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15300 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15301 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15302 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15303 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15305 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15306 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15307 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15308 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15309 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15310 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15311 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15312 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15313 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15317 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15319 @cindex mbox folders
15320 @cindex mail folders
15322 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15323 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15324 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15325 numbers and arrival dates.
15327 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15329 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15330 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15331 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15332 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15333 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15334 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15335 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15336 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15337 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15338 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15340 Virtual server settings:
15343 @item nnfolder-directory
15344 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15345 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15346 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15347 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15349 @item nnfolder-active-file
15350 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15351 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15353 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15354 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15355 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15356 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15358 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15359 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15360 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15361 default is @code{t}
15363 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15364 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15365 @cindex backup files
15366 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15367 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15368 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15369 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15372 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15373 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15375 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15378 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15379 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15380 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15381 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15382 extract some information from it before removing it.
15384 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15385 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15386 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15387 default is @code{nil}.
15389 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15390 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15391 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15393 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15394 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15395 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15396 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15398 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15399 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15400 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15401 default is @code{nil}.
15403 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15404 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15405 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15407 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15408 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15409 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15410 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15415 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15416 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15417 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15418 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15419 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15420 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15423 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15424 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15426 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15427 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15428 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15429 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15430 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15432 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15433 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15434 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15435 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15436 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15437 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15438 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15439 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15442 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15443 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15444 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15445 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15450 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15451 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15452 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15453 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15454 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15455 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15456 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15457 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15458 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15459 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15460 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15461 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15462 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15467 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15468 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15469 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15470 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15471 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15472 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15473 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15474 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15475 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15476 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15477 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15478 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15479 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15480 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15482 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15483 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15488 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15489 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15490 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15491 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15492 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15493 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15494 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15495 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15496 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15497 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15498 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15499 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15500 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15501 provided by the active file and overviews.
15503 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15504 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15505 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15506 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15507 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15510 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15511 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15516 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15517 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15518 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15519 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15520 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15521 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15522 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15526 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15527 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15528 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15529 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15530 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15531 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15532 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15533 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15534 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15536 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15537 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15538 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15539 friendly mail back end all over.
15543 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15544 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15547 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15548 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15549 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15550 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15551 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15552 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15553 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15554 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15557 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15558 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15559 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15560 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15561 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15562 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15563 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15564 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15565 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15566 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15567 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15569 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15570 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15571 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15572 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15573 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15576 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15577 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15578 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15579 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15580 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15581 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15582 removed in the future.
15584 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15585 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15586 on your file system.
15588 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15589 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15594 @node Browsing the Web
15595 @section Browsing the Web
15597 @cindex browsing the web
15601 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15602 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15603 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15604 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15605 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15606 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15607 even know what a news group is.
15609 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15610 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15611 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15612 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15613 you mad in the end.
15615 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15618 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15619 interfaces to these sources.
15623 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15624 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15625 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15626 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15627 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15628 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15631 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15633 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15634 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15635 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15636 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15637 though, you should be ok.
15639 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15640 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15641 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15642 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15643 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15645 @node Archiving Mail
15646 @subsection Archiving Mail
15647 @cindex archiving mail
15648 @cindex backup of mail
15650 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15651 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15652 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15653 marks is fairly simple.
15655 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15656 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15659 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15660 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15661 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15662 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15663 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15664 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15665 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15666 before you restore the data.
15668 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15669 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15670 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15671 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15672 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15673 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15674 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15675 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15676 is unnecessary in that case.
15679 @subsection Web Searches
15684 @cindex Usenet searches
15685 @cindex searching the Usenet
15687 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15688 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15689 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15690 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15691 searches without having to use a browser.
15693 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15694 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15695 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15696 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15697 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15699 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15700 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15701 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15702 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15703 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15704 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15705 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15706 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15707 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15708 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15711 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15712 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15713 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15714 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15715 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15716 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15718 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15719 to use @code{nnweb}.
15721 Virtual server variables:
15726 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15727 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15728 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15731 @vindex nnweb-search
15732 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15734 @item nnweb-max-hits
15735 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15736 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15739 @item nnweb-type-definition
15740 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15741 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15742 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15747 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15751 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15754 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15757 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15761 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15768 @subsection Slashdot
15772 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15773 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15774 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15776 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15777 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15780 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15781 '((nnslashdot "")))
15784 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15785 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15786 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15787 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15788 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15791 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15792 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15794 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15795 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15796 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15797 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15798 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15799 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15800 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15802 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15805 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15806 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15807 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15808 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15809 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15810 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15811 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15813 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15814 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15815 The login name to use when posting.
15817 @item nnslashdot-password
15818 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15819 The password to use when posting.
15821 @item nnslashdot-directory
15822 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15823 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15824 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15826 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15827 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15828 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15829 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15830 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15832 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15833 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15834 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15836 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15837 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15838 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15839 article. The default is
15840 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15842 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15843 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15844 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15846 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15847 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15848 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15849 updated. The default is 0.
15856 @subsection Ultimate
15858 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15860 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15861 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15862 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15863 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15865 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15866 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15867 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15868 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15869 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15870 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15871 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15873 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15876 @item nnultimate-directory
15877 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15878 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15879 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15884 @subsection Web Archive
15886 @cindex Web Archive
15888 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15889 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15890 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15891 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15894 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15895 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15896 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15897 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15898 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15899 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15900 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15901 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15903 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15906 @item nnwarchive-directory
15907 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15908 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15909 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15911 @item nnwarchive-login
15912 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15913 The account name on the web server.
15915 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15916 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15917 The password for your account on the web server.
15925 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
15926 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
15927 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
15928 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
15929 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
15931 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
15932 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15934 @kindex G R (Summary)
15935 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you
15936 will be prompted for the location of the feed.
15938 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
15939 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET y}, then
15940 subscribe to groups.
15943 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
15944 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
15947 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
15948 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
15952 @defun nnrss-opml-export
15953 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
15954 @acronym{OPML} format.
15957 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15960 @item nnrss-directory
15961 @vindex nnrss-directory
15962 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15963 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15965 @item nnrss-use-local
15966 @vindex nnrss-use-local
15967 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
15968 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
15969 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
15970 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
15971 download script using @command{wget}.
15974 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15975 the summary buffer.
15978 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15979 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15981 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15983 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15984 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15987 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15990 (require 'browse-url)
15992 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15994 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15997 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15998 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16001 (browse-url (cdr url))
16002 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16003 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16005 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16006 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16007 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16008 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16011 @node Customizing w3
16012 @subsection Customizing w3
16018 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
16019 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
16020 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
16022 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
16023 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16024 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16027 (eval-after-load "w3"
16029 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16030 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16031 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16032 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16034 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16037 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
16038 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16045 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16047 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16048 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16049 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16050 specify the network address of the server.
16052 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16053 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16054 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16055 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16056 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16057 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16059 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16060 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16061 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16062 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16064 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16065 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16066 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16067 usage explained in this section.
16069 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16070 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16071 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16075 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16076 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16077 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16079 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16080 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16081 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16083 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16084 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16085 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16086 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16087 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16088 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16089 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16090 (nnimap-stream network))
16091 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16093 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16094 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16095 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16098 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16099 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16100 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16101 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16103 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16108 @item nnimap-address
16109 @vindex nnimap-address
16111 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16112 server name if not specified.
16114 @item nnimap-server-port
16115 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16116 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16118 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16121 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16122 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16125 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16126 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16127 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16128 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16129 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16130 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16131 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16133 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16134 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16135 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16138 Example server specification:
16141 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16142 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16143 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16146 @item nnimap-stream
16147 @vindex nnimap-stream
16148 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16149 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16150 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16151 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16152 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16154 Example server specification:
16157 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16158 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16161 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16165 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16166 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16168 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16170 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16171 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16174 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16175 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16177 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16178 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16180 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16182 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16185 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16186 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16187 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16188 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16189 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16190 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16191 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16192 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16193 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16196 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16197 needed. It is available from
16198 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16200 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16201 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16202 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16203 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16204 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16205 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16206 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16209 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16210 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16211 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16212 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16213 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16214 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16215 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16218 @vindex imap-shell-program
16219 @vindex imap-shell-host
16220 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16221 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16223 @item nnimap-authenticator
16224 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16226 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16227 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16229 Example server specification:
16232 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16233 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16236 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16240 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16241 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16243 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16246 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16247 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16249 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16251 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16253 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16256 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16258 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16259 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16260 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16261 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16262 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16263 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16266 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16267 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16268 running in circles yet?
16270 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16271 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16274 The possible options are:
16279 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16282 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16283 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16284 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16285 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16287 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16292 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16293 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16295 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16296 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16297 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16298 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16299 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16302 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16303 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16306 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16307 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16308 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16309 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16312 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16313 as ticked for other users.
16315 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16317 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16319 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16320 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16321 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16322 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16324 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16325 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16326 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16327 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16329 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16330 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16332 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16333 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16334 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16335 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16338 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16341 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16342 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16343 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16344 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16347 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16348 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16350 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16351 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16357 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16358 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16359 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16360 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16361 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16362 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16367 @node Splitting in IMAP
16368 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16369 @cindex splitting imap mail
16371 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16372 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16373 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16374 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16375 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16379 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16380 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16381 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16383 Here are the variables of interest:
16387 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16388 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16390 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16392 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16393 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16394 found will be used.
16396 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16398 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16399 @cindex splitting, inbox
16401 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16403 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16404 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16405 splitting is disabled!
16408 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16409 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16412 No nnmail equivalent.
16414 @item nnimap-split-rule
16415 @cindex splitting, rules
16416 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16418 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16421 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16422 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16423 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16424 Neither did I, we need examples.
16427 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16429 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16430 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16431 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16434 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16435 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16436 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16438 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16439 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16443 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16446 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16447 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16449 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16450 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16451 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16452 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16454 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16455 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16456 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16457 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16458 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16459 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16461 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16462 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16463 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16465 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16466 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16467 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16469 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16471 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16472 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16473 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16476 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16477 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16478 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16479 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16480 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16481 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16484 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16485 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16486 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16487 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16488 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16489 group/function elements.
16491 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16493 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16495 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16497 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16498 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16500 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16501 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16502 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16505 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16506 @cindex splitting, fancy
16507 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16508 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16510 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16511 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16512 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16514 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16515 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16516 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16517 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16522 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16523 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16526 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16528 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16529 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16530 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16532 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16533 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16534 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16535 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16539 @node Expiring in IMAP
16540 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16541 @cindex expiring imap mail
16543 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16544 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16545 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16546 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16547 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16548 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16551 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16552 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16553 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16554 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16555 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16556 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16557 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16558 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16562 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16563 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16565 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16566 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16568 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16570 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16571 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16572 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16573 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16577 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16578 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16579 @cindex editing imap acls
16580 @cindex Access Control Lists
16581 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16582 @kindex G l (Group)
16583 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16585 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16586 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16587 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16590 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16591 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16592 editing window with detailed instructions.
16594 Some possible uses:
16598 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16599 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16600 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16602 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16603 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16604 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16608 @node Expunging mailboxes
16609 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16613 @cindex manual expunging
16614 @kindex G x (Group)
16615 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16617 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16618 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16619 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16621 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16624 @node A note on namespaces
16625 @subsection A note on namespaces
16626 @cindex IMAP namespace
16629 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16630 by the following text in the RFC:
16633 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16635 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16636 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16637 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16638 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16640 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16641 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16642 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16643 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16644 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16645 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16648 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16649 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16650 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16652 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16653 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16654 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16655 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16656 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16657 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16658 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16659 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16662 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16663 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16664 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16666 @node Debugging IMAP
16667 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16668 @cindex IMAP debugging
16669 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16671 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16672 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16673 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behaviour, chances
16674 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16676 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16677 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16678 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16679 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16680 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16681 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16682 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16686 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16687 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16694 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16695 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16696 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16697 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16700 @node Other Sources
16701 @section Other Sources
16703 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16704 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16708 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16709 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16710 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16711 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16712 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16716 @node Directory Groups
16717 @subsection Directory Groups
16719 @cindex directory groups
16721 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16722 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16725 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16726 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16727 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16728 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16730 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16731 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16732 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16733 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16734 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16736 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16738 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16739 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16740 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16741 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16744 @node Anything Groups
16745 @subsection Anything Groups
16748 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16749 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16750 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16753 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16754 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16755 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16756 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16757 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16758 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16759 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16760 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16761 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16762 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16765 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16766 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16767 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16768 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16770 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16771 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16772 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16773 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16775 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16776 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16777 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16778 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16779 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16780 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16781 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16782 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16787 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16788 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16789 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16790 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16792 @item nneething-exclude-files
16793 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16794 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16795 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16797 @item nneething-include-files
16798 @vindex nneething-include-files
16799 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16800 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16802 @item nneething-map-file
16803 @vindex nneething-map-file
16804 Name of the map files.
16808 @node Document Groups
16809 @subsection Document Groups
16811 @cindex documentation group
16814 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16815 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16822 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16827 The standard Unix mbox file.
16829 @cindex MMDF mail box
16831 The MMDF mail box format.
16834 Several news articles appended into a file.
16837 @cindex rnews batch files
16838 The rnews batch transport format.
16839 @cindex forwarded messages
16842 Forwarded articles.
16845 Netscape mail boxes.
16848 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16850 @item standard-digest
16851 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16854 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16856 @item lanl-gov-announce
16857 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16859 @item rfc822-forward
16860 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16863 The Outlook mail box.
16866 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16869 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16872 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16875 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16881 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16884 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16890 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16891 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16892 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16895 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16896 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16897 group. And that's it.
16899 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16900 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16901 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16902 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16903 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16904 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16905 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16906 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16907 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16908 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16910 Virtual server variables:
16913 @item nndoc-article-type
16914 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16915 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16916 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16917 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16918 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16919 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16921 @item nndoc-post-type
16922 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16923 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16924 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16929 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16933 @node Document Server Internals
16934 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16936 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16937 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16938 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16939 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16941 First, here's an example document type definition:
16945 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16946 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16949 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16950 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16951 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16952 types can be defined with very few settings:
16955 @item first-article
16956 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16957 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16960 @item article-begin
16961 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16962 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16964 @item head-begin-function
16965 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16968 @item nndoc-head-begin
16969 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16972 @item nndoc-head-end
16973 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16974 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16976 @item body-begin-function
16977 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16981 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16984 @item body-end-function
16985 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16989 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16992 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16993 regexp will be totally ignored.
16997 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16998 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16999 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17000 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17001 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17004 @item prepare-body-function
17005 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17006 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17007 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17009 @item article-transform-function
17010 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17011 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17012 body of the article.
17014 @item generate-head-function
17015 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17016 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17017 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17018 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17022 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17027 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17028 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17029 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17030 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17031 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17032 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17033 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17034 (subtype digest guess))
17037 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17038 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17039 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17040 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17041 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17043 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17044 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17045 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17046 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17047 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17048 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17049 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17050 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17051 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17052 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17053 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17054 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17062 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17063 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17064 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17066 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17067 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17068 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17071 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17072 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17073 that interested in doing things properly.
17075 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17076 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17079 First some terminology:
17084 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17085 get news and/or mail from.
17088 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17089 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17092 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17096 @item message packets
17097 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17098 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17099 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17101 @item response packets
17102 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17103 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17104 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17114 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17115 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17116 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17117 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17120 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17123 You put the packet in your home directory.
17126 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17127 the native or secondary server.
17130 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17131 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17134 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17138 You transfer this packet to the server.
17141 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17144 You then repeat until you die.
17148 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17149 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17152 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17153 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17154 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17158 @node SOUP Commands
17159 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17161 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17165 @kindex G s b (Group)
17166 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17167 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17168 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17169 process/prefix convention.
17172 @kindex G s w (Group)
17173 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17174 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17177 @kindex G s s (Group)
17178 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17179 Send all replies from the replies packet
17180 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17183 @kindex G s p (Group)
17184 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17185 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17188 @kindex G s r (Group)
17189 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17190 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17193 @kindex O s (Summary)
17194 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17195 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17196 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17197 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17202 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17207 @item gnus-soup-directory
17208 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17209 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17210 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17212 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17213 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17214 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17215 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17217 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17218 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17219 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17220 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17222 @item gnus-soup-packer
17223 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17224 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17225 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17227 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17228 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17229 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17230 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17232 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17233 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17234 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17236 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17237 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17238 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17239 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17245 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17248 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17249 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17250 you can read them at leisure.
17252 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17256 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17257 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17258 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17259 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17261 @item nnsoup-directory
17262 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17263 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17264 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17266 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17267 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17268 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17269 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17271 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17272 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17273 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17274 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17275 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17277 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17278 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17279 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17280 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17282 @item nnsoup-active-file
17283 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17284 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17285 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17286 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17287 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17289 @item nnsoup-packer
17290 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17291 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17292 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17294 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17295 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17296 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17297 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17299 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17300 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17301 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17304 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17305 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17306 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17309 @item nnsoup-always-save
17310 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17311 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17317 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17319 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17320 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17321 more for that to happen.
17323 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17324 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17325 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17328 In specific, this is what it does:
17331 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17332 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17335 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17336 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17337 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17340 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17341 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17342 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17345 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17346 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17347 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17349 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17355 @item nngateway-address
17356 @vindex nngateway-address
17357 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17359 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17360 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17361 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17362 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17363 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17364 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17365 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17368 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17369 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17370 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17373 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17376 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17379 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17382 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17384 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17387 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17388 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17389 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17391 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17393 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17394 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17395 @code{nngateway-address}.
17403 (setq gnus-post-method
17405 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17406 (nngateway-header-transformation
17407 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17410 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17413 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17418 @node Combined Groups
17419 @section Combined Groups
17421 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17425 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17426 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17430 @node Virtual Groups
17431 @subsection Virtual Groups
17433 @cindex virtual groups
17434 @cindex merging groups
17436 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17439 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17440 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17441 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17443 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17444 regexp to match component groups.
17446 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17447 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17448 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17449 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17450 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17451 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17452 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17453 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17455 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17456 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17459 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17462 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17463 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17465 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17466 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17467 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17468 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17471 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17474 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17475 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17476 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17478 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17479 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17480 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17481 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17482 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17484 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17485 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17486 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17488 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17489 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17490 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17491 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17492 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17493 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17494 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17495 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17496 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17497 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17498 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17500 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17501 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17502 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17503 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17504 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17505 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17506 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17508 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17509 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17511 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17512 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17516 @node Kibozed Groups
17517 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17521 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17522 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17523 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17524 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17526 @kindex G k (Group)
17527 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17530 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17531 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17532 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17533 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17535 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17536 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17537 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17539 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17540 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17541 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17542 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17543 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17544 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17545 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17546 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17548 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17549 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17550 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17551 Stranger things have happened.
17553 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17554 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17556 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17557 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17558 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17559 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17560 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17561 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17562 component articles.
17564 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17565 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17568 @node Gnus Unplugged
17569 @section Gnus Unplugged
17574 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17576 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17577 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17578 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17579 read news. Believe it or not.
17581 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17582 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17583 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17584 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17585 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17587 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17588 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17589 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17590 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17591 reading news on a machine.
17593 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17594 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
17595 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
17597 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17600 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17601 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17602 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17603 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17604 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17605 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17606 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17607 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17608 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17609 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17610 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17611 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17612 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17617 @subsection Agent Basics
17619 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17621 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17622 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17623 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17624 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17626 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17627 connected to the net continuously.
17629 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17630 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17632 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17633 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17634 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17635 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17636 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17638 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17639 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17640 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17641 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17642 they're kinda like plugged always).
17644 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17645 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17646 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17649 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17650 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17651 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17652 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17653 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17655 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17660 @findex gnus-unplugged
17661 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17662 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17663 already fetched while in this mode.
17666 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17667 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17668 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17669 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17670 Source Specifiers}).
17673 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17674 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17675 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17676 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17677 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17680 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17681 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17682 then you read the news offline.
17685 And then you go to step 2.
17688 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17694 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17695 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17696 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17697 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17698 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17699 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17700 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17701 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17704 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17705 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17706 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17707 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17709 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17710 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17711 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17712 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17713 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17714 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17718 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17722 @node Agent Categories
17723 @subsection Agent Categories
17725 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17726 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17727 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17728 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17729 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17730 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17731 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17733 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17734 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17735 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17736 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17737 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17739 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17740 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17741 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17742 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17743 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17746 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17747 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17748 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17749 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17750 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17751 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17755 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17756 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17757 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17761 @node Category Syntax
17762 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17764 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17765 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17766 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17769 @cindex Agent Parameters
17771 @item agent-cat-name
17772 The name of the category.
17775 The list of groups that are in this category.
17777 @item agent-predicate
17778 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17779 are eligible for downloading; and
17781 @item agent-score-file
17782 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17783 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17784 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17786 @item agent-enable-expiration
17787 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17788 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17789 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17790 only groups that should not be expired.
17792 @item agent-days-until-old
17793 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17794 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17796 @item agent-low-score
17797 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17799 @item agent-high-score
17800 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17802 @item agent-length-when-short
17803 an integer that overrides the value of
17804 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17806 @item agent-length-when-long
17807 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17809 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
17810 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
17811 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
17812 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
17813 undownloaded faces.
17816 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17819 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17820 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17821 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17824 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17825 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17826 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17827 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17829 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17830 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17831 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17833 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17834 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17835 operators sprinkled in between.
17837 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17839 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17840 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17846 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17847 short (for some value of ``short'').
17849 Here's a more complex predicate:
17858 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17859 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17862 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17863 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17864 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17866 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17867 you want to do, you can write your own.
17869 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17870 bound to the value determined by calling
17871 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17872 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17873 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17874 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17875 predicate to individual groups.
17879 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17880 lines; default 100.
17883 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17884 lines; default 200.
17887 True iff the article has a download score less than
17888 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17891 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17892 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17895 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17896 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17897 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17906 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17907 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17908 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17911 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17912 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17913 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17914 something along the lines of the following:
17917 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17918 "Say whether an article is old."
17919 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17920 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17923 with the predicate then defined as:
17926 (not my-article-old-p)
17929 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17930 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17934 (require 'gnus-agent)
17935 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17936 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17937 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17940 and simply specify your predicate as:
17946 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17947 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17948 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17949 just don't give a damn.
17951 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17952 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17953 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17954 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
17955 parameters like so:
17958 (agent-predicate . short)
17961 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17962 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17963 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17965 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17968 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17971 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17972 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17973 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17976 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17977 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17978 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17979 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17980 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17981 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17983 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17984 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17985 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17986 if it's to be specific to that group.
17988 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17995 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
17996 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18002 Category specification
18006 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18012 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18015 (agent-score ("from"
18016 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18021 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18027 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18028 keywords stated above.
18034 Category specification
18037 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18043 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18047 Group Parameter specification
18050 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18053 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18058 Use @code{normal} score files
18060 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18061 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18062 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18063 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18065 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18066 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18067 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18068 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18072 Category Specification
18079 Group Parameter specification
18082 (agent-score . file)
18087 @node Category Buffer
18088 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18090 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18091 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18092 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18094 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18098 @kindex q (Category)
18099 @findex gnus-category-exit
18100 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18103 @kindex e (Category)
18104 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18105 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18106 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18109 @kindex k (Category)
18110 @findex gnus-category-kill
18111 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18114 @kindex c (Category)
18115 @findex gnus-category-copy
18116 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18119 @kindex a (Category)
18120 @findex gnus-category-add
18121 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18124 @kindex p (Category)
18125 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18126 Edit the predicate of the current category
18127 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18130 @kindex g (Category)
18131 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18132 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18133 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18136 @kindex s (Category)
18137 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18138 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18139 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18142 @kindex l (Category)
18143 @findex gnus-category-list
18144 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18148 @node Category Variables
18149 @subsubsection Category Variables
18152 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18153 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18154 Hook run in category buffers.
18156 @item gnus-category-line-format
18157 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18158 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18159 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18163 The name of the category.
18166 The number of groups in the category.
18169 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18170 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18171 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18173 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18174 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18175 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18177 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18178 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18179 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18181 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18182 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18183 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18186 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18187 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18188 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18191 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18192 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18193 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18194 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18195 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18196 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18197 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18198 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18202 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18203 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18204 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18205 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18206 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18207 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18208 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18213 @node Agent Commands
18214 @subsection Agent Commands
18215 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18216 @kindex J j (Agent)
18218 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18219 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18220 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18224 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18225 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18226 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18232 @node Group Agent Commands
18233 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18237 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18238 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18239 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18240 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18243 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18244 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18245 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18248 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18249 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18250 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18251 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18254 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18255 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18256 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18257 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18260 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18261 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18262 Add the current group to an Agent category
18263 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18264 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18267 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18268 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18269 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18270 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18271 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18274 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18275 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18276 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18282 @node Summary Agent Commands
18283 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18287 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18288 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18289 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18292 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18293 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18294 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18295 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18299 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18300 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18301 Toggle whether to download the article
18302 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18306 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18307 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18308 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18311 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18312 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18313 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18314 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18317 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18318 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18319 Download all processable articles in this group.
18320 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18323 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18324 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18325 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18326 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18331 @node Server Agent Commands
18332 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18336 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18337 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18338 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18339 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18342 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18343 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18344 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18345 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18350 @node Agent Visuals
18351 @subsection Agent Visuals
18353 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18354 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18355 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18356 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18357 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18358 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18359 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18360 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18361 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18362 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18364 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18365 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18366 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18367 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18368 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18369 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18370 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18371 articles will be available when unplugged.
18373 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18374 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18375 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18376 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18377 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18378 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18379 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18380 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18382 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18383 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18384 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18385 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18386 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18387 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18388 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18389 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18390 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18392 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18393 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18394 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18395 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18396 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18397 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18398 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18399 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18400 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18401 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18403 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18404 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18405 group parameter to t. This parameter, like all other agent
18406 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent
18407 Categories}), a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an
18408 individual group (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18410 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18411 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18412 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18413 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18414 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18415 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18416 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18417 expiring'' articles.
18419 @node Agent as Cache
18420 @subsection Agent as Cache
18422 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18423 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18424 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18425 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18426 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18427 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18428 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18429 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18430 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18432 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18433 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18434 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18435 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18436 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18439 @subsection Agent Expiry
18441 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18442 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18443 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18444 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18445 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18446 @cindex agent expiry
18447 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18450 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18451 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18452 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18453 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18454 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18455 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18456 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18457 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18459 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18460 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18461 synchronized with the group.
18463 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18464 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18466 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18467 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18468 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18469 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18470 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18471 be kept indefinitely.
18473 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18474 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18475 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18476 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18478 @node Agent Regeneration
18479 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18481 @cindex agent regeneration
18482 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18483 @cindex regeneration
18485 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18486 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18487 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18488 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18489 internal inconsistencies.
18491 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18492 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18493 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18494 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18495 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18496 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18498 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18499 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18500 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18501 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18502 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18503 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18505 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18506 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18507 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18508 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18509 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18510 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18513 @node Agent and IMAP
18514 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18516 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18517 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18518 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18519 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18521 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18522 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18523 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18524 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18526 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18527 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18528 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18529 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18531 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18532 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18533 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18534 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18535 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18536 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18538 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18539 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18540 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18541 in the group buffer.
18543 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18544 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18549 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18552 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18556 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18557 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18558 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18559 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18560 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18561 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18562 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18563 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18566 @node Outgoing Messages
18567 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18569 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
18570 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
18571 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18573 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
18574 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
18575 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
18577 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
18578 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
18579 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
18580 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
18583 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
18584 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
18585 ask you to confirm your action (see
18586 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
18588 @node Agent Variables
18589 @subsection Agent Variables
18594 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
18595 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
18596 automatically mark some backends as agentized. You may change which
18597 backends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
18599 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
18600 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
18603 @item gnus-agent-directory
18604 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18605 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18606 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18608 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18609 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18610 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18611 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18612 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18615 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18616 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18617 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18619 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18620 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18621 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18623 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18624 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18625 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18627 @item gnus-agent-cache
18628 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18629 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18630 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18631 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18633 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18634 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18635 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18636 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18637 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18638 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18639 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18642 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18643 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18644 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18645 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18646 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18647 read. The default is t.
18649 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18650 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18651 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18652 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
18653 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
18654 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
18655 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
18656 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
18657 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
18658 over and over again.
18660 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18661 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18662 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18663 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18664 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18665 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18666 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18667 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18668 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18669 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18670 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18671 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18674 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18675 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18676 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18677 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18678 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18679 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18680 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18681 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18682 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18684 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18685 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18686 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18687 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18688 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18689 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18691 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18692 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18693 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18694 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18695 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18697 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
18698 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
18699 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
18700 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
18701 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
18702 mail. The default is @code{t}.
18704 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18705 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18706 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
18707 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
18708 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
18710 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18711 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18712 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
18713 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
18714 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
18715 which backends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
18716 to agentize remote backends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
18717 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
18718 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
18719 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
18720 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
18725 @node Example Setup
18726 @subsection Example Setup
18728 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18729 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18730 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18733 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18734 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18735 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18737 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18738 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18739 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18741 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18742 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18744 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18745 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18746 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18749 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18750 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18753 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18754 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18755 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18756 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18757 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18760 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18761 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18762 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18763 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18764 back all the killed groups.)
18766 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18767 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18768 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18771 @node Batching Agents
18772 @subsection Batching Agents
18773 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18775 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18776 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18777 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18779 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18780 following incantation:
18784 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18788 @node Agent Caveats
18789 @subsection Agent Caveats
18791 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18792 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18796 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18798 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18799 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18800 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18802 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18803 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18805 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18809 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18810 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18811 locally stored articles.
18818 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18819 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18820 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18823 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18824 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18825 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18826 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18827 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18829 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18830 before generating the summary buffer.
18832 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18833 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18834 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18836 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18837 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18838 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18839 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18842 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18843 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18844 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18845 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18846 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18847 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18848 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18849 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18850 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18851 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18852 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18853 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18854 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18855 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18856 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18857 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18861 @node Summary Score Commands
18862 @section Summary Score Commands
18863 @cindex score commands
18865 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18866 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18867 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18868 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18869 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18871 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18872 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18873 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18874 score file the current one.
18876 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18881 @kindex V s (Summary)
18882 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18883 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18886 @kindex V S (Summary)
18887 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18888 Display the score of the current article
18889 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18892 @kindex V t (Summary)
18893 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18894 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18895 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18896 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
18897 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
18898 score file and edit it.
18901 @kindex V w (Summary)
18902 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18903 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18906 @kindex V R (Summary)
18907 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18908 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18909 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18910 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18911 effect you're having.
18914 @kindex V c (Summary)
18915 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18916 Make a different score file the current
18917 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18920 @kindex V e (Summary)
18921 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18922 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18923 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18927 @kindex V f (Summary)
18928 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18929 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18930 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18933 @kindex V F (Summary)
18934 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18935 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18936 after editing score files.
18939 @kindex V C (Summary)
18940 @findex gnus-score-customize
18941 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18942 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18946 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18951 @kindex V m (Summary)
18952 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18953 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18954 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18957 @kindex V x (Summary)
18958 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18959 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18960 expunge all articles below this score
18961 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18964 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18965 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18968 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18969 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18973 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18974 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18976 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18977 keys are available:
18981 Score on the author name.
18984 Score on the subject line.
18987 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18990 Score on the @code{References} line.
18996 Score on the number of lines.
18999 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19002 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19003 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19006 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19007 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19008 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19017 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19023 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19024 what headers you are scoring on.
19036 Substring matching.
19039 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19068 Greater than number.
19073 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19074 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19075 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19080 Temporary score entry.
19083 Permanent score entry.
19086 Immediately scoring.
19090 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19091 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19092 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19096 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19097 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19098 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19099 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19101 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19102 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19103 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19104 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19105 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19107 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19108 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19109 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19110 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19111 current score file.
19113 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19114 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19115 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19118 @node Group Score Commands
19119 @section Group Score Commands
19120 @cindex group score commands
19122 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19127 @kindex W e (Group)
19128 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19129 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19130 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19133 @kindex W f (Group)
19134 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19135 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19136 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19137 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19141 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19143 @findex gnus-batch-score
19144 @cindex batch scoring
19146 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19150 @node Score Variables
19151 @section Score Variables
19152 @cindex score variables
19156 @item gnus-use-scoring
19157 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19158 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19159 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19161 @item gnus-kill-killed
19162 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19163 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19164 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19165 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19166 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19167 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19168 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19170 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19171 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19172 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19173 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19174 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19176 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19177 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19178 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19179 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19181 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19182 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19183 @cindex score cache
19184 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19185 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19186 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19187 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19188 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19189 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19190 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19193 @item gnus-save-score
19194 @vindex gnus-save-score
19195 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19196 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19197 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19199 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19200 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19201 across group visits.
19203 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19204 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19205 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19206 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19207 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19208 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19209 manually entered data.
19211 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19212 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19213 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19215 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19216 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19217 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19218 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19219 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19220 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19222 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19223 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19224 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19225 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19227 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19228 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19229 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19230 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19232 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19233 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19234 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19235 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19237 Predefined functions available are:
19240 @item gnus-score-find-single
19241 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19242 Only apply the group's own score file.
19244 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19245 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19246 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19247 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19248 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19249 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19250 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19251 then a regexp match is done.
19253 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19254 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19256 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19257 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19258 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19259 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19261 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19262 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19263 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19264 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19265 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19269 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19270 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19271 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19272 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19273 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19274 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19275 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19278 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19279 overall score file, you could use the value
19281 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19282 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19285 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19286 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19287 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19288 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19289 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19291 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19292 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19293 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19294 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19295 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19296 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19297 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19298 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19300 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19301 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19302 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19304 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19305 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19306 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19307 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19308 threading---according to the current value of
19309 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19310 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19311 simplified in this manner.
19316 @node Score File Format
19317 @section Score File Format
19318 @cindex score file format
19320 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19321 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19322 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19324 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19328 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19330 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19332 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19334 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19339 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19343 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19344 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19345 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19346 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19350 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19351 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19353 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19354 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19355 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19357 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19362 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19363 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19364 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19365 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19366 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19367 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19368 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19369 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19370 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19371 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19372 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19373 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19374 to articles that matches these score entries.
19376 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19377 score entry has one to four elements.
19381 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19382 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19386 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19387 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19388 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19389 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19390 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19391 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19394 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19395 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19396 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19397 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19398 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19401 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19402 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19403 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19404 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19407 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19408 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19409 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19410 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19411 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19412 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19413 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19414 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19415 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19416 instead, if you feel like.
19419 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19420 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19421 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19422 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19423 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19424 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19428 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19429 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19433 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19434 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19436 These predicates are true if
19439 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19442 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19443 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19450 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19451 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19452 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19453 it's not. I think.)
19455 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19456 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19457 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19458 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19461 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19462 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19463 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19464 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19465 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19466 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19467 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19471 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19472 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19473 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19474 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19475 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19476 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19477 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19478 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19481 @item Head, Body, All
19482 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19486 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19487 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19488 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19489 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19490 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19491 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19492 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19496 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19497 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19498 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19499 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19500 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19501 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19502 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19503 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19504 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19505 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19506 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19510 @cindex score file atoms
19512 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19513 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19516 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19517 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19519 @item mark-and-expunge
19520 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19521 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19524 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19525 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19526 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19527 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19528 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19531 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19532 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19535 @item exclude-files
19536 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19537 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19541 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19542 ignored when handling global score files.
19545 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19546 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19547 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19548 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19551 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19552 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19553 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19554 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19556 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19560 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19563 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19564 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19565 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19566 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19567 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19569 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19570 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19571 scoring rules exist.
19574 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19575 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19576 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19577 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19578 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19579 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19580 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19581 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19582 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19583 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19584 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19588 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19589 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19590 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19591 file for a number of groups.
19594 @cindex local variables
19595 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19596 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19597 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19598 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19599 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19604 @node Score File Editing
19605 @section Score File Editing
19607 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19608 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19609 with a mode for that.
19611 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19612 additional commands:
19617 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19618 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19619 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19620 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19623 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19624 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19625 Insert the current date in numerical format
19626 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19627 you were wondering.
19630 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19631 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19632 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19633 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19634 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19639 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19641 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19642 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19644 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
19645 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
19648 @node Adaptive Scoring
19649 @section Adaptive Scoring
19650 @cindex adaptive scoring
19652 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19653 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19654 stupidity, to be precise.
19656 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19657 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19658 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19659 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19660 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19661 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19662 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19663 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19664 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19666 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19667 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19668 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19669 might look something like this:
19672 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19673 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19674 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19675 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19676 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19677 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19678 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19679 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19680 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19681 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19682 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19683 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19686 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19687 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19688 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19689 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19690 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19691 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19694 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19695 will be applied to each article.
19697 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19698 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19699 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19700 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19702 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19703 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19704 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19705 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19707 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19708 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19709 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19710 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19712 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19713 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19714 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19715 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19716 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19717 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19719 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19720 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19721 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19723 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19724 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19725 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19727 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19728 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19729 let you use different rules in different groups.
19731 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19732 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19733 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19736 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19737 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19738 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19739 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19740 the length of the match is less than
19741 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19742 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19745 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19746 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19747 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19748 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19749 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19752 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19753 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19754 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19755 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19756 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19759 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19760 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19761 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19762 score with 30 points.
19764 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19765 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19766 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19767 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19768 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19770 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19771 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19772 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19773 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19774 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19776 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19777 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19778 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19779 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19781 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19782 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19783 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19784 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19786 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19787 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19788 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19789 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19790 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19792 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19793 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19794 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19796 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19797 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19798 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19799 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19802 @node Home Score File
19803 @section Home Score File
19805 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19806 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19807 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19808 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19810 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19811 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19812 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19814 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19815 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19820 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19824 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19825 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19829 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19833 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19834 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19837 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19838 be used as the home score file.
19841 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19844 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19849 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19852 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19853 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19856 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19857 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19859 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19861 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19862 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19865 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19866 Other functions include
19869 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19870 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19871 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19872 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19876 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19877 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19878 their own home score files:
19881 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19882 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19883 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19884 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19885 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19888 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19889 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19890 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19891 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19892 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19894 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19895 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19896 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19897 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19898 precedence over this variable.
19901 @node Followups To Yourself
19902 @section Followups To Yourself
19904 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19905 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19906 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19907 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19908 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19909 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19913 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19914 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19915 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19918 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19919 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19920 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19924 @vindex message-sent-hook
19925 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19926 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19928 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19932 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19933 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19937 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19938 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19941 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19942 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19947 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19951 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19952 is system-dependent.
19955 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19956 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19957 @cindex scoring on other headers
19959 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19960 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19961 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19962 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19963 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19965 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19966 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
19967 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
19968 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
19969 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19971 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19974 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19975 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19978 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19979 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19980 time if you have much mail.
19982 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19983 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19989 @section Scoring Tips
19990 @cindex scoring tips
19996 @cindex scoring crossposts
19997 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19998 the @code{Xref} header.
20000 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20003 @item Multiple crossposts
20004 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20005 more than, say, 3 groups:
20008 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20012 @item Matching on the body
20013 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20014 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20015 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20016 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20017 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20018 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20019 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20022 @item Marking as read
20023 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20024 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20025 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20029 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20031 @item Negated character classes
20032 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20033 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20034 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20038 @node Reverse Scoring
20039 @section Reverse Scoring
20040 @cindex reverse scoring
20042 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20043 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20044 like this in your score file:
20048 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20053 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20054 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20057 @node Global Score Files
20058 @section Global Score Files
20059 @cindex global score files
20061 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20062 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20063 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20065 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20066 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20067 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20069 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20070 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20071 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20072 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20073 files are applicable to which group.
20075 To use the score file
20076 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20077 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20081 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20082 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20083 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20086 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20088 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20089 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20090 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20091 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20093 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20094 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20096 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20097 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20098 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20099 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20100 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20101 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20103 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20109 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20111 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20113 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20115 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20116 lowered out of existence.
20118 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20119 articles completely.
20122 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20123 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20124 old articles for a long time.
20127 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20128 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20129 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20130 holding our breath yet?
20134 @section Kill Files
20137 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20138 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20139 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20141 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20142 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20143 files into score files.
20145 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20146 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20147 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20148 that isn't a very good idea.
20150 Normal kill files look like this:
20153 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20154 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20158 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20159 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20161 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20162 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20165 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20170 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20171 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20172 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20175 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20176 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20177 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20180 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20185 @kindex M-k (Group)
20186 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20187 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20190 @kindex M-K (Group)
20191 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20192 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20195 Kill file variables:
20198 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20199 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20200 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20201 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20202 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20203 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20204 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20206 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20207 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20208 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20209 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20212 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20213 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20214 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20215 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20216 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20217 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20218 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20219 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20220 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20222 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20223 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20224 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20229 @node Converting Kill Files
20230 @section Converting Kill Files
20232 @cindex converting kill files
20234 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20235 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20236 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20239 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20240 You can fetch it from
20241 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20243 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20244 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20245 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20249 @node Advanced Scoring
20250 @section Advanced Scoring
20252 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20253 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20254 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20255 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20256 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20258 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20262 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20263 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20264 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20268 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20269 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20271 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20272 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20273 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20274 non-@code{nil} value.
20276 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20277 operator, and various match operators.
20284 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20285 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20286 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20291 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20292 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20293 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20298 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20299 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20303 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20304 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20305 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20306 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20307 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20308 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20309 the ancestry you want to go.
20311 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20312 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20313 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20314 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20315 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20318 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20319 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20321 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20322 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20325 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20326 when he's talking about Gnus:
20331 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20332 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20339 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20343 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20350 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20351 really don't want to read what he's written:
20355 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20356 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20360 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20361 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20362 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20369 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20370 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20371 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20372 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20376 The possibilities are endless.
20379 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20380 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20382 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20383 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20384 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20385 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20386 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20387 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20388 @samp{subject}) first.
20390 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20391 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20402 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20403 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20409 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20416 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20417 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20422 @section Score Decays
20423 @cindex score decays
20426 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20427 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20428 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20429 use them in any sensible way.
20431 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20432 @findex gnus-decay-score
20433 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20434 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20435 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20436 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20437 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20438 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20439 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20440 definition of that function:
20443 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20444 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20445 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20447 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20449 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20451 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20452 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20453 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20454 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20455 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20457 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20461 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20462 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20463 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20464 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20468 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20471 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20474 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20478 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20479 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20480 the new score, which should be an integer.
20482 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20483 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20488 @include message.texi
20489 @chapter Emacs MIME
20490 @include emacs-mime.texi
20492 @include sieve.texi
20504 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20505 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20506 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20507 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20508 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20509 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20510 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20511 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20512 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20513 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20514 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20515 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20516 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20517 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20518 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20519 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20520 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20521 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20522 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
20523 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20527 @node Process/Prefix
20528 @section Process/Prefix
20529 @cindex process/prefix convention
20531 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20532 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20534 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20535 command to be performed on.
20539 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20540 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20541 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20542 with the current one.
20544 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20545 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20546 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20548 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20549 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20552 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20553 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20555 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20558 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20559 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20560 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20561 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20563 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20564 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20565 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20566 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20567 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20568 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20569 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20570 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20572 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20573 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20574 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20575 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20576 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20580 @section Interactive
20581 @cindex interaction
20585 @item gnus-novice-user
20586 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20587 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20588 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20589 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20590 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20593 @item gnus-expert-user
20594 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20595 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20596 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20597 matter how strange.
20599 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20600 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20601 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20602 is @code{t} by default.
20604 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20605 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20606 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20611 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20612 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20613 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20615 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20616 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20617 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20618 rule of 900 to the current article.
20620 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20621 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20622 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20623 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20624 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20625 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20626 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20628 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20629 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20630 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20631 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20632 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20633 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20634 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20635 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20636 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20638 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20639 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20640 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20642 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20646 @node Formatting Variables
20647 @section Formatting Variables
20648 @cindex formatting variables
20650 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20651 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20652 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20653 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20654 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20657 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20658 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20659 lots of percentages everywhere.
20662 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20663 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20664 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20665 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20666 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20667 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20668 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20669 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20672 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20673 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20674 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20675 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20676 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20677 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20678 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20679 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20681 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20682 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20684 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20685 @findex gnus-update-format
20686 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20687 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20688 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20689 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20693 @node Formatting Basics
20694 @subsection Formatting Basics
20696 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20697 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20698 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20700 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20701 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20702 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20703 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20704 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20707 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20708 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20709 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20710 less than 4 characters wide.
20712 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20713 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20716 @node Mode Line Formatting
20717 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20719 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20720 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20721 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20722 with the following two differences:
20727 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20730 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20731 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20732 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20733 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20734 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20735 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20736 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20741 @node Advanced Formatting
20742 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20744 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20745 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20746 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20747 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20749 These are the valid modifiers:
20754 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20758 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20763 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20766 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20771 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20774 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20777 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20780 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20786 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20791 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20792 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20793 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20794 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20795 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20796 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20797 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20799 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20800 last operation, padding.
20802 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
20803 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
20804 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
20805 @xref{Compilation}.
20808 @node User-Defined Specs
20809 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20811 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20812 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20813 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20814 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20815 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20816 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20817 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20818 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20819 should protect against that.
20821 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20822 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20824 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20825 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20826 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20827 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20831 @node Formatting Fonts
20832 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20834 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20835 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20836 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20837 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20840 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20841 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20842 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20843 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20844 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20845 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20847 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20848 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20849 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20850 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20851 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20852 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20853 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20854 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20855 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20856 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20857 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20860 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20863 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20864 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20865 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20867 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20868 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20869 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20870 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20871 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20872 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20873 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20875 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20876 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20877 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20880 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20881 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20883 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20884 mode-line variables.
20886 @node Positioning Point
20887 @subsection Positioning Point
20889 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20890 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20891 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20893 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20895 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20896 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20897 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20899 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20900 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20901 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20906 @subsection Tabulation
20908 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20909 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20910 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20911 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20913 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20914 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20916 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20917 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20918 This is the soft tabulator.
20920 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20921 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20922 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20925 @node Wide Characters
20926 @subsection Wide Characters
20928 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20929 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20930 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20932 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20933 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20934 these countries, that's not true.
20936 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20937 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20938 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20939 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20943 @node Window Layout
20944 @section Window Layout
20945 @cindex window layout
20947 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20949 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20950 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20951 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20952 @code{t} by default.
20954 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20955 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20957 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20958 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20959 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20962 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20963 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20964 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20968 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20969 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20970 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20971 possible names is listed below.
20973 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20974 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20977 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20981 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20982 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20983 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20984 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20985 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20986 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20987 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20988 size spec per split.
20990 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20991 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20992 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20993 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20994 present) gets focus.
20996 Here's a more complicated example:
20999 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21000 (summary 0.25 point)
21001 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21005 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21006 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21007 occupy, not a percentage.
21009 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21010 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21011 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21012 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21013 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21016 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21019 (article (horizontal 1.0
21024 (summary 0.25 point)
21029 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21030 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21032 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21033 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21034 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21035 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21036 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21038 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21039 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21040 lines from the splits.
21042 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21047 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21048 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21049 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21050 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21051 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21052 size = number | frame-params
21053 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21057 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21058 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21059 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21060 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21062 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21063 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21064 @cindex window height
21065 @cindex window width
21066 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21067 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21068 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21069 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21070 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21071 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21073 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21074 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21075 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21076 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21078 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21079 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21080 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21081 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21082 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21083 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21084 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21085 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21086 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21087 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21088 configuration list.
21091 (gnus-configure-frame
21095 (article 0.3 point))
21103 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21104 @code{frame} split:
21107 (gnus-configure-frame
21110 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21112 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21113 (user-position . t)
21114 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21119 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21120 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21121 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21122 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21123 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21124 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21125 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21126 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21128 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21129 be found in its default value.
21131 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21132 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21133 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21137 (message (horizontal 1.0
21138 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21140 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21145 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21146 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21147 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21152 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21153 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21154 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21155 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21156 (name . "Message"))
21157 (message 1.0 point))))
21160 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21161 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21162 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21163 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21164 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21167 (gnus-add-configuration
21168 '(article (vertical 1.0
21170 (summary .25 point)
21174 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21175 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21176 Gnus has been loaded.
21178 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21179 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21180 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21181 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21182 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21184 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21185 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21186 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21189 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21193 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21194 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21209 (gnus-add-configuration
21212 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21214 (summary 0.16 point)
21217 (gnus-add-configuration
21220 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21221 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21227 @node Faces and Fonts
21228 @section Faces and Fonts
21233 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21234 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21235 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21240 @section Compilation
21241 @cindex compilation
21242 @cindex byte-compilation
21244 @findex gnus-compile
21246 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21247 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21248 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
21249 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21250 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21251 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21254 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21255 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21256 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21257 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
21258 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
21259 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
21260 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
21264 @section Mode Lines
21267 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21268 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21269 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21270 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21271 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21272 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21273 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21276 @cindex display-time
21278 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21279 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21280 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21281 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21282 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21283 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21284 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21285 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21288 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21290 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21291 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21293 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21294 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21295 (length display-time-string)))))
21298 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21299 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21300 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21301 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21302 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21305 @node Highlighting and Menus
21306 @section Highlighting and Menus
21308 @cindex highlighting
21311 @vindex gnus-visual
21312 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21313 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21314 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21317 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21318 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21321 @item group-highlight
21322 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21323 @item summary-highlight
21324 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21325 @item article-highlight
21326 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21328 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21330 Create menus in the group buffer.
21332 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21334 Create menus in the article buffer.
21336 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21338 Create menus in the server buffer.
21340 Create menus in the score buffers.
21342 Create menus in all buffers.
21345 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21346 buffers, you could say something like:
21349 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21352 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21355 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21358 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21359 in all Gnus buffers.
21361 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21364 @item gnus-mouse-face
21365 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21366 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21367 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21371 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21375 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21376 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21377 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21379 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21380 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21381 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21383 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21384 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21385 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21387 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21388 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21389 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21391 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21392 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21393 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21395 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21396 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21397 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21408 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21409 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21410 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21411 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21412 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21416 @vindex gnus-carpal
21417 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21418 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21419 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21424 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21425 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21426 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21428 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21429 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21430 Face used on buttons.
21432 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21433 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21434 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21436 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21437 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21438 Buttons in the group buffer.
21440 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21441 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21442 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21444 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21445 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21446 Buttons in the server buffer.
21448 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21449 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21450 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21453 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21454 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21455 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21463 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21464 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21465 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21466 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21467 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21469 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21470 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21471 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21473 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21474 been idle for thirty minutes:
21477 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21480 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21484 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21487 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21488 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21489 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21491 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21492 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21493 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21494 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21496 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21497 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21498 @var{idle} minutes.
21500 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21501 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21504 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21505 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21506 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21508 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21509 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21510 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21511 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21513 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21514 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21516 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21518 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21521 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21522 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21523 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21524 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21525 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21526 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21527 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21528 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21529 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21530 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21531 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21533 @findex gnus-demon-init
21534 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21535 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21536 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21537 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21538 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21540 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21541 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21542 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21551 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21552 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21554 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21555 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21556 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21557 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21560 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21561 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21562 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21563 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21565 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21566 this will make spam disappear.
21568 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21571 @item gnus-use-nocem
21572 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21573 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21576 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21577 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21578 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21581 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21582 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21585 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21586 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21587 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21588 people you want to listen to. The default is
21590 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21591 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21593 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21595 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21596 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21598 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21599 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21600 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21601 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21602 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21603 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21604 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21605 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21606 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21607 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21609 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21610 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21613 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21616 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21617 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21620 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21623 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21626 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21627 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21629 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21630 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21631 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21632 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21634 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21635 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21638 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21640 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21648 This might be dangerous, though.
21650 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21651 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21652 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21653 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21655 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21656 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21657 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21658 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21659 might then see old spam.
21661 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21662 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21663 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21664 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21665 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21668 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21669 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21670 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21671 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21675 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21676 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21677 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21678 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21685 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21686 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21687 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21689 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21690 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21691 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21692 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21693 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21694 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21695 @code{undo} function.
21697 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21698 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21699 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21700 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21701 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21702 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21703 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21704 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21705 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21706 never be totally undoable.
21708 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21709 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21711 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21712 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21713 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21714 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21718 @node Predicate Specifiers
21719 @section Predicate Specifiers
21720 @cindex predicate specifiers
21722 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21723 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21724 to type all that much.
21726 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21731 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21732 gnus-article-unread-p)
21735 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21736 functions all take one parameter.
21738 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21739 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21740 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21741 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21746 @section Moderation
21749 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21750 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21751 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21754 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21758 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21761 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21763 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21768 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21769 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21770 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21773 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21774 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21777 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21778 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21782 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21785 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21786 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21790 @node Image Enhancements
21791 @section Image Enhancements
21793 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21794 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21795 taken advantage of that.
21798 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21799 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21800 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21801 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21802 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21810 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21811 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21812 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21816 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21817 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21818 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21826 Gnus now uses the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program for
21827 decoding an @code{X-Face} header normally in Emacs. While it doesn't
21828 require any other external program, you may feel it is slow if you are
21829 using a slow machine. In such a case, you can modify the following
21833 @item uncompface-use-external
21834 @vindex uncompface-use-external
21835 Specify which of the internal or the external decoder should be used.
21836 @code{nil} means to use the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface}
21837 program. @code{t} means to use the external decoder. The default value
21838 is normally @code{undecided} which means to determine it by checking
21839 whether the host machine is slow, being controlled by
21840 @code{uncompface-use-external-threshold} (which see).
21842 @item uncompface-use-external-threshold
21843 @vindex uncompface-use-external-threshold
21844 A number of seconds to check whether the host machine is slow. If the
21845 host takes time larger than this value for decoding an @code{X-Face}
21846 using the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program, it will be
21847 changed to using the external decoder. The default is 0.1 seconds.
21850 If the internal decoder is invalidated or if you are using XEmacs,
21851 decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21852 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21853 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21854 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21856 The variable that controls this is the
21857 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21858 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21859 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21860 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21861 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21863 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21864 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21865 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21866 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21869 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21870 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21871 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21872 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21873 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21874 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21875 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21876 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21878 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21886 @vindex gnus-x-face
21887 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
21888 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
21889 default colors are black and white.
21891 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
21892 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
21893 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
21894 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
21895 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
21896 XEmacs. Here are examples:
21899 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
21900 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21901 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
21902 (png . (:ascent 80))))
21904 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
21905 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21906 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
21907 (png . (:relief -2))))
21910 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
21911 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
21912 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
21913 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
21914 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
21915 @samp{libcompface} library.
21918 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21919 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21921 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21922 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21923 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21924 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21925 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21926 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21927 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21928 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21929 header data as a string.
21931 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21932 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21933 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21934 randomly generated data.
21936 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21937 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21938 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21939 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21940 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21942 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21943 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21946 (setq message-required-news-headers
21947 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21948 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21951 Using the last function would be something like this:
21954 (setq message-required-news-headers
21955 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21956 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21957 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21958 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21966 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
21968 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
21969 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
21970 represent the author of the message.
21973 @findex gnus-article-display-face
21974 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
21975 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
21978 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
21979 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
21981 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21982 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
21984 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
21985 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
21986 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
21988 @findex gnus-face-from-file
21989 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
21990 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
21991 converts the file to Face format by using the
21992 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
21994 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
21995 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21998 (setq message-required-news-headers
21999 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22000 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22001 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22006 @subsection Smileys
22011 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22016 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22017 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22019 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22020 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22023 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22026 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22027 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22028 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22029 text and maps that to file names.
22031 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22032 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22033 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22034 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22035 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22038 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22043 @item smiley-data-directory
22044 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22045 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22047 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22048 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22049 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22063 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22064 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22065 over your shoulder as you read news.
22067 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22076 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22077 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22078 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22079 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22080 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22081 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22082 @code{GIF} formats.
22085 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22086 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22087 point your Web browser at
22088 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22090 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22091 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22093 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22094 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22097 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22101 @item gnus-picon-databases
22102 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22103 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22104 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22105 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22106 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22108 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22109 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22110 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22111 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22113 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22114 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22115 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22116 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22118 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22119 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22120 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22121 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22122 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22124 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22125 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22126 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22127 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22133 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22136 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22137 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22138 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22139 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22140 unusual directory structure.
22142 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22143 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22144 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22145 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22147 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22148 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22149 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22150 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22151 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22152 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22154 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22155 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22156 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22161 @subsubsection Toolbar
22165 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22166 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22167 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22168 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22169 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22171 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22172 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22173 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22175 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22176 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22177 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22179 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22180 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22181 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22192 @node Fuzzy Matching
22193 @section Fuzzy Matching
22194 @cindex fuzzy matching
22196 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22197 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22199 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22200 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22201 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22203 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22204 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22205 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22206 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22207 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22210 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22211 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22215 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22217 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22218 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22219 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22220 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22221 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22222 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22223 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22224 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22227 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22228 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22229 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22230 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22231 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22232 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22234 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22237 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22238 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22239 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22240 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22241 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22242 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22245 @node The problem of spam
22246 @subsection The problem of spam
22248 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22249 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22251 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22253 First, some background on spam.
22255 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22256 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22257 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22258 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22259 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22260 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22261 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22262 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22263 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22265 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22266 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22267 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22268 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22269 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22270 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22271 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22272 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22273 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22276 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22277 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22278 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22279 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22280 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22281 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22282 from Bulgarian IPs.
22284 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22285 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22286 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22287 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22289 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22290 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22291 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22292 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22294 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22295 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22296 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22297 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22298 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22299 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22300 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22301 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22302 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22304 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22305 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22306 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22307 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22308 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22309 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22310 down for some time because of the incident.
22312 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22313 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22314 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22315 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22316 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22317 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22318 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22319 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22320 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22321 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22322 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22324 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22325 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22326 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22327 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22328 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22329 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22330 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22333 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22334 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22338 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22340 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22341 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22343 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22344 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22345 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22346 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22347 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22348 part of the mail address.)
22351 (setq message-default-news-headers
22352 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22355 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22356 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22360 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22361 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22362 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22367 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22368 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22369 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22370 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22372 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22373 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22374 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22375 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22376 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22377 your fancy split rule in this way:
22382 (to "larsi" "misc")
22386 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22387 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22388 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22389 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22390 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22392 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22393 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22394 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22395 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22397 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
22401 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22402 @cindex SpamAssassin
22403 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22406 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
22407 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22408 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22409 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22410 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22411 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22412 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22414 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
22415 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
22416 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
22419 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22420 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22421 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22422 Specifiers}) follow.
22426 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22430 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22433 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22434 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22435 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22438 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22442 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22445 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22446 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22450 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22451 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22452 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22453 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22456 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22458 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22462 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22463 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22467 Note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will not be
22468 downloaded by default. You need to set
22469 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
22470 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
22472 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22473 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22474 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22477 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22478 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22480 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22481 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22482 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22486 @subsection Hashcash
22489 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22490 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
22491 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
22492 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
22493 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
22495 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22496 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22497 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22498 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22499 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22500 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
22501 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22502 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22503 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22504 one of them separately.
22507 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22508 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22509 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22510 header. For more details, and for the external application
22511 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22512 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22513 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22515 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
22516 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
22517 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
22520 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
22523 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22527 @item hashcash-default-payment
22528 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22529 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22530 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22531 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22533 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22534 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22535 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22536 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22537 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22538 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22539 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22540 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22541 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22543 @item hashcash-path
22544 @vindex hashcash-path
22545 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
22546 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's nil
22547 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
22548 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
22549 when you generate hashcash payments.
22553 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
22554 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
22555 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
22556 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
22557 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} backend to validate hashcash
22558 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly.
22560 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22561 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22562 @cindex spam filtering
22565 The idea behind @file{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22566 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @file{spam.el} does two things: it
22567 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22568 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @file{spam.el} to indicate
22571 First of all, you @strong{must} run the function
22572 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @code{spam.el} and to install the
22573 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
22574 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
22575 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
22578 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
22582 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22584 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
22585 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
22586 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
22587 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
22588 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
22590 You get the following keyboard commands:
22600 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22601 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22603 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22604 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22605 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22606 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22612 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22613 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22615 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22621 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22622 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22626 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
22627 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
22628 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
22629 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
22630 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22631 * BBDB Whitelists::
22632 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22633 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22635 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22637 * SpamAssassin backend::
22638 * ifile spam filtering::
22639 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22641 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
22644 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22645 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22646 @cindex spam filtering
22647 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
22650 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
22651 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
22653 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
22654 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
22657 Getting new mail is done in one of two ways. You can either split
22658 your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or spam
22659 when you enter the group.
22661 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail backends such as
22662 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
22663 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
22666 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
22667 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
22668 For backends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
22669 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
22670 backends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
22671 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
22672 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
22673 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
22674 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
22675 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
22677 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
22678 group/topic or wholesale by regex, as needed), it hooks into the
22679 process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group with unseen or
22680 unread articles becomes the substitute for checking incoming mail.
22681 Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles will be processed
22682 is determined by the @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When
22683 set to @code{t}, unread messages will be rechecked.
22685 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
22686 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
22687 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
22688 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
22689 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
22690 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
22691 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
22692 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
22693 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
22695 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
22696 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
22697 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
22698 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
22699 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
22700 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
22701 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
22702 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
22703 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
22704 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
22706 So, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied, if
22707 any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
22708 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
22709 depending on the article's classification. If the
22710 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
22711 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
22714 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
22715 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
22716 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
22717 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
22718 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
22719 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
22720 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22721 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
22722 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
22723 which is what most people want. If the
22724 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
22725 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
22727 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22728 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22730 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
22731 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
22732 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
22733 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
22734 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
22735 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
22736 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22737 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
22738 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
22739 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
22740 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
22742 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22743 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22745 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
22746 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
22747 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
22749 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22750 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22751 @cindex spam filtering
22752 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
22755 To use the @file{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22756 must add the following to your fancy split list
22757 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22763 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22764 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22765 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22767 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
22769 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22770 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22771 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22772 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
22773 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
22774 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
22775 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
22776 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
22777 actually give you the group
22778 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
22779 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
22781 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22782 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22785 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22786 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22789 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22790 (any "ding" "ding")
22792 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22796 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22797 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22798 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22799 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22800 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22801 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22803 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22804 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22805 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22810 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
22811 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22812 (any "ding" "ding")
22813 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
22815 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22819 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
22820 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
22821 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
22822 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
22823 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
22824 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
22825 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
22827 You should still have specific checks such as
22828 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
22829 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
22830 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
22831 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
22832 is usually not critical, though.
22834 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22836 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22837 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22838 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22839 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22840 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22841 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22842 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and
22843 that is not an appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user.
22845 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22847 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22848 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22851 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22852 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22853 @cindex spam filtering
22854 @cindex spam filtering variables
22855 @cindex spam variables
22858 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22859 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22860 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22861 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22862 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22863 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22864 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22865 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22866 will be detected later.
22868 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
22869 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
22870 for more information.
22872 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22873 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22874 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22875 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22876 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22877 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22878 by customizing the corresponding variable
22879 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22880 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22881 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22882 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22883 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22884 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22885 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22888 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22890 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22891 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22892 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22893 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22894 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22895 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22896 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
22897 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
22898 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
22899 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
22900 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
22901 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
22902 processor which will study them as spam samples.
22904 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22905 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22906 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22907 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22908 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22909 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22910 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22911 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22914 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22915 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22916 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
22917 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
22918 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
22919 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
22920 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
22925 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22926 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22927 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
22928 you really want to.
22931 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22932 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22933 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22934 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22935 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22936 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22939 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
22940 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22941 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22942 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22943 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22944 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22945 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22946 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22947 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
22948 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
22949 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
22950 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
22951 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
22952 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
22953 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
22955 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22956 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22958 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
22959 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
22960 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
22962 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22963 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22965 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
22966 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
22967 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
22968 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
22969 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
22971 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
22972 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
22973 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
22974 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
22975 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
22978 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
22979 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22980 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22981 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22982 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22983 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22984 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
22985 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
22986 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
22987 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
22988 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
22989 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
22990 group buffer then you need it here as well.
22992 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22993 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22995 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
22996 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
22999 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23000 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23001 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23002 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23003 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23004 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23005 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23007 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23008 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23009 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23010 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23012 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23013 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23014 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23015 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23016 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23017 from the mail server.
23019 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23020 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23021 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23022 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23024 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23025 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23026 @cindex spam filtering
23027 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23028 @cindex spam configuration examples
23031 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23033 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23035 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23036 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23037 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23040 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23041 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23044 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23046 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23047 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23048 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23049 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23050 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23051 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23052 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23053 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23054 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23055 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23056 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23057 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23058 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23059 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23060 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23061 (any "ding" "ding")
23062 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23064 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23067 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23069 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23070 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23071 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23072 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23074 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23076 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23077 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23078 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23079 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23080 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23082 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23083 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23085 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23087 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23088 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23090 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23091 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23092 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23094 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23096 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23097 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23099 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23100 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23101 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23103 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23104 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23105 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23106 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23108 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23109 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23110 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23114 @subsubheading Using @file{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23115 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23117 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23118 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23119 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23120 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23121 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23122 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23123 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23124 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23125 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23127 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23128 does most of the job for me:
23131 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23132 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23133 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23134 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23135 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23136 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23137 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23142 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23144 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23145 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23146 bogofilter or DCC).
23148 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23149 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23150 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23151 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23152 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23153 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23154 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23156 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23157 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23158 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23159 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23160 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23161 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23163 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23165 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23166 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23167 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23168 @samp{training.ham}.
23171 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23173 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23175 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23176 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23177 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23181 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23184 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23185 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23186 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23187 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23188 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23190 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23191 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23192 @cindex spam filtering
23193 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23194 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23197 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23199 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23200 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23201 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23202 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23207 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23209 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23210 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23211 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23212 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23213 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23217 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23219 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23220 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23221 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23225 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23227 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23228 customizing the group parameters or the
23229 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23230 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23231 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23235 Instead of the obsolete
23236 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23237 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23238 the same way, we promise.
23242 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23244 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23245 customizing the group parameters or the
23246 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23247 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23248 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23253 Instead of the obsolete
23254 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23255 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23256 the same way, we promise.
23260 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23261 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23262 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23263 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23264 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23266 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23267 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23268 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23269 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23271 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23272 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23273 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23274 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23275 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23276 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23278 @node BBDB Whitelists
23279 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23280 @cindex spam filtering
23281 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23282 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23285 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23287 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23288 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23289 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23290 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23291 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23292 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23293 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23297 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23299 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23300 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23301 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23302 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23303 classified as spammers.
23307 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23309 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23310 customizing the group parameters or the
23311 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23312 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23313 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23318 Instead of the obsolete
23319 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23320 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23321 the same way, we promise.
23325 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23326 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23327 @cindex spam reporting
23328 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23329 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23332 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23334 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23335 customizing the group parameters or the
23336 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23337 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23338 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
23341 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
23345 Instead of the obsolete
23346 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
23347 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
23348 same way, we promise.
23352 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
23354 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
23355 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
23356 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
23357 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
23358 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
23363 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23364 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23365 @cindex spam filtering
23366 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
23369 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
23371 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23372 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
23373 instead of the sender address. You must have the @code{hashcash.el}
23374 package loaded for @code{spam-use-hashcash} to work properly.
23375 Messages without a hashcash payment token will be sent to the next
23376 spam-split rule. This is an explicit filter, meaning that unless a
23377 hashcash token is found, the messages are not assumed to be spam or
23383 @subsubsection Blackholes
23384 @cindex spam filtering
23385 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
23388 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
23390 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
23391 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
23392 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
23393 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
23394 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
23395 contains outdated servers.
23397 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
23398 @file{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
23399 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
23400 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
23401 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
23402 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
23406 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
23408 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
23412 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
23414 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
23415 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
23419 @defvar spam-use-dig
23421 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
23422 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
23426 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
23427 ham processor for blackholes.
23429 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
23430 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
23431 @cindex spam filtering
23432 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
23435 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
23437 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
23438 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
23439 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
23440 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
23441 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
23442 message is spam or ham, respectively.
23446 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
23448 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23449 the message, positively identify it as spam.
23453 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
23455 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23456 the message, positively identify it as ham.
23460 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
23461 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
23464 @subsubsection Bogofilter
23465 @cindex spam filtering
23466 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
23469 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
23471 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23474 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
23475 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
23476 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
23477 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
23478 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
23479 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
23481 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
23482 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
23485 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
23486 processing will be turned off.
23488 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
23492 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
23494 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23495 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
23496 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
23497 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
23498 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
23499 installation documents for details.
23501 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
23505 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
23506 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23507 customizing the group parameters or the
23508 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23509 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
23510 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
23514 Instead of the obsolete
23515 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23516 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23517 the same way, we promise.
23520 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
23521 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23522 customizing the group parameters or the
23523 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23524 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23525 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
23526 of non-spam messages.
23530 Instead of the obsolete
23531 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23532 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23533 the same way, we promise.
23536 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
23538 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
23539 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
23540 database directory.
23544 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
23545 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23546 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
23547 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
23548 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
23549 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
23551 @node SpamAssassin backend
23552 @subsubsection SpamAssassin backend
23553 @cindex spam filtering
23554 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
23557 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
23559 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
23561 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
23562 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
23563 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
23564 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
23567 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
23568 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
23569 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
23570 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
23573 You should not enable this is you use
23574 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
23578 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
23580 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
23581 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
23583 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
23587 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
23589 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
23590 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
23591 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
23592 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
23596 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
23597 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
23598 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
23599 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
23600 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
23601 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
23602 to test this functionality.
23604 @node ifile spam filtering
23605 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
23606 @cindex spam filtering
23607 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
23610 @defvar spam-use-ifile
23612 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
23613 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
23617 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
23619 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
23620 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
23621 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
23625 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
23627 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
23628 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
23629 the default value of @samp{spam}.
23632 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
23634 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
23635 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
23639 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
23640 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23641 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
23642 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
23645 @node spam-stat spam filtering
23646 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
23647 @cindex spam filtering
23648 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
23652 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
23654 @defvar spam-use-stat
23656 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
23657 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
23661 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
23662 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23663 customizing the group parameters or the
23664 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23665 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23666 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
23670 Instead of the obsolete
23671 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23672 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23673 the same way, we promise.
23676 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
23677 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23678 customizing the group parameters or the
23679 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23680 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23681 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
23682 of non-spam messages.
23686 Instead of the obsolete
23687 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23688 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23689 the same way, we promise.
23692 This enables @file{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
23693 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
23694 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
23695 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
23696 @code{spam-split} are provided.
23699 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
23700 @cindex spam filtering
23704 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
23705 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
23706 installed separately.
23708 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23709 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23710 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23711 mail as a spam mail or not.
23713 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23714 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23715 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23717 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23718 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23720 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23721 To enable SpamOracle usage by @file{spam.el}, set the variable
23722 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23723 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23724 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23725 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23726 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23727 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23731 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23732 spam-split-group "Junk"
23733 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23734 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23735 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23738 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23739 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23743 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23744 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23745 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23749 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23750 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23751 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23752 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23753 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23754 database to live somewhere special, set
23755 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23758 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23759 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23760 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23761 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23762 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23763 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23764 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @file{spam.el}'s
23765 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23766 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23767 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23769 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23770 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23771 customizing the group parameter or the
23772 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23773 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23774 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23778 Instead of the obsolete
23779 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23780 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23781 the same way, we promise.
23784 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23785 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23786 customizing the group parameter or the
23787 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23788 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23789 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23794 Instead of the obsolete
23795 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23796 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23797 the same way, we promise.
23800 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
23801 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23804 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23805 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
23806 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
23808 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
23809 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
23810 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
23811 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
23812 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
23813 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23815 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
23816 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
23817 @cindex spam filtering
23818 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23819 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23821 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23822 incoming mail, provide the following:
23830 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
23831 "True if blackbox should be used.")
23836 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
23838 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
23842 (gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox ham spam-use-blackbox)
23843 (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox spam spam-use-blackbox)
23846 to @code{spam-list-of-processors}.
23850 (spam-use-blackbox spam-blackbox-register-routine
23852 spam-blackbox-unregister-routine
23856 to @code{spam-registration-functions}. Write the register/unregister
23857 routines using the bogofilter register/unregister routines as a
23858 start, or other restister/unregister routines more appropriate to
23864 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
23865 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other
23866 conventions. See the existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for
23867 examples of what you can do, and stick to the template unless you
23868 fully understand the reasons why you aren't.
23870 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
23871 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
23872 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
23876 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
23883 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
23884 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
23886 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
23887 variables. Instead the form @code{'(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
23888 @code{'(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
23889 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
23892 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
23893 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
23894 Only applicable to spam groups.")
23896 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
23897 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
23898 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
23907 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
23908 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
23910 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
23911 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
23912 variable customization.
23916 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
23918 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
23924 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23925 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23926 @cindex Paul Graham
23927 @cindex Graham, Paul
23928 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
23929 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
23930 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
23932 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
23933 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
23934 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
23935 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
23936 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
23937 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
23938 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
23939 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
23940 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
23943 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
23944 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
23945 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
23946 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
23947 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
23948 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
23949 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
23950 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
23952 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
23953 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
23954 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
23955 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
23956 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
23959 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
23960 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
23961 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
23964 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23965 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23967 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
23968 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
23969 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
23970 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
23971 need several hundred emails in both collections.
23973 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
23974 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
23975 per mail. Use the following:
23977 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
23978 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
23979 is treated as one spam mail.
23982 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
23983 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
23984 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
23987 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
23988 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
23989 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
23990 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
23991 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
23992 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
23994 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
23995 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
23996 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
23997 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
23998 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24001 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24002 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24003 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24004 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24007 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24008 reset the dictionary.
24010 @defun spam-stat-reset
24011 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24014 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24015 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24016 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24017 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24018 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24019 only non-spam mails.
24021 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24022 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24023 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24026 @defun spam-stat-save
24027 Save the dictionary.
24030 @defvar spam-stat-file
24031 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24032 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24035 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24036 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24038 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24039 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24042 (require 'spam-stat)
24046 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24049 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24050 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24051 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24052 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24054 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24055 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24056 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24057 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24060 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24061 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24065 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24066 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24069 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24070 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24071 expression are considered potential spam.
24074 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24075 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24076 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24080 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24081 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24082 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24083 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24084 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24087 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24088 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24089 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24093 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24094 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24095 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24096 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24097 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24101 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24102 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24103 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24104 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24109 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24110 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24112 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24114 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24115 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24116 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24119 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24120 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24121 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24124 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24125 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24126 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24127 already been processed as non-spam.
24130 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24131 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24132 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24133 been processed as spam.
24136 @defun spam-stat-save
24137 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24138 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24141 @defun spam-stat-load
24142 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24143 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24146 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24147 Return the spam score for a word.
24150 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24151 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24154 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24155 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24156 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24159 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24160 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24163 (require 'spam-stat)
24167 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24170 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24171 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24172 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24173 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24174 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24175 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24176 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24177 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24178 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24179 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24180 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24181 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24182 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24183 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24186 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24189 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24190 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24191 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24192 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24193 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24194 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24198 @section Interaction with other modes
24203 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24204 buffers. It is enabled with
24206 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24211 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24212 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24213 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24216 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24217 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24218 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24222 @findex gnus-dired-print
24223 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24224 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24227 @node Various Various
24228 @section Various Various
24234 @item gnus-home-directory
24235 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24236 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24237 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24239 @item gnus-directory
24240 @vindex gnus-directory
24241 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24242 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24243 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24245 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
24246 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24247 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24248 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24250 @item gnus-default-directory
24251 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24252 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24253 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24254 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24255 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24256 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24257 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24260 @vindex gnus-verbose
24261 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24262 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24263 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24264 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24265 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24267 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24268 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24269 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24270 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24272 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24273 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24274 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24275 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24276 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24277 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24278 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24279 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24280 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24281 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24283 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24284 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24285 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24286 read when doing the operation described above.
24288 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24289 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24291 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24292 @cindex characters in file names
24293 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24294 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24295 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24299 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24304 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24305 Windows (phooey) systems.
24307 @item gnus-hidden-properties
24308 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
24309 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
24310 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
24311 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
24313 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
24314 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
24315 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
24316 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
24317 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
24319 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
24320 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
24321 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
24323 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24324 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24326 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
24327 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
24328 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
24329 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
24332 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
24340 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
24341 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
24343 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
24345 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
24351 Not because of victories @*
24354 but for the common sunshine,@*
24356 the largess of the spring.
24360 but for the day's work done@*
24361 as well as I was able;@*
24362 not for a seat upon the dais@*
24363 but at the common table.@*
24368 @chapter Appendices
24371 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
24372 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
24373 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
24374 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
24375 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
24376 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
24377 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
24378 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
24379 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
24386 @cindex installing under XEmacs
24388 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
24389 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
24390 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
24391 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
24392 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{w3},
24393 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
24400 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
24401 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
24403 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
24404 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
24405 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
24406 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
24407 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
24409 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
24410 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
24411 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
24412 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
24413 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
24414 appropriate name, don't you think?)
24416 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
24417 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
24418 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
24419 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
24422 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
24423 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
24424 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
24425 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
24426 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
24427 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
24428 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
24429 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
24430 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
24434 @node Gnus Versions
24435 @subsection Gnus Versions
24437 @cindex September Gnus
24439 @cindex Quassia Gnus
24440 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
24443 @cindex Gnus versions
24445 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
24446 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
24447 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
24449 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
24450 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
24452 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
24453 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
24455 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
24456 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
24458 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
24459 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
24462 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
24464 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
24465 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
24466 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
24467 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
24468 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
24469 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
24472 @node Other Gnus Versions
24473 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
24476 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
24477 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
24478 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
24479 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
24481 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
24482 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
24483 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
24484 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
24491 What's the point of Gnus?
24493 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
24494 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
24495 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
24496 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
24497 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
24498 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
24499 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
24500 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
24501 keep track of millions of people who post?
24503 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
24504 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
24505 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
24506 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
24507 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
24508 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
24509 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
24510 every one of you to explore and invent.
24512 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
24513 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
24516 @node Compatibility
24517 @subsection Compatibility
24519 @cindex compatibility
24520 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
24521 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
24522 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
24527 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
24531 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
24534 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
24537 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
24538 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
24539 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
24540 important variables have their values copied into their global
24541 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
24542 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
24544 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
24545 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
24546 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
24547 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
24548 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
24552 @cindex highlighting
24553 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
24554 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
24555 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
24556 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
24557 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
24558 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
24561 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
24562 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
24563 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
24564 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
24566 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
24567 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
24568 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
24569 to stop doing it the old way.
24571 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
24573 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24575 @cindex reporting bugs
24577 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
24578 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
24579 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
24581 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
24582 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
24583 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
24584 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
24589 @subsection Conformity
24591 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
24592 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
24600 There are no known breaches of this standard.
24604 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
24606 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
24607 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
24608 We do have some breaches to this one.
24614 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
24615 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
24616 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
24617 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
24618 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
24623 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
24624 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
24625 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
24626 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
24628 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
24629 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
24630 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
24632 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
24633 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
24635 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
24638 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
24639 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
24640 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
24641 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
24642 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
24645 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
24646 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
24647 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
24648 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
24650 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
24651 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
24653 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
24654 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
24655 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
24656 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
24657 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
24658 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
24659 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
24660 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
24664 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
24665 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
24670 @subsection Emacsen
24676 Gnus should work on:
24684 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
24688 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
24689 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
24692 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
24693 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
24694 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
24698 @node Gnus Development
24699 @subsection Gnus Development
24701 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
24702 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
24703 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
24704 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
24705 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
24706 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
24707 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
24708 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
24710 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
24711 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
24712 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
24713 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
24714 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
24717 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
24718 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
24719 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
24720 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
24721 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
24723 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
24724 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
24725 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
24726 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
24727 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
24728 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
24729 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
24730 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
24731 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
24732 can't be assumed to do so.
24737 @subsection Contributors
24738 @cindex contributors
24740 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
24741 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
24742 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
24743 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
24744 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
24745 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
24746 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
24747 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
24748 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
24749 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
24751 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
24757 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
24760 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
24761 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
24762 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24763 functionality and stuff.
24766 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24767 well as numerous other things).
24770 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24773 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24776 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24779 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24782 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24783 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24786 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24789 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
24792 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
24795 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
24798 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
24801 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
24804 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
24805 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
24808 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
24811 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
24814 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
24817 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
24821 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
24824 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
24827 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
24830 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
24831 well as autoconf support.
24835 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
24836 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
24838 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
24853 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
24855 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
24859 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
24869 Alexei V. Barantsev,
24884 Massimo Campostrini,
24889 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
24890 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
24894 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
24897 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
24903 Michael Welsh Duggan,
24908 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
24912 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
24920 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
24922 Michelangelo Grigni,
24926 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
24928 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
24930 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
24937 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
24938 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
24939 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
24941 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
24951 Peter Skov Knudsen,
24952 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
24954 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
24955 Thor Kristoffersen,
24958 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
24976 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
24977 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
24984 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
24989 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
24993 John McClary Prevost,
24999 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25004 Christian von Roques,
25007 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25014 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25016 Randal L. Schwartz,
25030 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25035 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25055 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25056 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25057 (550kB and counting).
25059 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25062 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25063 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25067 @subsection New Features
25068 @cindex new features
25071 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25072 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25073 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25074 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25075 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25076 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
25077 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
25080 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25081 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25082 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25085 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25087 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25092 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25093 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25096 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25097 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25100 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25103 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25104 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25105 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25108 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25109 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25110 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25111 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25114 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25115 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25118 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25119 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25120 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25123 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25124 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25127 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25128 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25129 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25132 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25133 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25134 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25137 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25138 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25141 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25142 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25145 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25146 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25149 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25150 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25153 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25154 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25157 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25158 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25161 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25164 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25165 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25168 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25169 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25172 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25173 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25176 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25179 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25180 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25183 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25187 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25191 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25192 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25195 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25201 @node September Gnus
25202 @subsubsection September Gnus
25206 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25210 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25215 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25216 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25220 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25221 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25225 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25229 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25230 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25233 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25237 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25240 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25243 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25246 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25250 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25251 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25254 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25258 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25262 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25266 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25270 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25273 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25274 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25277 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25281 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25282 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25285 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25288 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25289 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25290 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25293 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25297 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25300 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25304 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25305 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
25308 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
25309 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
25312 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
25313 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
25316 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
25317 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
25318 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
25321 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
25322 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
25325 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
25328 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25331 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
25334 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
25337 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
25338 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
25341 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
25345 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
25348 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
25353 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
25356 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
25360 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25363 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
25367 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
25370 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
25373 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
25374 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25377 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
25378 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
25382 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
25383 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
25386 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
25390 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
25391 buffer to allow easier treatment.
25394 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
25397 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
25401 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
25405 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
25406 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
25409 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
25413 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
25414 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25417 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
25418 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25421 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
25425 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25428 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
25431 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
25437 @subsubsection Red Gnus
25439 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
25443 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
25450 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
25453 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
25454 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25457 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
25458 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
25462 Article washing status can be displayed in the
25463 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
25466 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
25469 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
25470 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
25473 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
25477 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
25478 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
25482 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
25483 Server Internals}).
25486 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
25490 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
25493 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
25494 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
25497 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
25498 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
25499 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
25502 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
25503 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25506 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
25507 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
25510 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
25514 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
25515 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25518 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
25519 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25522 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
25526 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
25529 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
25533 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
25534 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25537 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
25538 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25541 A new command for reading collections of documents
25542 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
25543 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
25546 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
25550 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
25551 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
25554 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
25555 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
25556 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
25559 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
25560 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
25564 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
25568 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
25572 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
25577 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
25581 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
25585 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
25586 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
25589 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
25595 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
25597 New features in Gnus 5.6:
25602 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
25603 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
25604 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
25607 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
25608 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
25609 group, which is created automatically.
25612 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
25616 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
25619 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
25620 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
25623 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
25627 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
25630 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
25631 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
25634 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
25637 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
25641 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
25642 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
25645 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
25646 control over simplification.
25649 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
25652 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
25656 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
25659 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
25662 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
25663 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
25664 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
25667 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
25668 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
25671 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
25675 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
25676 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
25679 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
25680 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
25683 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
25687 A history of where mails have been split is available.
25690 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
25693 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
25694 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
25697 A new function for citing in Message has been
25698 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
25701 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
25704 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
25708 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
25709 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
25712 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
25713 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
25716 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
25719 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
25723 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
25724 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
25726 New features in Gnus 5.8:
25731 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
25732 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
25734 If you used procmail like in
25737 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
25738 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
25739 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
25740 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
25743 this now has changed to
25747 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
25751 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
25754 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
25755 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
25758 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
25759 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
25762 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25763 called to position point.
25766 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25767 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25770 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25771 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25774 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25775 subtly different manner.
25778 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25779 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25780 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25783 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25788 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
25791 New features in Gnus 5.10:
25796 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
25797 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
25798 region if the region is active.
25801 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
25805 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
25806 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
25809 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
25810 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
25813 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
25815 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
25816 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
25817 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
25818 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
25819 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
25820 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
25821 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
25822 isn't save in general.
25827 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
25828 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
25829 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
25830 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
25835 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
25836 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
25837 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
25841 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
25844 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
25849 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
25850 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
25852 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
25853 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
25857 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
25858 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
25861 Retrieval of charters and control messages
25863 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
25864 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
25869 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
25870 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
25871 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
25874 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
25875 decompressed when activated.
25878 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
25879 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
25882 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
25885 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
25886 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
25889 Warn about email replies to news
25891 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
25892 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
25896 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
25897 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
25901 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
25902 opposed to old but unread messages).
25905 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
25906 Gcc articles as read.
25909 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
25912 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
25913 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
25916 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
25917 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
25920 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
25921 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
25924 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
25925 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
25928 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
25930 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
25931 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
25932 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
25933 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
25936 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
25938 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
25939 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
25940 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
25941 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
25942 the second parameter.
25944 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
25945 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
25946 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
25947 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
25948 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
25949 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
25950 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
25951 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
25952 cycle used under Unix systems.
25954 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
25958 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
25960 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
25961 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
25962 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
25963 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
25964 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
25968 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
25970 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
25971 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
25972 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
25973 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
25977 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
25979 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
25980 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
25981 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
25982 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
25984 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
25985 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
25986 message cited below.
25989 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
25992 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
25994 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
25995 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
25996 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
25997 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
25998 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26001 (setq gnus-parameters
26003 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26004 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26005 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26006 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26010 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26012 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
26016 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26018 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26019 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26020 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26021 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26022 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26023 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26024 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26025 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26026 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26029 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26031 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26032 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26033 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26034 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26035 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26036 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26039 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
26040 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26044 Improved anti-spam features.
26046 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26047 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26048 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26049 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26050 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26053 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26056 Face headers handling.
26059 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26060 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26063 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26066 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26068 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26069 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26070 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26071 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26072 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26073 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26074 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26075 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26076 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26079 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26081 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26082 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26083 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26084 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26085 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26086 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26087 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26088 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26089 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26090 was inserted directly.
26093 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26095 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26096 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26102 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26103 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26104 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26105 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26106 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26107 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26108 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26109 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26110 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26111 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26112 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26113 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26114 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26115 is not needed any more.
26118 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26120 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26121 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26122 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26123 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26124 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26128 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26130 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26131 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26134 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26136 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26137 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26138 lisp directory into load-path.
26140 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26141 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26144 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26146 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26149 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26151 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26152 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26153 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26154 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26157 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26159 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26161 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26162 'bbdb-complete-name)
26166 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26168 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26169 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26170 local files as external parts.
26172 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26173 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26174 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26175 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26176 that support editing.
26179 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26181 The default value is determined from the
26182 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26183 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26184 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26187 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26189 Add a new format of match like
26191 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26192 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26194 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26196 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26197 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26201 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26203 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26204 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26205 need add those two headers too.
26208 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26210 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26211 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26212 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26215 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26216 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26217 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26221 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26223 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26226 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26228 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26231 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26233 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26234 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26235 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26238 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26240 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26244 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26246 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26247 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26248 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26249 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26250 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26251 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26252 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26253 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26256 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26258 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26259 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26260 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26261 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26262 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26265 Extended format specs.
26267 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26268 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26269 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26270 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26271 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26272 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26275 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26277 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26278 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26279 out other articles.
26281 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26283 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26284 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26285 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26286 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26289 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26291 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26292 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26293 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26296 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26298 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26299 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26300 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26301 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26302 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26303 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26304 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26305 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
26306 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
26307 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
26308 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
26311 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
26312 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
26315 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
26316 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
26317 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
26318 message, Message Manual}).
26321 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26322 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26324 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26325 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26326 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26328 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26332 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
26333 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
26335 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
26336 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
26337 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
26338 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
26341 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
26344 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
26347 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
26348 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
26351 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
26353 The behaviour for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
26354 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
26355 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
26356 invalidate the digital signature.
26360 @subsubsection No Gnus
26363 New features in No Gnus:
26364 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
26366 @include gnus-news.texi
26372 @section The Manual
26376 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
26377 either @code{texi2dvi}
26379 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
26380 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
26382 to get what you hold in your hands now.
26384 The following conventions have been used:
26389 This is a @samp{string}
26392 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
26395 This is a @file{file}
26398 This is a @code{symbol}
26402 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
26406 (setq flargnoze "yes")
26409 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
26412 (setq flumphel 'yes)
26415 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
26416 ever get them confused.
26420 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
26421 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
26422 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
26423 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
26424 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
26425 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
26426 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
26432 @node On Writing Manuals
26433 @section On Writing Manuals
26435 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
26436 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
26437 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
26438 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
26439 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
26440 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
26443 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
26444 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
26445 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
26448 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
26449 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
26454 @section Terminology
26456 @cindex terminology
26461 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
26462 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
26463 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
26464 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
26465 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
26469 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
26470 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
26471 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
26472 not posting, and replying is not following up.
26476 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
26480 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
26485 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
26486 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
26487 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
26488 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
26489 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
26490 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
26491 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
26492 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
26493 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
26496 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
26497 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
26498 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
26499 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
26500 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
26501 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
26503 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
26504 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
26505 access the articles.
26507 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
26508 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
26509 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
26514 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
26515 default, way of getting news.
26519 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
26520 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
26525 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
26526 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
26530 A message that has been posted as news.
26533 @cindex mail message
26534 A message that has been mailed.
26538 A mail message or news article
26542 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
26547 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
26552 A line from the head of an article.
26556 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
26557 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
26559 @item @acronym{NOV}
26560 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
26561 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
26562 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
26563 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
26564 normal @sc{head} format.
26568 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
26569 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
26570 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
26571 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
26572 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
26573 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
26575 @item killed groups
26576 @cindex killed groups
26577 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
26578 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
26580 @item zombie groups
26581 @cindex zombie groups
26582 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
26585 @cindex active file
26586 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
26587 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
26588 is rather large, as you might surmise.
26591 @cindex bogus groups
26592 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
26593 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
26594 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
26597 @cindex activating groups
26598 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
26599 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
26600 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
26604 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
26606 @item select method
26607 @cindex select method
26608 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
26611 @item virtual server
26612 @cindex virtual server
26613 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
26614 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
26615 whole is a virtual server.
26619 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
26620 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
26623 @item ephemeral groups
26624 @cindex ephemeral groups
26625 @cindex temporary groups
26626 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
26627 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
26628 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
26631 @cindex solid groups
26632 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
26633 group buffer are solid groups.
26635 @item sparse articles
26636 @cindex sparse articles
26637 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
26638 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
26642 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
26643 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
26647 @cindex thread root
26648 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
26649 articles in the thread.
26653 An article that has responses.
26657 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
26661 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
26662 specified by RFC 1153.
26665 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
26666 @cindex mail sorting
26667 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
26668 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
26669 incorrectly called mail filtering.
26675 @node Customization
26676 @section Customization
26677 @cindex general customization
26679 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
26680 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
26681 for some quite common situations.
26684 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
26685 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
26686 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
26687 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
26691 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
26692 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
26694 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
26695 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
26696 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
26700 @item gnus-read-active-file
26701 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
26702 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
26703 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26704 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
26705 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
26707 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
26708 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
26709 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
26710 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
26714 @node Slow Terminal Connection
26715 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
26717 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
26718 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
26719 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
26723 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
26724 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
26725 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
26726 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
26727 horizontal and vertical recentering.
26729 @item gnus-visible-headers
26730 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
26731 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
26732 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
26733 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
26735 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
26737 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
26738 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
26739 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
26742 @item gnus-use-full-window
26743 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
26744 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
26745 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
26746 want to read them anyway.
26748 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
26749 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
26753 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
26754 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
26755 lines, which might save some time.
26759 @node Little Disk Space
26760 @subsection Little Disk Space
26763 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
26764 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
26768 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
26769 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
26770 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26771 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26774 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
26775 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
26776 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26777 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26780 @item gnus-save-killed-list
26781 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26782 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26783 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26784 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
26790 @subsection Slow Machine
26791 @cindex slow machine
26793 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
26794 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
26796 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26797 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
26799 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
26800 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
26801 summary buffer faster.
26803 Gnus uses the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program for
26804 decoding an @code{X-Face} header normally in Emacs. If you feel it is
26805 slow, set @code{uncompface-use-external} to @code{t}. @xref{X-Face}.
26809 @node Troubleshooting
26810 @section Troubleshooting
26811 @cindex troubleshooting
26813 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
26821 Make sure your computer is switched on.
26824 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
26825 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
26829 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
26830 like @samp{Gnus v5.10.6} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise
26831 you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
26834 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
26835 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
26838 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
26839 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
26840 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
26841 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
26842 something like that.
26845 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
26848 @cindex reporting bugs
26850 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26852 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
26853 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
26854 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
26855 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
26857 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
26858 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
26859 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
26860 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
26863 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
26864 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
26865 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
26866 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
26867 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
26868 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
26870 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
26871 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
26872 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
26876 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
26877 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
26880 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
26881 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
26882 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
26883 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
26884 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
26885 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
26886 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
26887 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
26888 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
26889 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
26890 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
26891 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
26892 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
26893 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
26898 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
26899 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
26900 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
26901 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
26902 helps isolating the real problem areas).
26904 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
26905 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
26906 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
26907 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
26908 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
26909 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
26910 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
26911 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
26912 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
26913 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
26914 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
26915 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
26916 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
26919 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
26920 @cindex ding mailing list
26921 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
26922 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
26923 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
26924 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
26928 @node Gnus Reference Guide
26929 @section Gnus Reference Guide
26931 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
26932 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
26933 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
26934 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
26937 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
26938 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
26939 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
26940 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
26941 and general methods of operation.
26944 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
26945 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
26946 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
26947 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
26948 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
26949 * Group Info:: The group info format.
26950 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
26951 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
26952 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
26956 @node Gnus Utility Functions
26957 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
26958 @cindex Gnus utility functions
26959 @cindex utility functions
26961 @cindex internal variables
26963 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
26964 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
26965 Below is a list of the most common ones.
26969 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
26970 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
26971 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
26973 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
26974 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
26975 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
26977 @item gnus-group-real-name
26978 @findex gnus-group-real-name
26979 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
26982 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
26983 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
26984 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
26985 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
26987 @item gnus-get-info
26988 @findex gnus-get-info
26989 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
26991 @item gnus-group-unread
26992 @findex gnus-group-unread
26993 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
26997 @findex gnus-active
26998 The active entry for @var{group}.
27000 @item gnus-set-active
27001 @findex gnus-set-active
27002 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27004 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27005 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27006 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27009 @item gnus-continuum-version
27010 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27011 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27012 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27015 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27016 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27017 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27019 @item gnus-news-group-p
27020 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27021 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27023 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27024 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27025 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27027 @item gnus-server-to-method
27028 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27029 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27031 @item gnus-server-equal
27032 @findex gnus-server-equal
27033 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27035 @item gnus-group-native-p
27036 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27037 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27039 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27040 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27041 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27043 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27044 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27045 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27047 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27048 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27049 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27050 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27052 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27053 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27054 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27056 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27057 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27058 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27060 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27061 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27062 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27063 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27066 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27070 @item gnus-read-method
27071 @findex gnus-read-method
27072 Prompts the user for a select method.
27077 @node Back End Interface
27078 @subsection Back End Interface
27080 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27081 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27082 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27083 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27084 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27085 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27087 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27088 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27089 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27090 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27091 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27092 been opened, the function should fail.
27094 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27095 name. Take this example:
27099 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27100 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27103 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27104 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27106 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27107 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27108 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27110 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27111 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27112 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27114 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27115 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27116 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27117 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27118 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27119 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27122 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27123 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27124 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27125 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27128 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27129 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27130 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27131 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27132 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27133 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27134 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27135 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27136 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27137 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27139 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27140 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27141 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27142 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27143 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27144 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27145 of numbers as long as possible.
27147 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27148 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27149 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27151 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27154 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27157 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27158 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27159 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27160 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27161 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27162 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27166 @node Required Back End Functions
27167 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
27171 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
27173 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
27174 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
27175 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27176 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27178 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27179 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27180 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27181 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27183 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27184 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27185 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27186 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27187 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27188 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27189 number, do maximum fetches.
27191 Here's an example HEAD:
27194 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27195 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27196 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27197 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27198 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27199 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27200 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27202 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27203 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27204 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27208 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27209 these in the data buffer.
27211 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27215 head = error / valid-head
27216 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27217 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27218 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27219 header = <text> eol
27223 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27225 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27226 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27230 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27231 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27232 field = <text except TAB>
27235 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27239 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27241 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27242 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27244 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27245 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27246 server. In fact, it should do so.
27248 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27249 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27252 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27254 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27255 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27258 There should be no data returned.
27261 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27263 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27264 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27265 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27266 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27268 There should be no data returned.
27271 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27273 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27274 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27275 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27276 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27278 There should be no data returned.
27281 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27283 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27285 There should be no data returned.
27288 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27290 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27291 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27292 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27293 it would be nice if that were possible.
27295 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27296 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27297 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27298 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27299 into its article buffer.
27301 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27302 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
27303 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
27304 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
27305 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
27306 on successful article retrieval.
27309 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
27311 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
27312 making @var{group} the current group.
27314 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
27317 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
27320 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
27323 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
27324 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
27325 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
27326 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
27327 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
27328 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
27329 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
27330 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
27331 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
27335 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
27336 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
27337 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
27341 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27343 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
27344 a no-op on most back ends.
27346 There should be no data returned.
27349 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
27351 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
27354 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
27357 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
27358 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
27361 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
27362 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
27363 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
27364 and the highest as 0.
27367 active-file = *active-line
27368 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
27370 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
27373 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
27374 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
27375 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
27378 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
27380 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
27381 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
27382 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
27383 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
27384 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
27385 clear if the posting could not be completed.
27387 There should be no result data from this function.
27392 @node Optional Back End Functions
27393 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
27397 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
27399 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
27400 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
27401 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
27403 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
27404 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
27405 former is in the same format as the data from
27406 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
27407 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
27410 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
27414 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
27416 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
27417 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
27418 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
27419 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
27420 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
27422 There should be no result data from this function.
27425 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
27427 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
27428 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
27429 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
27430 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
27431 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
27432 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
27433 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
27434 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
27436 There should be no result data from this function.
27439 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
27441 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
27442 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
27443 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
27444 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
27445 propagate the mark information to the server.
27447 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
27450 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
27453 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
27454 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
27455 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
27456 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
27457 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
27458 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
27459 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
27460 possible, not limit itself to these.
27462 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
27463 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
27464 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
27465 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
27467 An example action list:
27470 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
27471 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
27472 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
27475 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
27476 mark on (currently not used for anything).
27478 There should be no result data from this function.
27480 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
27482 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
27483 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
27484 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
27485 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
27486 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
27488 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
27489 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
27490 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
27493 There should be no result data from this function.
27496 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
27498 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
27499 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
27500 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
27501 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
27502 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
27503 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
27504 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
27505 local if that's practical.
27507 There should be no result data from this function.
27510 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
27512 The result data from this function should be a description of
27516 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
27518 description = <text>
27521 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
27523 The result data from this function should be the description of all
27524 groups available on the server.
27527 description-buffer = *description-line
27531 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
27533 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
27534 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
27535 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
27536 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
27537 in the active buffer format.
27539 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
27540 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
27541 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
27542 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
27543 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
27544 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
27545 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
27548 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27550 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
27552 There should be no return data.
27555 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
27557 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
27558 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
27559 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
27560 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
27561 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
27564 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
27567 There should be no result data returned.
27570 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
27572 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
27573 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
27575 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
27576 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
27577 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
27578 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
27579 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
27580 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
27582 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
27583 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
27586 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27587 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27589 There should be no data returned.
27592 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
27594 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
27595 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
27596 this function in short order.
27598 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27599 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27601 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
27602 article for that group.
27604 There should be no data returned.
27607 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
27609 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
27610 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
27612 There should be no data returned.
27615 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
27617 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
27618 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
27619 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
27621 There should be no data returned.
27624 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
27626 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
27627 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
27629 There should be no data returned.
27634 @node Error Messaging
27635 @subsubsection Error Messaging
27637 @findex nnheader-report
27638 @findex nnheader-get-report
27639 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
27640 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
27641 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
27642 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
27643 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
27644 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
27647 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
27649 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
27652 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
27653 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
27654 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
27655 takes one argument---the server symbol.
27657 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
27658 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
27659 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
27662 @node Writing New Back Ends
27663 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
27665 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
27666 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
27667 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
27668 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
27669 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
27672 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
27673 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
27674 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
27676 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
27677 package called @code{nnoo}.
27679 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
27680 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
27686 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
27687 parameters. For instance:
27690 (nnoo-declare nndir
27694 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
27695 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
27698 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
27699 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
27700 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
27702 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
27703 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
27704 a function in those back ends.
27707 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27708 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27709 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27712 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
27713 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
27714 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
27716 @item nnoo-define-basics
27717 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
27721 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27725 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
27726 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
27727 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
27729 @item nnoo-map-functions
27730 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
27731 functions from the parent back ends.
27734 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27735 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27736 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
27739 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
27740 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
27741 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
27742 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
27745 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
27746 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
27747 haven't already been defined.
27753 nnmh-request-newgroups)
27757 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
27758 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
27759 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
27764 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
27767 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
27768 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
27772 (require 'nnheader)
27776 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
27778 (nnoo-declare nndir
27781 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27782 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27783 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27785 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27786 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
27789 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
27791 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
27792 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
27793 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
27795 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
27796 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
27798 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
27800 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27802 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
27803 (setq nndir-directory
27804 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
27806 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
27807 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
27808 (push `(nndir-current-group
27809 ,(file-name-nondirectory
27810 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27812 (push `(nndir-top-directory
27813 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27815 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
27817 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27818 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27819 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27820 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
27821 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
27825 nnmh-status-message
27827 nnmh-request-newgroups))
27833 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27834 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27836 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
27837 @findex gnus-declare-backend
27838 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
27839 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
27840 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
27842 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
27843 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
27848 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
27851 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
27853 The abilities can be:
27857 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
27859 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
27861 This back end supports both mail and news.
27863 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
27866 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
27867 articles and groups.
27869 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
27870 true for almost all back ends.
27871 @item prompt-address
27872 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
27873 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
27874 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
27878 @node Mail-like Back Ends
27879 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
27881 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
27882 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
27883 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
27884 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
27887 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
27888 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
27889 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
27892 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
27893 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
27896 This function takes four parameters.
27900 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
27903 @item exit-function
27904 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
27906 @item temp-directory
27907 Where the temporary files should be stored.
27910 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
27911 performed for one group only.
27914 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
27915 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
27916 find the article number assigned to this article.
27918 The function also uses the following variables:
27919 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
27920 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
27921 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
27922 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
27926 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
27927 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
27931 @node Score File Syntax
27932 @subsection Score File Syntax
27934 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
27935 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
27936 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
27938 Here's a typical score file:
27942 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
27949 BNF definition of a score file:
27952 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
27953 element = rule / atom
27954 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
27955 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
27956 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
27957 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
27959 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
27960 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
27961 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
27962 date-header = "date"
27963 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27964 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27965 score = "nil" / <integer>
27966 date = "nil" / <natural number>
27967 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
27968 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
27969 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
27970 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
27971 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27972 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27973 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
27974 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27975 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
27976 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
27977 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
27978 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
27979 exclude-files / read-only / touched
27980 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
27981 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
27982 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
27983 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
27984 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
27985 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
27986 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
27987 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
27988 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
27989 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
27990 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
27991 eval = "eval" space <form>
27992 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
27995 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
27998 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
27999 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28000 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28001 one looong line, then that's ok.
28003 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28004 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28008 @subsection Headers
28010 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28011 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28012 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28013 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28015 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28016 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28017 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28018 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28019 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28020 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28021 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28023 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28024 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28025 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28026 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28027 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28029 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28030 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28036 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28037 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28039 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28040 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28041 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28042 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28044 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28048 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28051 is transformed into
28054 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28057 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28058 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28061 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28064 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28065 is slightly tricky:
28068 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28074 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28077 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28083 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28090 and is equal to the previous range.
28092 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28093 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28094 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28098 range = simple-range / normal-range
28099 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28100 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28101 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28102 number *[ " " contents ]
28105 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28106 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28107 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28108 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28109 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28114 @subsection Group Info
28116 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28117 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28118 describes the group.
28120 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28121 second is a more complex one:
28124 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28126 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28127 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28129 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28132 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28133 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28134 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28135 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28136 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28137 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28138 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28139 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28140 this section is about.
28142 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28143 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28144 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28146 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28149 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28150 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28151 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28152 group = quote <string> quote
28153 ralevel = rank / level
28154 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28155 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28156 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28158 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28159 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28160 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28161 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28164 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28165 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
28168 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
28169 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
28172 @item gnus-info-group
28173 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
28174 @findex gnus-info-group
28175 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28176 Get/set the group name.
28178 @item gnus-info-rank
28179 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28180 @findex gnus-info-rank
28181 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28182 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28184 @item gnus-info-level
28185 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28186 @findex gnus-info-level
28187 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28188 Get/set the group level.
28190 @item gnus-info-score
28191 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28192 @findex gnus-info-score
28193 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28194 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28196 @item gnus-info-read
28197 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28198 @findex gnus-info-read
28199 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28200 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28202 @item gnus-info-marks
28203 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28204 @findex gnus-info-marks
28205 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28206 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28208 @item gnus-info-method
28209 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28210 @findex gnus-info-method
28211 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28212 Get/set the group select method.
28214 @item gnus-info-params
28215 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28216 @findex gnus-info-params
28217 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28218 Get/set the group parameters.
28221 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28222 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28224 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28225 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28226 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28227 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28230 @node Extended Interactive
28231 @subsection Extended Interactive
28232 @cindex interactive
28233 @findex gnus-interactive
28235 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28236 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28237 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28240 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28241 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28246 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28247 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28248 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28249 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28250 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28251 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28252 @code{interactive}.
28254 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28259 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28260 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28264 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28265 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28266 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28269 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28273 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28277 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28283 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28284 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28288 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28289 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28290 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28292 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28293 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28294 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28295 Gnus, that's very useful.
28297 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28298 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28299 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28300 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
28301 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
28302 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
28303 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
28304 following function:
28307 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
28311 (,function ,@@args))
28315 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
28316 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
28317 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
28320 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
28321 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
28322 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
28324 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
28325 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
28326 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
28329 @node Various File Formats
28330 @subsection Various File Formats
28333 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
28334 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
28338 @node Active File Format
28339 @subsubsection Active File Format
28341 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
28342 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
28345 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
28348 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
28349 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
28350 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
28351 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
28352 no.general 1000 900 y
28355 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
28358 active = *group-line
28359 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
28360 group = <non-white-space string>
28362 high-number = <non-negative integer>
28363 low-number = <positive integer>
28364 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
28367 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
28368 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
28371 @node Newsgroups File Format
28372 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
28374 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
28375 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
28376 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
28379 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
28380 Here's the definition:
28384 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
28385 group = <non-white-space string>
28387 description = <string>
28392 @node Emacs for Heathens
28393 @section Emacs for Heathens
28395 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
28396 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
28397 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
28398 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
28399 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
28400 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
28401 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
28405 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
28406 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
28411 @subsection Keystrokes
28415 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
28418 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
28421 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
28422 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
28423 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
28424 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
28425 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
28426 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
28428 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
28429 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
28430 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
28431 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
28432 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
28433 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
28434 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
28436 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
28437 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
28438 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
28439 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
28440 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
28441 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
28442 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
28444 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
28445 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
28446 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
28447 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
28448 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
28454 @subsection Emacs Lisp
28456 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
28457 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
28458 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
28459 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
28461 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
28462 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
28463 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
28464 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
28465 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
28466 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
28467 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
28470 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
28471 write the following:
28474 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
28477 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
28478 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
28479 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
28482 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
28483 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
28484 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
28485 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
28486 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
28488 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
28489 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
28490 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
28494 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
28498 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
28501 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
28502 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
28505 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
28508 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
28509 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
28512 @include gnus-faq.texi
28532 @c Local Variables:
28534 @c coding: iso-8859-1
28538 arch-tag: c9fa47e7-78ca-4681-bda9-9fef45d1c819