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4 @settitle Gnus 5.6.29 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The news reader Gnus.
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262 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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271 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
273 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
274 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
275 are preserved on all copies.
277 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
278 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
279 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
280 permission notice identical to this one.
282 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
283 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
292 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
294 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
296 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
297 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
298 are preserved on all copies.
301 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
302 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
303 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
304 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
308 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
309 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
310 permission notice identical to this one.
312 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
313 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
319 @title Gnus 5.6.29 Manual
321 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
324 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
325 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
327 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
328 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
329 are preserved on all copies.
331 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
332 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
333 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
334 permission notice identical to this one.
336 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
337 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
346 @top The Gnus Newsreader
350 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
351 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
352 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
355 This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.6.29.
366 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
367 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
369 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
370 being accused of plagiarism:
372 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
373 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
374 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
375 even read news with it!
377 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
378 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
379 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
380 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
381 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
388 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
389 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
390 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
391 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
392 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
393 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
394 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
395 * Various:: General purpose settings.
396 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
397 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
398 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
399 * Key Index:: Key Index.
403 @chapter Starting Gnus
408 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
409 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
412 @findex gnus-other-frame
413 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
414 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
415 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
417 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
418 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
419 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
421 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
422 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
425 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
426 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
427 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
428 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
429 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
430 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
431 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
432 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
433 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
434 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
435 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
439 @node Finding the News
440 @section Finding the News
443 @vindex gnus-select-method
445 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
446 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
447 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
448 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
451 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
452 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
455 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
458 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
461 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
464 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
465 certainly be much faster.
467 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
469 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
470 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
471 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
472 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
473 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
474 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
476 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
477 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
478 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
479 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
481 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
482 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
483 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
484 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
485 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
486 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
488 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
490 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
491 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
492 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
493 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
494 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
495 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
497 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
499 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
500 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
501 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
502 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
503 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
504 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
507 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
508 would typically set this variable to
511 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
516 @section The First Time
517 @cindex first time usage
519 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
520 be subscribed by default.
522 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
523 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
524 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
525 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
528 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
529 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
530 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
532 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
533 help you with most common problems.
535 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
536 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
540 @node The Server is Down
541 @section The Server is Down
542 @cindex server errors
544 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
545 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
546 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
548 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
549 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
550 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
551 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
552 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
553 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
554 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
556 @findex gnus-no-server
557 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
559 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
560 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
561 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
562 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
563 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
564 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
569 @section Slave Gnusae
572 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
573 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
574 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
575 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
577 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
580 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
581 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
582 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
583 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
584 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
585 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
586 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
588 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
589 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
590 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
591 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
592 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
593 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
594 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
595 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
597 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
598 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
601 @node Fetching a Group
602 @section Fetching a Group
603 @cindex fetching a group
605 @findex gnus-fetch-group
606 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
607 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
608 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
609 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
610 It takes the group name as a parameter.
618 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
619 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
620 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
621 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
622 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
623 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
624 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
625 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
626 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
629 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
630 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
631 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
635 @node Checking New Groups
636 @subsection Checking New Groups
638 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
639 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
640 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
641 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
642 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
643 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
644 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
645 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
646 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
647 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
649 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
650 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
651 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
652 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
653 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
654 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
655 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
656 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
657 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
658 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
659 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
661 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
662 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
663 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
664 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
665 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
666 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
669 @node Subscription Methods
670 @subsection Subscription Methods
672 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
673 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
674 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
676 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
677 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
679 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
683 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
684 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
685 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
686 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
687 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
689 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
690 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
691 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
692 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
694 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
695 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
696 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
698 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
699 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
700 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
701 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
702 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
703 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
704 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
705 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
706 up. Or something like that.
708 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
709 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
710 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
711 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
712 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
714 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
715 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
720 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
721 A closely related variable is
722 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
723 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
724 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
725 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
728 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
729 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
730 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
731 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
734 @node Filtering New Groups
735 @subsection Filtering New Groups
737 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
738 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
739 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
742 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
745 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
746 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
747 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
748 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
749 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
750 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
751 subscribing these groups.
752 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
753 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
755 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
756 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
757 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
758 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
759 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
760 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
761 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
762 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
764 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
765 Yet another variable that meddles here is
766 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
767 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
768 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
769 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
770 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
771 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
772 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
773 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
775 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
776 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
779 @node Changing Servers
780 @section Changing Servers
781 @cindex changing servers
783 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
784 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
785 very flaky and you want to use another.
787 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
788 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
792 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
793 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
794 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
795 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
798 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
799 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
800 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
801 functions more than absolutely necessary.
803 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
804 @findex gnus-change-server
805 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
806 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
807 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
808 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
809 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
811 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
812 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
813 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
814 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
815 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
817 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
818 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
819 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
820 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
821 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
822 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
826 @section Startup Files
827 @cindex startup files
832 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
833 information is traditionally stored in this file.
835 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
836 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
837 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
838 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
839 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
840 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
841 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
843 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
844 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
845 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
846 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
847 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
848 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
850 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
851 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
852 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
853 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
854 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
855 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
857 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
858 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
859 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
860 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
861 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
862 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
863 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
864 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
865 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
866 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
867 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
868 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
870 @vindex gnus-startup-file
871 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
872 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
873 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
875 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
876 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
877 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
878 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
879 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
880 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
881 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
882 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
883 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
884 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
887 (defun turn-off-backup ()
888 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
890 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
891 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
894 @vindex gnus-init-file
895 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
896 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
897 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
898 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
899 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
900 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
901 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
902 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
903 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
912 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
913 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
914 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
915 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
916 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
919 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
920 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
923 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
924 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
925 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
927 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
928 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
929 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
930 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
931 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
932 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
934 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
935 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
936 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
939 @node The Active File
940 @section The Active File
942 @cindex ignored groups
944 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
945 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
946 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
948 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
949 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
950 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
951 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
952 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
953 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
954 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
957 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
958 @c if you set it to anything else.
960 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
962 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
963 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
964 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
966 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
967 you actually subscribe to.
969 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
970 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
971 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
972 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
974 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
975 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
976 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
977 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
978 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
979 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
981 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
982 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
983 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
984 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
985 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
986 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
988 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
989 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
991 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
992 secondary select methods.
995 @node Startup Variables
996 @section Startup Variables
1000 @item gnus-load-hook
1001 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1002 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1003 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1004 times you start Gnus.
1006 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1007 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1008 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1010 @item gnus-startup-hook
1011 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1012 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1014 @item gnus-started-hook
1015 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1016 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1019 @item gnus-started-hook
1020 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1021 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1022 generating the group buffer.
1024 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1025 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1026 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1027 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1028 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1029 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1030 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1031 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1033 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1034 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1035 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1036 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1037 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1038 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1040 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1041 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1042 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1044 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1045 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1046 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1048 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1049 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1050 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1051 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1056 @node The Group Buffer
1057 @chapter The Group Buffer
1058 @cindex group buffer
1060 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1061 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1062 long as Gnus is active.
1066 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1067 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1068 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1069 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1070 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1071 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1072 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1073 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1079 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1080 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1081 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1082 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1083 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1084 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1085 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1086 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1087 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1088 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1089 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1090 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1091 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1092 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1093 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1094 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1095 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1099 @node Group Buffer Format
1100 @section Group Buffer Format
1103 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1104 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1105 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1109 @node Group Line Specification
1110 @subsection Group Line Specification
1111 @cindex group buffer format
1113 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1114 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1116 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1119 25: news.announce.newusers
1120 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1125 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1126 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1127 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1128 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1130 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1131 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1132 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1133 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1134 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1135 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1137 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1139 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1140 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1141 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1142 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1145 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1146 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1147 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1149 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1154 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1157 Whether the group is subscribed.
1160 Level of subscribedness.
1163 Number of unread articles.
1166 Number of dormant articles.
1169 Number of ticked articles.
1172 Number of read articles.
1175 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1176 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1179 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1182 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1191 Newsgroup description.
1194 @samp{m} if moderated.
1197 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1206 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1210 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1213 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1214 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1215 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1216 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1217 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1220 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1222 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1226 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1230 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1231 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1232 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1233 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1234 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1235 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1240 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1241 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1242 group, or a bogus native group.
1245 @node Group Modeline Specification
1246 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1247 @cindex group modeline
1249 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1250 The mode line can be changed by setting
1251 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1252 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1256 The native news server.
1258 The native select method.
1262 @node Group Highlighting
1263 @subsection Group Highlighting
1264 @cindex highlighting
1265 @cindex group highlighting
1267 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1268 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1269 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1270 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1271 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1273 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1277 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1278 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1279 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1280 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1281 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1283 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1284 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1285 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1286 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1287 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1288 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1291 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1293 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1300 The number of unread articles in the group.
1304 Whether the group is a mail group.
1306 The level of the group.
1308 The score of the group.
1310 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1312 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1313 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1315 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1316 topic being inserted.
1319 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1320 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1321 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1323 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1324 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1325 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1326 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1327 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1330 @node Group Maneuvering
1331 @section Group Maneuvering
1332 @cindex group movement
1334 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1335 expected, hopefully.
1341 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1342 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1343 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1349 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1350 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1351 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1355 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1356 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1360 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1361 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1365 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1366 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1367 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1371 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1372 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1373 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1376 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1382 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1383 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1384 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1389 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1390 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1391 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1395 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1396 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1397 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1400 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1401 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1402 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1403 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1407 @node Selecting a Group
1408 @section Selecting a Group
1409 @cindex group selection
1414 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1415 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1416 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1417 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1418 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1419 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1420 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1421 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1422 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1423 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1427 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1428 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1429 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1430 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1431 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1435 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1436 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1437 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1438 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1439 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1440 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1441 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1442 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1443 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1444 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1447 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1448 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1449 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1450 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1451 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1454 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1455 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1456 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1457 doing any processing of its contents
1458 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1459 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1460 manner will have no permanent effects.
1464 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1465 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1466 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1467 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1468 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1469 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1470 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1471 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1474 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1475 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1476 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1477 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1482 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1483 full summary buffer.
1486 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1489 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1493 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1494 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1495 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1499 @node Subscription Commands
1500 @section Subscription Commands
1501 @cindex subscription
1509 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1510 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1511 Toggle subscription to the current group
1512 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1518 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1519 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1520 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1521 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1527 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1528 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1529 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1535 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1536 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1539 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1540 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1541 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1542 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1543 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1549 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1550 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1554 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1555 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1558 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1559 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1560 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1561 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1562 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1563 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1564 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1565 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1566 @file{.newsrc} file.
1570 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1580 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1581 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1582 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1583 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1584 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1585 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1590 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1591 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1592 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1596 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1597 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1598 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1600 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1601 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1602 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1603 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1604 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1605 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1612 @section Group Levels
1616 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1617 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1618 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1619 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1620 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1622 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1628 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1629 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1630 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1631 prompted for a level.
1634 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1635 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1636 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1637 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1638 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1639 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1640 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1641 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1642 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1643 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1644 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1645 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1646 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1647 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1648 reasons of efficiency.
1650 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1651 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1653 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1654 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1655 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1657 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1658 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1659 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1660 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1661 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1662 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1663 relevant valid ranges.
1665 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1666 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1667 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1668 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1669 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1670 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1673 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1674 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1675 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1678 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1679 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1680 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1681 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1684 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1685 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1686 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1687 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1689 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1690 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1691 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1692 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1693 to 5. The default is 6.
1697 @section Group Score
1702 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1703 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1704 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1707 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1708 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1709 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1710 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1711 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1712 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1713 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1715 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1716 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1717 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1718 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1719 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1720 action after each summary exit, you can add
1721 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1722 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1723 slow things down somewhat.
1726 @node Marking Groups
1727 @section Marking Groups
1728 @cindex marking groups
1730 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1731 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1732 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1733 bidding on those groups.
1735 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1736 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1737 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1745 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1746 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1752 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1753 Remove the mark from the current group
1754 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1758 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1759 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1763 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1764 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1768 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1769 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1773 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1774 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1775 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1778 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1780 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1781 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1782 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1783 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1784 the command to be executed.
1787 @node Foreign Groups
1788 @section Foreign Groups
1789 @cindex foreign groups
1791 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1792 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1793 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1794 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1801 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1802 @cindex making groups
1803 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1804 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1805 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1809 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1810 @cindex renaming groups
1811 Rename the current group to something else
1812 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1813 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1819 @findex gnus-group-customize
1820 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1824 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1825 @cindex renaming groups
1826 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1827 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1831 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1832 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1833 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1837 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1838 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1839 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1843 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1845 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1846 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1851 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1852 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1856 @cindex (ding) archive
1857 @cindex archive group
1858 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1859 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1860 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1861 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1862 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1863 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1864 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1868 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1870 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1871 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1872 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1873 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1877 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1879 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1880 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1881 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1885 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1886 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1888 Make a group based on some file or other
1889 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1890 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1891 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1892 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1893 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1894 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1895 @xref{Document Groups}.
1899 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1904 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1905 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1906 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1907 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1908 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1909 @xref{Web Searches}.
1911 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1912 to a particular group by using a match string like
1913 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1916 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1917 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1918 This function will delete the current group
1919 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1920 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1921 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1922 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1923 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1927 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1928 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1929 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1933 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1934 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1935 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1938 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1941 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1942 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1943 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1944 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1945 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1946 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1950 @node Group Parameters
1951 @section Group Parameters
1952 @cindex group parameters
1954 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1955 Here's an example group parameter list:
1958 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1962 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
1963 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
1964 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
1965 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
1967 The following group parameters can be used:
1972 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
1975 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
1978 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
1979 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
1980 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
1981 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
1982 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
1984 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1985 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1986 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1987 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1988 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1989 list address instead.
1993 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
1996 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
1999 It is totally ignored
2000 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2001 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2003 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2004 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2005 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2006 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2007 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2009 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2010 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2011 sending the message.
2015 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2016 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2017 of whether it has any unread articles.
2019 @item broken-reply-to
2020 @cindex broken-reply-to
2021 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2022 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2023 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2024 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2025 broken behavior. So there!
2029 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2030 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2034 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2035 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2036 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2041 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2042 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2043 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2044 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2045 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2046 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2047 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2051 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2052 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2053 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2056 @cindex total-expire
2057 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2058 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2059 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2060 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2065 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2066 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2067 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2068 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2069 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2070 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2073 @cindex score file group parameter
2074 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2075 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2076 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2079 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2080 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2081 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2082 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2085 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2086 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2087 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2088 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2091 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2092 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2096 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2099 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2104 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2105 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2106 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2109 @item @var{(variable form)}
2110 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2111 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2112 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2113 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2114 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2115 @code{eval}ed there.
2117 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2118 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2119 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2120 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2121 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2125 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2126 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2130 @node Listing Groups
2131 @section Listing Groups
2132 @cindex group listing
2134 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2142 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2143 List all groups that have unread articles
2144 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2145 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2146 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2147 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2154 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2155 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2156 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2157 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2158 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2159 unsubscribed groups).
2163 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2164 List all unread groups on a specific level
2165 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2166 with no unread articles.
2170 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2171 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2172 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2173 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2178 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2179 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2183 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2184 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2185 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2189 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2190 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2194 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2195 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2196 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2197 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2198 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2199 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2200 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2201 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2205 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2206 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2207 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2211 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2212 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2213 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2217 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2218 @cindex visible group parameter
2219 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2220 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2221 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2222 get the same effect.
2224 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2225 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2226 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2227 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2228 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2231 @node Sorting Groups
2232 @section Sorting Groups
2233 @cindex sorting groups
2235 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2236 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2237 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2238 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2239 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2240 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2245 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2246 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2247 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2249 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2250 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2251 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2253 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2254 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2255 Sort by group level.
2257 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2258 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2259 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2261 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2262 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2263 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2264 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2266 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2267 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2268 Sort by number of unread articles.
2270 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2271 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2272 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2277 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2278 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2282 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2283 some sorting criteria:
2287 @kindex G S a (Group)
2288 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2289 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2290 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2293 @kindex G S u (Group)
2294 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2295 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2296 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2299 @kindex G S l (Group)
2300 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2301 Sort the group buffer by group level
2302 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2305 @kindex G S v (Group)
2306 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2307 Sort the group buffer by group score
2308 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2311 @kindex G S r (Group)
2312 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2313 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2314 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2317 @kindex G S m (Group)
2318 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2319 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2320 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2324 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2326 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2330 @kindex G P a (Group)
2331 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2332 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2333 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2336 @kindex G P u (Group)
2337 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2338 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2339 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2342 @kindex G P l (Group)
2343 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2344 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2345 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2348 @kindex G P v (Group)
2349 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2350 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2351 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2354 @kindex G P r (Group)
2355 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2356 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2357 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2360 @kindex G P m (Group)
2361 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2362 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2363 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2369 @node Group Maintenance
2370 @section Group Maintenance
2371 @cindex bogus groups
2376 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2377 Find bogus groups and delete them
2378 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2382 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2383 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2384 If given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2388 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2389 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2390 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2391 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2394 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2395 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2396 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2397 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2402 @node Browse Foreign Server
2403 @section Browse Foreign Server
2404 @cindex foreign servers
2405 @cindex browsing servers
2410 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2411 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2412 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2413 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2416 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2417 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2418 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2419 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2421 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2426 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2427 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2431 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2432 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2435 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2436 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2437 Enter the current group and display the first article
2438 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2441 @kindex RET (Browse)
2442 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2443 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2447 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2448 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2449 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2455 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2456 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2460 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2461 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2462 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2467 @section Exiting Gnus
2468 @cindex exiting Gnus
2470 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2475 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2476 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2477 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2478 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2482 @findex gnus-group-exit
2483 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2484 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2488 @findex gnus-group-quit
2489 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2490 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2493 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2494 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2495 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2496 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2497 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2502 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2503 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2504 trying to customize meta-variables.
2509 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2510 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2511 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2517 @section Group Topics
2520 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2521 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2522 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2523 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2524 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2525 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2529 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2530 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2541 2: alt.religion.emacs
2544 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2546 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2547 13: comp.sources.unix
2550 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2552 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2553 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2554 is a toggling command.)
2556 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2557 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2558 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2559 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2562 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2563 the hook for the group mode:
2566 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2570 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2571 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2572 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2573 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2574 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2578 @node Topic Variables
2579 @subsection Topic Variables
2580 @cindex topic variables
2582 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2583 really neat, I think.
2585 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2586 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2587 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2600 Number of groups in the topic.
2602 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2604 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2607 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2608 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2609 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2612 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2613 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2615 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2616 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2617 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2620 @node Topic Commands
2621 @subsection Topic Commands
2622 @cindex topic commands
2624 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2625 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2626 definitions slightly.
2632 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2633 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2634 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2638 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2639 Move the current group to some other topic
2640 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2641 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2645 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2646 Copy the current group to some other topic
2647 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2648 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2652 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2653 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2654 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2655 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2656 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2657 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2658 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2661 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2662 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2666 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2667 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2668 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2672 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2673 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2674 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2678 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2679 Toggle hiding empty topics
2680 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2684 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2685 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2686 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2689 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2690 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2691 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2692 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2696 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2698 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2699 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2700 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2701 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2702 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2703 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2707 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2709 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2710 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2711 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2712 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2715 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2716 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2717 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2718 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2722 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2723 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2724 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2728 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2729 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2730 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2735 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2736 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2739 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2740 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2741 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2745 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2746 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2747 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2751 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2752 @cindex group parameters
2753 @cindex topic parameters
2755 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2756 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2762 @subsection Topic Sorting
2763 @cindex topic sorting
2765 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2771 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2772 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2773 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2774 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2777 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2778 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2779 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2780 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2783 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2784 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2785 Sort the current topic by group level
2786 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2789 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2790 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2791 Sort the current topic by group score
2792 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2795 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2796 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2797 Sort the current topic by group rank
2798 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2801 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2802 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2803 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2804 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2808 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2811 @node Topic Topology
2812 @subsection Topic Topology
2813 @cindex topic topology
2816 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2822 2: alt.religion.emacs
2825 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2827 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2828 13: comp.sources.unix
2831 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2832 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2833 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2838 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2839 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2843 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2844 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2845 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2846 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2847 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2848 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2850 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2851 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2852 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2855 @node Topic Parameters
2856 @subsection Topic Parameters
2857 @cindex topic parameters
2859 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2860 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2861 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2863 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2864 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2865 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2866 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2872 2: alt.religion.emacs
2876 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2878 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2879 13: comp.sources.unix
2883 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2884 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2885 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2886 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2887 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2888 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2890 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2891 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2892 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2893 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2894 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2896 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2897 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2898 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2899 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2900 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2901 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2902 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2903 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2906 @node Misc Group Stuff
2907 @section Misc Group Stuff
2910 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2911 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2912 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2913 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2920 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2921 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2922 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2926 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2927 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2928 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2932 @findex gnus-group-mail
2933 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2937 Variables for the group buffer:
2941 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2942 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2943 is called after the group buffer has been
2946 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2947 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2948 is called after the group buffer is
2949 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2952 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
2953 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2954 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
2955 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
2957 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2958 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2959 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2960 whether they are empty or not.
2965 @node Scanning New Messages
2966 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2967 @cindex new messages
2968 @cindex scanning new news
2974 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2975 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
2976 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2977 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2978 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2979 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
2984 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2985 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2986 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
2987 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2988 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2989 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2990 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2992 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2993 @cindex activating groups
2995 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2996 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3001 @findex gnus-group-restart
3002 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3003 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3004 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3008 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3009 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3011 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3012 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3016 @node Group Information
3017 @subsection Group Information
3018 @cindex group information
3019 @cindex information on groups
3026 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3027 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3030 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3031 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3032 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3033 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3034 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3035 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3036 for fetching the file.
3038 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3039 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3043 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3045 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3046 @cindex describing groups
3047 @cindex group description
3048 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3049 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3050 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3054 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3055 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3056 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3063 @findex gnus-version
3064 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3068 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3069 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3072 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3075 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3076 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3080 @node Group Timestamp
3081 @subsection Group Timestamp
3083 @cindex group timestamps
3085 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3086 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3087 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3090 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3093 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3095 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3096 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3099 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3100 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3103 This will result in lines looking like:
3106 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3107 0: custom 19961002T012713
3110 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3111 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3115 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3116 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3121 @subsection File Commands
3122 @cindex file commands
3128 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3129 @vindex gnus-init-file
3130 @cindex reading init file
3131 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3132 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3136 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3137 @cindex saving .newsrc
3138 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3139 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3140 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3143 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3144 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3145 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3150 @node The Summary Buffer
3151 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3152 @cindex summary buffer
3154 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3155 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3157 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3158 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3160 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3163 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3164 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3165 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3166 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3167 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3168 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3169 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3170 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3171 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3172 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3173 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3174 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3175 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3176 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3177 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3178 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3179 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3180 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3181 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3182 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3183 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3184 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3185 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3186 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3187 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3188 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3189 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3193 @node Summary Buffer Format
3194 @section Summary Buffer Format
3195 @cindex summary buffer format
3199 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3200 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3201 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3207 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3208 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3209 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3212 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3213 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3214 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3215 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3216 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3217 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3218 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3219 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3220 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3221 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3222 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3224 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3225 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3226 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3227 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3230 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3231 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3233 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3234 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3235 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3236 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3237 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3239 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3241 The following format specification characters are understood:
3249 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3250 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3251 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3253 Full @code{From} header.
3255 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3257 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3258 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3259 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3260 may be more thorough.
3262 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3265 Number of lines in the article.
3267 Number of characters in the article.
3269 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3271 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3272 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3274 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3275 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3277 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3278 for adopted articles.
3280 One space for each thread level.
3282 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3287 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3288 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3292 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3294 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3295 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3296 default level. If the difference between
3297 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3298 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3306 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3308 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3314 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3315 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3317 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3318 article has any children.
3324 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3325 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3326 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3327 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3328 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3329 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3332 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3333 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3334 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3335 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3336 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3337 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3339 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3340 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3342 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3345 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3346 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3348 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3349 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
3350 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
3351 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3353 Here are the elements you can play with:
3359 Unprefixed group name.
3361 Current article number.
3363 Current article score.
3367 Number of unread articles in this group.
3369 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3372 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3373 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3374 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3375 and no unselected ones.
3377 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3378 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3380 Subject of the current article.
3382 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3384 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3386 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3388 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3390 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3392 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3396 @node Summary Highlighting
3397 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3401 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3402 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3403 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3404 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3405 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3407 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3408 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3409 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3410 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3412 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3413 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3414 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3415 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3417 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3418 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3419 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3420 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3421 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3422 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3424 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3425 ((> score default) . bold))
3427 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3428 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3432 @node Summary Maneuvering
3433 @section Summary Maneuvering
3434 @cindex summary movement
3436 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3437 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3439 None of these commands select articles.
3444 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3445 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3446 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3447 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3448 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3452 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3453 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3454 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3455 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3456 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3461 @kindex G j (Summary)
3462 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3463 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3464 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3467 @kindex G g (Summary)
3468 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3469 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3470 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3473 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3474 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3475 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3476 to the group buffer.
3478 Variables related to summary movement:
3482 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3483 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3484 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3485 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3486 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3487 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3488 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3489 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3490 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3491 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3492 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3493 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3494 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3495 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3497 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3498 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3499 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3500 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3501 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3502 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
3503 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
3505 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3507 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3508 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3509 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3510 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3511 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3513 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3514 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3515 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3516 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3517 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3518 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3519 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3520 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3526 @node Choosing Articles
3527 @section Choosing Articles
3528 @cindex selecting articles
3531 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3532 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3536 @node Choosing Commands
3537 @subsection Choosing Commands
3539 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3540 and they all select and display an article.
3544 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3545 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3546 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3547 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3552 @kindex G n (Summary)
3553 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3554 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3555 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3560 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3561 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3562 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3567 @kindex G N (Summary)
3568 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3569 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3574 @kindex G P (Summary)
3575 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3576 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3579 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3580 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3581 Go to the next article with the same subject
3582 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3585 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3586 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3587 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3588 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3592 @kindex G f (Summary)
3594 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3595 Go to the first unread article
3596 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3600 @kindex G b (Summary)
3602 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3603 Go to the article with the highest score
3604 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3609 @kindex G l (Summary)
3610 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3611 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3614 @kindex G o (Summary)
3615 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3617 @cindex article history
3618 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3619 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3620 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3621 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3622 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3623 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3627 @node Choosing Variables
3628 @subsection Choosing Variables
3630 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3633 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3634 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3635 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3636 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3637 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3638 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3640 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3641 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3642 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3643 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3645 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3646 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3647 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3648 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3649 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3650 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3651 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3652 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3653 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3654 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3655 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3656 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3657 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3658 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3663 @node Paging the Article
3664 @section Scrolling the Article
3665 @cindex article scrolling
3670 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3671 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3672 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3673 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3674 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3677 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3678 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3679 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3682 @kindex RET (Summary)
3683 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3684 Scroll the current article one line forward
3685 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3689 @kindex A g (Summary)
3691 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3692 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3693 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3694 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3695 the way it came from the server.
3700 @kindex A < (Summary)
3701 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3702 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3703 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3708 @kindex A > (Summary)
3709 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3710 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3714 @kindex A s (Summary)
3716 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3717 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3718 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3722 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3723 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3728 @node Reply Followup and Post
3729 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3732 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3733 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3737 @node Summary Mail Commands
3738 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3740 @cindex composing mail
3742 Commands for composing a mail message:
3748 @kindex S r (Summary)
3750 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3751 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3752 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3753 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3754 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3759 @kindex S R (Summary)
3760 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3761 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3762 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3763 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3764 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3767 @kindex S w (Summary)
3768 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3769 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3770 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3771 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3772 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3775 @kindex S W (Summary)
3776 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3777 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3778 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3779 the process/prefix convention.
3782 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3783 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3784 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3785 Forward the current article to some other person
3786 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3787 headers of the forwarded article.
3792 @kindex S m (Summary)
3793 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3794 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3795 Send a mail to some other person
3796 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3799 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3800 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3801 @cindex bouncing mail
3802 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3803 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3804 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3805 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3806 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3807 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3808 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3809 very well fail, though.
3812 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3813 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3814 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3815 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3816 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3817 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3818 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3819 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3820 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3821 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3823 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3824 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3825 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3826 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3827 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3829 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3830 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3833 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3834 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3835 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3836 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3837 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3840 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3841 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3842 @cindex crossposting
3843 @cindex excessive crossposting
3844 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3845 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3847 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3848 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3849 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3850 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3851 command understands the process/prefix convention
3852 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3856 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3859 @node Summary Post Commands
3860 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3862 @cindex composing news
3864 Commands for posting a news article:
3870 @kindex S p (Summary)
3871 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3872 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3873 Post an article to the current group
3874 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3879 @kindex S f (Summary)
3880 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3881 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3882 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3886 @kindex S F (Summary)
3888 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3889 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3890 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3891 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3892 process/prefix convention.
3895 @kindex S n (Summary)
3896 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3897 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3898 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3901 @kindex S N (Summary)
3902 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
3903 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3904 message through mail and include the original message
3905 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3906 the process/prefix convention.
3909 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3910 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3911 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3912 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3913 headers of the forwarded article.
3916 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3917 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3919 @cindex making digests
3920 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3921 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3922 process/prefix convention.
3925 @kindex S u (Summary)
3926 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3927 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3928 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3929 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3932 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3935 @node Canceling and Superseding
3936 @section Canceling Articles
3937 @cindex canceling articles
3938 @cindex superseding articles
3940 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3941 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3943 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3945 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3947 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3948 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3949 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3950 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3951 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3952 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3954 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3955 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3958 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
3959 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
3960 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
3962 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3963 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3964 your original article.
3966 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3968 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3969 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3970 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3973 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3974 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3975 have posted almost the same article twice.
3977 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3978 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3979 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3980 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3981 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3982 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3983 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3984 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3985 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3986 canceled/superseded.
3988 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3991 @node Marking Articles
3992 @section Marking Articles
3993 @cindex article marking
3994 @cindex article ticking
3997 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3999 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4000 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4001 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4003 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4006 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4007 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4008 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4012 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4016 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4017 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4021 @node Unread Articles
4022 @subsection Unread Articles
4024 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4029 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4030 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4032 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4033 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4034 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4035 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4036 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4040 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4041 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4043 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4044 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4045 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4048 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4049 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4051 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4056 @subsection Read Articles
4057 @cindex expirable mark
4059 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4064 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4065 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4066 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4069 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4070 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4073 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4074 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4075 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4078 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4079 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4082 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4083 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4086 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4087 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4090 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4091 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4094 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4095 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4098 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4099 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4102 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4103 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4107 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4108 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4109 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4113 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4114 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4116 One more special mark, though:
4120 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4121 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4123 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4124 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4125 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4126 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4132 @subsection Other Marks
4133 @cindex process mark
4136 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4142 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4143 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4144 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4145 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4146 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4149 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4150 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4151 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4152 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4155 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4156 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4157 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
4160 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4161 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4162 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4163 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4166 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4167 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4168 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4169 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4170 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4173 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4174 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4175 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4176 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4177 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4178 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4182 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4183 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4184 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4186 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4187 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4188 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4192 @subsection Setting Marks
4193 @cindex setting marks
4195 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4200 @kindex M c (Summary)
4201 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4202 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4203 @cindex mark as unread
4204 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4205 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4211 @kindex M t (Summary)
4212 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4213 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4214 @xref{Article Caching}
4219 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4220 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4221 Mark the current article as dormant
4222 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
4226 @kindex M d (Summary)
4228 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4229 Mark the current article as read
4230 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4234 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4235 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4236 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4241 @kindex M k (Summary)
4242 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4243 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4244 and then select the next unread article
4245 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4249 @kindex M K (Summary)
4250 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4251 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4252 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4253 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4256 @kindex M C (Summary)
4257 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4258 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4259 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4262 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4263 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4264 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4265 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4268 @kindex M H (Summary)
4269 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4270 Catchup the current group to point
4271 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4274 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4275 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4276 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4277 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4280 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4281 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4282 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4283 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4287 @kindex M e (Summary)
4289 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4290 Mark the current article as expirable
4291 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4294 @kindex M b (Summary)
4295 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4296 Set a bookmark in the current article
4297 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4300 @kindex M B (Summary)
4301 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4302 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4303 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4306 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4307 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4308 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4309 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4312 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4313 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4314 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4315 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4318 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4319 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4320 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4321 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4322 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4325 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4326 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4327 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4328 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4329 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4330 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4331 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4332 The default is @code{t}.
4335 @node Setting Process Marks
4336 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4337 @cindex setting process marks
4344 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4345 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4346 Mark the current article with the process mark
4347 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4348 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4352 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4353 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4354 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4355 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4358 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4359 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4360 Remove the process mark from all articles
4361 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4364 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4365 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4366 Invert the list of process marked articles
4367 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4370 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4371 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4372 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4373 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4376 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4377 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4378 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4381 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4382 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4383 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4384 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4387 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4388 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4389 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4390 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4393 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4394 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4395 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4396 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4399 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4400 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4401 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4404 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4405 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4406 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4407 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4410 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4411 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4412 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4415 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4416 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4417 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4418 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4421 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4422 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4423 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4424 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4427 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4428 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4429 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4430 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4433 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4434 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4435 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4436 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4445 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4446 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4447 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4450 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4451 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4452 additional articles.
4458 @kindex / / (Summary)
4459 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4460 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4461 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4464 @kindex / a (Summary)
4465 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4466 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4467 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4471 @kindex / u (Summary)
4473 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4474 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4475 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4476 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4477 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4480 @kindex / m (Summary)
4481 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4482 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4483 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4486 @kindex / t (Summary)
4487 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4488 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4489 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4490 articles younger than that number of days.
4493 @kindex / n (Summary)
4494 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4495 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4496 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4497 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4500 @kindex / w (Summary)
4501 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4502 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4503 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4507 @kindex / v (Summary)
4508 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4509 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4510 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4514 @kindex M S (Summary)
4515 @kindex / E (Summary)
4516 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4517 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4518 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4521 @kindex / D (Summary)
4522 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4523 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4524 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4527 @kindex / * (Summary)
4528 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4529 Include all cached articles in the limit
4530 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4533 @kindex / d (Summary)
4534 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4535 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4536 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4539 @kindex / T (Summary)
4540 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4541 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4544 @kindex / c (Summary)
4545 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4546 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4547 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4550 @kindex / C (Summary)
4551 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4552 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4553 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4554 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4562 @cindex article threading
4564 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4565 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4566 hierarchical fashion.
4568 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4569 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4570 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4571 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4572 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4573 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4574 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4576 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4580 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4583 A tree-like article structure.
4586 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4589 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4590 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4591 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4592 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4593 called loose threads.
4595 @item thread gathering
4596 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4598 @item sparse threads
4599 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4600 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4606 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4607 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4611 @node Customizing Threading
4612 @subsection Customizing Threading
4613 @cindex customizing threading
4616 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4617 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4618 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4619 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4624 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4627 @cindex loose threads
4630 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4631 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4632 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4633 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4634 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4635 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4637 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4638 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4639 There are four possible values:
4643 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4644 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4645 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4646 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4647 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4652 @cindex adopting articles
4657 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4658 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4659 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4660 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4663 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4664 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4665 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4666 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4667 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4668 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4669 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4672 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4673 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4674 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4678 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4679 display them after one another.
4682 Don't gather loose threads.
4685 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4686 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4687 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4688 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4689 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4690 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4691 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4692 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4693 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4694 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4695 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4697 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4698 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4699 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4702 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4703 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4704 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4705 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4706 simplification is used.
4708 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4709 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4710 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4711 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4713 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4715 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4721 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4722 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4723 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4724 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4729 (mapconcat 'identity
4730 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4732 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4735 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4738 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4739 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4740 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4741 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4742 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4743 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4745 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4748 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4749 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4750 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4752 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4753 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4756 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4757 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4758 Remove excessive whitespace.
4761 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4764 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4765 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4766 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4767 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4768 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4769 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4770 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4771 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4773 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4774 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4775 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4776 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4777 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4778 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4779 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4780 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4781 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4785 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4786 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4787 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4788 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4790 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4791 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4792 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4795 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4799 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4800 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4806 @node Filling In Threads
4807 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4810 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4811 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4812 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4813 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4814 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4815 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4816 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4817 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4818 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4819 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4820 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4821 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4823 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4824 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4825 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4827 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4828 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4829 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4830 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4831 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4832 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4833 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4834 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4835 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4836 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4837 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4838 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4839 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4840 @code{nil} by default.
4845 @node More Threading
4846 @subsubsection More Threading
4849 @item gnus-show-threads
4850 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4851 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4852 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4853 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4854 slower and more awkward.
4856 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4857 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4858 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4861 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4862 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4863 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4864 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4865 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4866 threads are expunged.
4868 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4869 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4870 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4873 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4874 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4875 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4876 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4877 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4880 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4881 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4882 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4888 @node Low-Level Threading
4889 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
4893 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4894 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4895 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
4896 @code{(gnus-decode-rfc1522)}, which means that QPized headers will be
4897 slightly decoded in a hackish way. This is likely to change in the
4898 future when Gnus becomes @sc{MIME}ified.
4900 @item gnus-alter-header-function
4901 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
4902 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
4903 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
4904 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
4905 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
4906 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
4907 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
4908 meaningful. Here's one example:
4911 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
4913 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
4914 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
4916 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
4918 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
4925 @node Thread Commands
4926 @subsection Thread Commands
4927 @cindex thread commands
4933 @kindex T k (Summary)
4934 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4935 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4936 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4937 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4938 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4943 @kindex T l (Summary)
4944 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4945 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4946 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4947 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4950 @kindex T i (Summary)
4951 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4952 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4953 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4956 @kindex T # (Summary)
4957 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4958 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4959 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4962 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4963 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4964 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4965 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4968 @kindex T T (Summary)
4969 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4970 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4973 @kindex T s (Summary)
4974 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4975 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4976 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4979 @kindex T h (Summary)
4980 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4981 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4984 @kindex T S (Summary)
4985 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4986 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4989 @kindex T H (Summary)
4990 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4991 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4994 @kindex T t (Summary)
4995 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4996 Re-thread the current article's thread
4997 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4998 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5001 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5002 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5003 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5004 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5008 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5009 understand the numeric prefix.
5014 @kindex T n (Summary)
5015 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5016 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5019 @kindex T p (Summary)
5020 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5021 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5024 @kindex T d (Summary)
5025 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5026 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5029 @kindex T u (Summary)
5030 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5031 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5034 @kindex T o (Summary)
5035 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5036 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5039 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5040 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5041 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5042 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5043 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5044 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5045 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5046 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5047 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5048 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5049 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5050 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5057 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5058 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5059 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5060 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5061 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5062 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5063 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5064 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5065 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
5066 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5067 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5068 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5069 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5070 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5072 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5073 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5074 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
5075 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
5076 in the list. You should probably always include
5077 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5078 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5079 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5080 ascending article order.
5082 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
5083 number, you could do something like:
5086 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5087 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5088 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5089 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
5092 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5093 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5094 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5095 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5096 which the articles arrived.
5098 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5102 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5104 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5105 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5108 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5109 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5110 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5111 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5114 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5115 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5116 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5117 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5118 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5119 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5120 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5121 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5122 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5123 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5124 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5125 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5126 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5128 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5132 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5133 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5134 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5139 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5140 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5141 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5142 @cindex article pre-fetch
5145 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5146 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5147 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5148 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5149 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5151 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5152 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5154 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5155 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5156 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5157 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5158 connection is blocked.
5160 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5161 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5162 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5163 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5165 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5166 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5167 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5168 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5171 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5174 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5175 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5176 happen automatically.
5178 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5179 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5180 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5181 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5182 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5183 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5184 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5186 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5187 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5188 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5189 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5190 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5191 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5192 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5193 data structure as the only parameter.
5195 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5198 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5199 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5200 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5201 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5204 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5207 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5208 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5209 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5211 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5212 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5213 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5214 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5218 Remove articles when they are read.
5221 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5224 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5226 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5227 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5228 from the next group.
5231 @node Article Caching
5232 @section Article Caching
5233 @cindex article caching
5236 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5237 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5238 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5239 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5240 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5242 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5244 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5245 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5246 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5247 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5248 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5249 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5250 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5251 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5253 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5254 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5255 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5256 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5257 as dormant, and don't worry.
5259 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5261 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5262 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5263 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5264 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5265 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5266 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5267 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5268 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5269 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5270 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5272 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5273 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5274 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5275 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5276 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5277 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5278 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5279 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5280 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5281 not then be downloaded by this command.
5283 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5284 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
5285 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5286 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5287 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
5288 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
5289 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
5292 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5293 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5294 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5295 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5296 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5297 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5298 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5299 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5300 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5304 @node Persistent Articles
5305 @section Persistent Articles
5306 @cindex persistent articles
5308 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5309 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5310 useful in my opinion.
5312 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5313 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5314 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5315 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5316 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5317 the expiry going on at the news server.
5319 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5320 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5321 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5327 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5328 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5331 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5332 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5333 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5334 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5338 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5340 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5341 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5342 interested in persistent articles:
5345 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5349 @node Article Backlog
5350 @section Article Backlog
5352 @cindex article backlog
5354 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5355 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5356 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5357 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5358 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5359 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5360 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5361 increase memory usage some.
5363 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5364 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5365 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5366 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5367 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5368 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5369 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5371 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5374 @node Saving Articles
5375 @section Saving Articles
5376 @cindex saving articles
5378 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5379 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5380 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5381 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5382 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5384 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5385 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5386 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5388 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5389 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5390 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5391 deleted before saving.
5397 @kindex O o (Summary)
5399 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5400 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5401 Save the current article using the default article saver
5402 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5405 @kindex O m (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5407 Save the current article in mail format
5408 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5411 @kindex O r (Summary)
5412 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5413 Save the current article in rmail format
5414 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5417 @kindex O f (Summary)
5418 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5419 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5420 Save the current article in plain file format
5421 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5424 @kindex O F (Summary)
5425 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5426 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5427 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5430 @kindex O b (Summary)
5431 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5432 Save the current article body in plain file format
5433 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5436 @kindex O h (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5438 Save the current article in mh folder format
5439 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5442 @kindex O v (Summary)
5443 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5444 Save the current article in a VM folder
5445 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5448 @kindex O p (Summary)
5449 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5450 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5451 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5454 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5455 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5456 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5457 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5458 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5459 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5460 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5461 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5462 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5463 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5464 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5465 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5469 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5470 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5471 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5472 functions below, or you can create your own.
5476 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5477 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5478 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5479 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5480 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5481 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5482 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5484 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5485 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5486 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5487 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5488 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5489 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5491 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5492 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5493 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5494 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5495 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5496 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5497 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5499 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5500 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5501 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5502 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5503 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5505 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5506 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5507 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5508 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5509 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5512 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5513 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5514 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5515 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5516 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5518 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5519 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5520 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5521 reader to use this setting.
5524 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5525 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5526 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5527 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5530 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5531 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5532 available functions that generate names:
5536 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5537 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5538 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5540 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5541 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5542 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5544 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5545 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5546 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5548 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5549 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5550 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5553 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5554 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5555 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5556 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5557 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5561 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5562 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5563 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5564 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5567 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5568 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5569 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5570 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5571 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5572 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5573 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5574 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5575 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5577 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5578 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5579 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5580 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5582 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5583 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5584 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5587 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5588 lots of mail groups called things like
5589 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5590 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5591 following will do just that:
5594 (defun my-save-name (group)
5595 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5596 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5598 (setq gnus-split-methods
5599 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5604 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5605 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5606 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5607 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5608 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5609 all the files in the top level directory
5610 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5611 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5612 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5613 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5615 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5616 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5617 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5618 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5619 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5622 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5626 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5627 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5630 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5631 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5632 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5633 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5636 @node Decoding Articles
5637 @section Decoding Articles
5638 @cindex decoding articles
5640 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5641 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5644 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5645 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5646 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5647 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5648 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5649 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5653 @cindex article series
5654 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5655 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5656 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5657 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5658 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5660 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5661 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5662 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5664 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5665 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5666 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5668 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5669 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5670 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5673 @node Uuencoded Articles
5674 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5676 @cindex uuencoded articles
5681 @kindex X u (Summary)
5682 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5683 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5684 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5687 @kindex X U (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5689 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5690 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5693 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5694 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5695 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5698 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5699 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5700 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5701 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5705 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5706 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5707 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5708 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5709 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5711 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5712 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5713 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5714 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5717 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5718 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5719 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5720 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5721 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5722 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5726 @node Shell Archives
5727 @subsection Shell Archives
5729 @cindex shell archives
5730 @cindex shared articles
5732 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5733 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5734 some commands to deal with these:
5739 @kindex X s (Summary)
5740 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5741 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5744 @kindex X S (Summary)
5745 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5746 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5749 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5751 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5754 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5756 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5757 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5761 @node PostScript Files
5762 @subsection PostScript Files
5768 @kindex X p (Summary)
5769 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5770 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5773 @kindex X P (Summary)
5774 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5775 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5776 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5779 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5780 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5781 View the current PostScript series
5782 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5785 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5786 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5787 View and save the current PostScript series
5788 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5793 @subsection Other Files
5797 @kindex X o (Summary)
5798 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5799 Save the current series
5800 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5803 @kindex X b (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5805 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5806 doesn't really work yet.
5810 @node Decoding Variables
5811 @subsection Decoding Variables
5813 Adjective, not verb.
5816 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5817 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5818 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5822 @node Rule Variables
5823 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5824 @cindex rule variables
5826 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5827 variables are of the form
5830 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5837 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5838 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5840 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5841 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5844 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5845 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5848 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5849 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5850 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5851 user and default view rules.
5853 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5854 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5855 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5860 @node Other Decode Variables
5861 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5864 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5866 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5867 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5868 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5869 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5870 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5874 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5875 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5878 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5879 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5880 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5883 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5884 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5885 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5886 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5887 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5890 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5891 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5892 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5894 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5895 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5896 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5897 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5898 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5901 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5902 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5903 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5905 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5906 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5907 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5908 looking for files to display.
5910 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5911 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5912 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5915 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5916 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5917 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5920 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5921 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5922 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5925 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5926 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5927 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5930 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5931 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5932 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5933 decoded articles as unread.
5935 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5936 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5937 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5938 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5940 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5941 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5942 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
5944 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5945 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5947 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5948 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5949 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5950 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5952 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5953 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5954 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5955 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5956 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5957 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5958 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5959 simply dropped them.
5964 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5965 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5969 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5970 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5971 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5972 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5973 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5974 for you when you post the article.
5976 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5977 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5978 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5979 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5981 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5982 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5983 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5984 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
5985 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5986 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5987 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5989 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5990 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5991 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5992 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5993 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5994 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5995 Default is @code{t}.
6001 @subsection Viewing Files
6002 @cindex viewing files
6003 @cindex pseudo-articles
6005 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6006 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6007 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6008 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6009 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6010 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6011 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6013 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6014 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6015 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6016 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6018 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6019 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6020 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6022 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6023 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6024 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6025 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6026 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6028 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6029 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6030 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6031 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6032 a list of parameters to that command.
6034 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6035 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6036 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6038 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6039 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6040 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6043 @node Article Treatment
6044 @section Article Treatment
6046 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6047 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6048 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6049 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6050 these articles easier.
6053 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6054 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6055 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6056 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6057 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6058 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6059 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6063 @node Article Highlighting
6064 @subsection Article Highlighting
6067 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6068 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6073 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6074 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6075 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
6078 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6079 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6080 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6081 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6082 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6083 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6084 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6085 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6086 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6087 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6088 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6091 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6092 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6093 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6095 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6098 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6100 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6101 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6102 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6104 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6105 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6106 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6108 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6109 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6110 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6112 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6113 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6114 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6115 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6116 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6117 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6119 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6120 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6121 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6123 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6124 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6125 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6127 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6128 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6129 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6130 that it's a citation.
6132 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6133 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6134 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6136 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6137 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6138 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6140 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6141 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6142 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6143 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6149 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6150 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6151 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6152 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6153 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6154 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6155 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6156 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6162 @node Article Fontisizing
6163 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6165 @cindex article emphasis
6167 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6168 @kindex W e (Summary)
6169 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6170 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6171 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6172 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6174 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
6175 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6176 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
6177 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6178 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6179 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6180 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6181 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6185 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6186 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6187 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6190 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6191 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6192 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6193 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6194 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6195 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6196 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6197 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6198 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6199 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6200 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6201 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6202 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6204 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6205 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6206 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6210 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6214 @node Article Hiding
6215 @subsection Article Hiding
6216 @cindex article hiding
6218 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6219 too much cruft in most articles.
6224 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6225 @findex gnus-article-hide
6226 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
6229 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6230 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6231 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6235 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6237 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6238 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6241 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6242 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6243 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6247 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6248 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6249 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6250 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6251 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6252 signature has been hidden.
6255 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6256 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6257 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6258 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6261 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6262 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6263 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6264 customizing the hiding:
6268 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6269 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6270 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6271 50), hide the cited text.
6273 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6274 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6275 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6278 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6279 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6280 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6281 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6282 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6287 Start point of the hidden text.
6289 End point of the hidden text.
6291 Length of the hidden text.
6294 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6295 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6296 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6301 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6302 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6303 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6304 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6305 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6306 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6310 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6311 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6312 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6314 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6315 citation customization.
6318 @node Article Washing
6319 @subsection Article Washing
6321 @cindex article washing
6323 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6324 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6326 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6327 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6333 @kindex W l (Summary)
6334 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6335 Remove page breaks from the current article
6336 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article} for page
6340 @kindex W r (Summary)
6341 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6342 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6343 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6344 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6345 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6346 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6348 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6349 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6350 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6351 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6354 @kindex W t (Summary)
6355 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6356 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6357 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6360 @kindex W v (Summary)
6361 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6362 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6363 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6366 @kindex W m (Summary)
6367 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6368 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6369 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6372 @kindex W o (Summary)
6373 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6374 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6377 @kindex W d (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6379 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6382 @kindex W w (Summary)
6383 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6384 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6385 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6386 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6388 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6392 @kindex W c (Summary)
6393 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6394 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6395 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6398 @kindex W q (Summary)
6399 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6400 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6401 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6402 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6403 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6407 @kindex W f (Summary)
6409 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6410 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6411 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6412 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6418 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6419 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6420 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6421 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6422 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6423 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6424 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6425 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6426 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6427 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6428 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6429 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6430 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6431 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6435 @kindex W b (Summary)
6436 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6437 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6438 @xref{Article Buttons}
6441 @kindex W B (Summary)
6442 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6443 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6444 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6447 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6448 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6449 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6450 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6453 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6454 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6455 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6456 lines with a single empty line.
6457 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6460 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6461 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6462 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6463 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6466 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6467 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6468 Do all the three commands above
6469 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6472 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6473 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6474 Remove all blank lines
6475 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6478 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6479 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6480 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6481 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6486 @node Article Buttons
6487 @subsection Article Buttons
6490 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6491 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6492 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6493 button on these references.
6495 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6496 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6497 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6502 @item gnus-button-alist
6503 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6504 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6507 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6513 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6514 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6515 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6518 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6519 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6520 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6523 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6524 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6525 avoid false matches.
6528 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6531 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6532 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6536 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6539 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6542 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6543 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6544 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6545 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6546 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6549 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6552 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6554 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6555 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6556 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6557 default values of the variables above.
6559 @item gnus-article-button-face
6560 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6561 Face used on buttons.
6563 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6564 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6565 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6571 @subsection Article Date
6573 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6574 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6575 when the article was sent.
6580 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6581 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6582 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6583 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6586 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6587 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6589 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6590 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6593 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6594 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6595 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6598 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6599 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6600 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6601 @findex format-time-string
6602 Display the date using a user-defined format
6603 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6604 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6605 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6606 for a list of possible format specs.
6609 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6610 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6611 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6612 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6613 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6614 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6615 updated continually, you can put
6618 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6621 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6622 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6626 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6627 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6628 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6629 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6630 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6631 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6632 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6637 @node Article Signature
6638 @subsection Article Signature
6640 @cindex article signature
6642 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6643 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6644 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6645 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6646 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6647 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6648 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6649 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6650 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6653 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6654 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6655 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6656 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6657 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6658 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6659 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6660 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6663 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6666 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6667 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6672 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6675 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6678 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6679 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6681 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6682 in question is not a signature.
6685 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6686 listed above. Here's an example:
6689 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6690 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6693 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6694 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6695 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6696 signature after all.
6699 @node Article Commands
6700 @section Article Commands
6707 @kindex A P (Summary)
6708 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6709 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6710 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6711 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6712 run just before printing the buffer.
6717 @node Summary Sorting
6718 @section Summary Sorting
6719 @cindex summary sorting
6721 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6722 can't really see why you'd want that.
6727 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6728 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6729 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6732 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6733 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6734 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6737 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6738 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6739 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6742 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6743 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6744 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6747 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6748 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6749 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6752 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6753 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6754 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6757 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6758 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6759 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6760 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6761 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6765 @node Finding the Parent
6766 @section Finding the Parent
6767 @cindex parent articles
6768 @cindex referring articles
6773 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6774 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6775 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6776 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6777 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6778 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6779 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6780 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6781 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6783 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6784 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6785 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6786 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6787 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6791 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6792 @kindex A R (Summary)
6793 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
6794 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6797 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
6798 @kindex A T (Summary)
6799 Display the full thread where the current article appears
6800 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
6801 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
6802 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
6803 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
6804 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
6805 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
6807 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
6808 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
6809 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
6810 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
6811 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
6812 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
6815 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6816 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6818 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6819 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6820 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6821 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6822 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6823 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6824 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6827 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6828 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6829 by giving this command a prefix.
6831 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6832 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6833 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6834 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6835 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6836 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6839 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6840 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6841 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6842 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6843 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6844 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6847 @node Alternative Approaches
6848 @section Alternative Approaches
6850 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6851 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6854 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6855 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6860 @subsection Pick and Read
6861 @cindex pick and read
6863 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6864 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6865 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6866 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6868 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6869 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6870 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6871 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6872 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6873 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6875 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6880 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
6881 Pick the article or thread on the current line
6882 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
6883 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
6884 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
6885 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
6886 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6887 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6890 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6891 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6892 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6893 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6897 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
6898 Unpick the thread or article
6899 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
6900 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
6901 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
6902 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
6903 the thread or article at that line.
6907 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6908 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6909 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6910 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6911 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6912 will still be visible when you are reading.
6916 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
6917 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
6918 which is mapped to the same function
6919 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
6921 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6924 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6927 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6928 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6930 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6931 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6932 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6934 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6935 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
6936 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6937 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6938 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6939 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6940 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6944 @subsection Binary Groups
6945 @cindex binary groups
6947 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6948 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6949 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6950 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6951 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6952 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6953 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6956 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6957 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
6958 command, when you have turned on this mode
6959 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6961 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6962 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6966 @section Tree Display
6969 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6970 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6971 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6972 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6975 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6978 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6979 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6980 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6982 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6983 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6984 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
6985 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
6986 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
6988 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6989 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6990 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6991 default is @code{modeline}.
6993 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6994 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6995 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6996 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6997 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6998 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6999 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7005 The name of the poster.
7007 The @code{From} header.
7009 The number of the article.
7011 The opening bracket.
7013 The closing bracket.
7018 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7020 Variables related to the display are:
7023 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7024 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7025 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7026 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7027 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7028 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7030 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7031 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7032 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7033 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7037 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7038 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7039 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
7040 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
7041 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7042 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7043 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7044 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7045 other windows displayed next to it.
7047 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7048 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7049 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7050 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7051 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7052 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7053 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7057 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7060 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7070 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7074 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7075 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7077 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7079 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7084 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7085 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7086 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7089 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7090 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7091 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7092 (gnus-add-configuration
7096 (summary 0.75 point)
7101 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7104 @node Mail Group Commands
7105 @section Mail Group Commands
7106 @cindex mail group commands
7108 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7109 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7111 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7112 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7117 @kindex B e (Summary)
7118 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7119 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7120 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7123 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7124 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7125 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7126 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7127 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7128 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7131 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7132 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7133 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7134 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7135 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7136 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7139 @kindex B m (Summary)
7141 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7142 Move the article from one mail group to another
7143 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7146 @kindex B c (Summary)
7148 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7149 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7150 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7151 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7154 @kindex B B (Summary)
7155 @cindex crosspost mail
7156 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7157 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7158 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7159 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7160 be properly updated.
7163 @kindex B i (Summary)
7164 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7165 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7166 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7167 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7170 @kindex B r (Summary)
7171 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7172 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7173 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7174 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7175 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7179 @kindex B w (Summary)
7181 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7182 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7183 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7184 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7185 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7186 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7189 @kindex B q (Summary)
7190 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7191 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7192 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7193 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7196 @kindex B t (Summary)
7197 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
7198 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
7199 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
7202 @kindex B p (Summary)
7203 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7204 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7205 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7206 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7207 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7208 article from your news server (or rather, from
7209 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7210 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7211 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7212 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7213 just not have arrived yet.
7217 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7218 @cindex moving articles
7219 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7220 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7221 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7222 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7223 suggestions you find reasonable.
7226 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7227 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7228 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7229 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7233 @node Various Summary Stuff
7234 @section Various Summary Stuff
7237 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7238 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7239 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7240 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7244 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7245 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7246 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7248 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7249 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7250 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7251 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7252 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7253 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7256 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7257 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7258 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7259 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7260 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7262 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7263 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7264 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7265 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7266 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7267 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7268 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7269 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7270 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7271 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7276 @node Summary Group Information
7277 @subsection Summary Group Information
7282 @kindex H f (Summary)
7283 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7284 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7285 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7286 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7287 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7288 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7289 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7290 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7291 be used for fetching the file.
7294 @kindex H d (Summary)
7295 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7296 Give a brief description of the current group
7297 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7298 rereading the description from the server.
7301 @kindex H h (Summary)
7302 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7303 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7304 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7307 @kindex H i (Summary)
7308 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7309 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7313 @node Searching for Articles
7314 @subsection Searching for Articles
7319 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7320 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7321 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7322 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7325 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7326 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7327 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7328 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7332 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7333 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7334 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7335 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7339 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7340 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7341 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7342 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7345 @node Summary Generation Commands
7346 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7351 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7353 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7356 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7358 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7359 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7364 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7365 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7370 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7371 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7372 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7373 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7374 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7375 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7376 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7377 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7378 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7382 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7384 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7385 several documents into one biiig group
7386 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7387 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7388 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7389 command understands the process/prefix convention
7390 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7393 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7394 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7395 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7396 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7397 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7398 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7402 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7403 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7404 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7407 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7408 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7409 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7410 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7415 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7416 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7417 @cindex summary exit
7418 @cindex exiting groups
7420 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7421 group and return you to the group buffer.
7427 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7429 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7430 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7431 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7432 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7433 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7434 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7435 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7436 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7437 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7438 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7439 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7443 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7445 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7446 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7447 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7451 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7453 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7454 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7455 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7456 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7459 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7460 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7461 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7462 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7465 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7467 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7468 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7471 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7473 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7474 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7475 all articles, both read and unread.
7479 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7480 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7481 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7482 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7483 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7484 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7485 articles, both read and unread.
7488 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7489 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7490 Exit the group and go to the next group
7491 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7494 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7495 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7496 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7497 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7500 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7501 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7502 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7503 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7504 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7505 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7508 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7509 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7512 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7513 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7514 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7515 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7516 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7517 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7518 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7519 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7520 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7521 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7522 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7523 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7525 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7527 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7528 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7529 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7530 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7531 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7532 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7533 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7534 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7535 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7538 @node Crosspost Handling
7539 @section Crosspost Handling
7543 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7544 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7545 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7546 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7547 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7548 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7551 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7552 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7553 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7554 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7555 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7557 @cindex cross-posting
7560 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7561 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7562 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7563 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7564 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7565 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7566 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7567 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7568 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7569 the cross reference mechanism.
7571 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7572 @cindex overview.fmt
7573 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7574 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7575 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7576 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7577 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7578 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7581 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7582 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7583 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7588 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7591 @node Duplicate Suppression
7592 @section Duplicate Suppression
7594 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7595 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7596 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7597 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7602 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7603 is evil and not very common.
7606 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7607 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7610 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7611 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7614 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7617 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7618 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7620 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7621 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7622 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7623 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7624 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7625 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7626 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7629 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7630 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7631 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7632 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7633 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7637 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7638 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7639 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7641 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7642 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7643 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7644 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7645 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7646 session are suppressed.
7648 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7649 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7650 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7651 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7653 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7654 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7655 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7656 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7659 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7660 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7661 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7662 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7663 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7664 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7665 to you to figure out, I think.
7668 @node The Article Buffer
7669 @chapter The Article Buffer
7670 @cindex article buffer
7672 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7673 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7674 tell Gnus otherwise.
7677 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7678 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7679 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7680 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7681 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7685 @node Hiding Headers
7686 @section Hiding Headers
7687 @cindex hiding headers
7688 @cindex deleting headers
7690 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7691 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7693 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7694 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7695 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7696 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7697 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7698 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7699 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7700 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7701 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7703 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7707 @item gnus-visible-headers
7708 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7709 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7710 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7711 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7713 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7714 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7717 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7720 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7723 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7724 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7725 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7726 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7727 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7728 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7730 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7731 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7734 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7737 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7740 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7741 variable will have no effect.
7745 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7746 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7747 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7748 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7749 the headers are to be displayed.
7751 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7752 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7755 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7758 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7759 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
7761 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7762 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7763 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7764 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7765 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7766 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7767 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7768 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7769 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7771 These conditions are:
7774 Remove all empty headers.
7776 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7779 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7780 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7782 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7785 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7788 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
7790 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
7793 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7796 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7797 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7800 This is also the default value for this variable.
7804 @section Using @sc{mime}
7807 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7808 while people stand around yawning.
7810 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7811 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7813 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7814 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7815 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7817 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7818 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7819 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7820 @findex metamail-buffer
7821 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7822 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7823 default. This function calls the external @code{metamail} program to
7824 actually do the work. One common problem with this program is that is
7825 thinks that it can't display 8-bit things in the Emacs buffer. To tell
7826 it the truth, put something like the following in your
7827 @file{.bash_profile} file. (You do use @code{bash}, don't you?)
7830 export MM_CHARSET="iso-8859-1"
7833 For more information on @code{metamail}, see its manual page.
7835 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7836 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7837 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7838 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7839 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7840 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7842 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7843 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7844 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7845 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7846 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7847 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7848 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7849 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7850 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7852 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7855 @node Customizing Articles
7856 @section Customizing Articles
7857 @cindex article customization
7859 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7860 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7861 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7862 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7864 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7865 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7866 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7867 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7868 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7869 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7870 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7871 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7872 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7874 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7875 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7876 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7877 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7878 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7881 @node Article Keymap
7882 @section Article Keymap
7884 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7885 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7886 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7887 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7890 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7895 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7896 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7897 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7900 @kindex DEL (Article)
7901 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7902 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7905 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7906 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7907 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7908 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7909 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7912 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7913 @findex gnus-article-mail
7914 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7915 given a prefix, include the mail.
7919 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7920 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7921 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7925 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7926 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7927 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7930 @kindex TAB (Article)
7931 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7932 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
7933 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7936 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7937 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7938 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
7944 @section Misc Article
7948 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7949 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7950 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7951 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7954 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7955 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7956 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7957 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7958 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7959 the contents of the article buffer.
7961 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7962 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7963 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7964 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7965 hiding headers, and the like.
7967 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7968 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7969 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7971 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7972 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7973 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7974 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7976 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7977 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7978 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7979 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
7980 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with one
7985 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7986 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7990 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7992 @item gnus-break-pages
7993 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7994 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7995 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7996 paging will not be done.
7998 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7999 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8000 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8005 @node Composing Messages
8006 @chapter Composing Messages
8007 @cindex composing messages
8010 @cindex sending mail
8015 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8016 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8017 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8018 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8019 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8020 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8021 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8024 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8025 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8026 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8027 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8028 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8029 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
8030 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8031 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8034 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8035 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8041 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8044 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8045 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8046 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8047 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8049 @item gnus-add-to-list
8050 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8051 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8052 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8060 Variables for composing news articles:
8063 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8064 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8065 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8066 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8067 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8068 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8069 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8070 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8071 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
8074 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8075 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8076 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8077 file. It is 1000 by default.
8082 @node Posting Server
8083 @section Posting Server
8085 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8086 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8088 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8090 @vindex gnus-post-method
8092 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
8093 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8094 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8095 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8096 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8099 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8102 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8103 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8104 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8105 the ``current'' server for posting.
8107 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8108 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8110 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8111 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8114 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8115 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8116 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8121 @section Mail and Post
8123 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8127 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8128 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8129 @cindex mailing lists
8131 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8132 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8133 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8134 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8135 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8136 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8137 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8138 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8139 still a pain, though.
8143 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8144 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8145 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8148 @findex ispell-message
8150 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8154 @node Archived Messages
8155 @section Archived Messages
8156 @cindex archived messages
8157 @cindex sent messages
8159 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8160 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8161 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8162 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8165 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8166 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8167 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8171 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8172 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8173 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8174 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8177 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8178 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8179 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8180 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8183 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8184 '(nnfolder "archive"
8185 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8186 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8187 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8190 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8192 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8193 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8194 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8196 This variable can be used to do the following:
8200 Messages will be saved in that group.
8201 @item a list of strings
8202 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8203 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8204 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8206 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8211 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8213 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8216 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8218 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8221 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8223 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8224 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8225 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8226 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8231 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8232 '((if (message-news-p)
8237 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8238 messages in one file per month:
8241 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8242 '((if (message-news-p)
8244 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8245 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8248 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8249 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8251 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8252 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8253 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8254 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8255 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8256 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8257 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8258 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8259 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8260 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8262 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8263 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8264 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8265 this will disable archiving.
8268 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8269 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8270 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8271 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8272 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8275 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8276 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8277 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8280 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8281 but the latter is the preferred method.
8285 @node Posting Styles
8286 @section Posting Styles
8287 @cindex posting styles
8290 All them variables, they make my head swim.
8292 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8293 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8294 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8297 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8298 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8299 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8300 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8301 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8306 (signature "Peace and happiness")
8307 (organization "What me?"))
8309 (signature "Death to everybody"))
8310 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8311 (organization "Emacs is it")))
8314 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8315 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8316 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8317 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8318 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8319 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8320 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8321 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8323 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8324 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8325 If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8326 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8327 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8328 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8331 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8332 attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8333 can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
8334 @code{organization}, @code{address} or @code{name}. The attribute name
8335 can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as a header name,
8336 and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article.
8338 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8339 return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8340 list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8342 So here's a new example:
8345 (setq gnus-posting-styles
8347 (signature-file "~/.signature")
8349 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8350 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
8352 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8353 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8354 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
8355 (posting-from-work-p
8356 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
8357 (address "user@@bar.foo")
8358 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
8360 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
8368 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8369 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8370 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8371 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8372 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8374 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8375 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8376 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8377 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8378 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8382 @vindex nndraft-directory
8383 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8384 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8385 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8386 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8387 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8388 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8390 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8391 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8394 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8395 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8396 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8397 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8398 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8399 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8400 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8401 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8402 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8403 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8404 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8405 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8406 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8407 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8409 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8410 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8411 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8413 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8415 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8416 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8417 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8419 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8422 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8423 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8424 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8425 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8426 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8427 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8428 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8431 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8432 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8433 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8436 @node Rejected Articles
8437 @section Rejected Articles
8438 @cindex rejected articles
8440 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8441 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8442 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8443 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8445 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8446 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8447 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8448 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8449 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8451 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8452 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8453 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8456 @node Select Methods
8457 @chapter Select Methods
8458 @cindex foreign groups
8459 @cindex select methods
8461 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8462 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8463 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8464 personal mail group.
8466 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8467 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8468 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8469 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8470 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8471 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8473 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8474 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8476 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8479 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8480 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8481 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8482 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8483 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8485 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8488 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8489 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8490 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8491 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8492 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8493 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8497 @node The Server Buffer
8498 @section The Server Buffer
8500 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8501 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8502 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8503 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8504 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8505 backend represents a virtual server.
8507 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8508 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8509 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8510 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8512 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8513 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8514 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8515 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8516 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8517 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8518 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8520 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8521 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8524 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8525 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8526 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8527 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8528 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8529 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8530 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8533 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8534 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8537 @node Server Buffer Format
8538 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8539 @cindex server buffer format
8541 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8542 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8543 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8544 variable, with some simple extensions:
8549 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8552 The name of this server.
8555 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8558 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8561 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8562 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8563 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
8564 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
8574 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8577 @node Server Commands
8578 @subsection Server Commands
8579 @cindex server commands
8585 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8586 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8590 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8591 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8594 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8595 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8596 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8600 @findex gnus-server-exit
8601 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8605 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8606 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8610 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8611 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8615 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8616 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8620 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8621 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8625 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8626 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8627 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8632 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8633 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8634 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8635 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8640 @node Example Methods
8641 @subsection Example Methods
8643 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8646 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8649 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8655 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8656 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8659 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8660 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8662 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8663 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8667 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8670 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8671 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8673 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8674 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8675 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8679 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8682 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8685 Here's the method for a public spool:
8689 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8690 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8693 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8694 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8695 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8696 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8697 should probably look something like this:
8701 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8702 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8703 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8704 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8705 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8708 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
8709 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
8710 server that would look something like this:
8714 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
8715 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
8716 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8717 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8718 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8719 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
8722 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
8723 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
8724 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
8725 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
8728 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8729 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8731 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8732 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8734 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8735 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8736 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8738 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8740 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8741 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8742 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8743 will contain the following:
8753 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8754 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8755 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8758 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8759 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8760 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8763 @node Server Variables
8764 @subsection Server Variables
8766 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8767 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8768 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8769 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8770 won't change the "derived" variables.
8772 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8773 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8774 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8775 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8776 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8777 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8778 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8779 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8780 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8784 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8785 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8786 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8790 @node Servers and Methods
8791 @subsection Servers and Methods
8793 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8794 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8795 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8796 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8800 @node Unavailable Servers
8801 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8803 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8804 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8805 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8806 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8807 actually the case or not.
8809 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8810 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8811 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8812 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8813 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8814 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8815 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8816 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8818 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8819 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8821 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8822 with the following commands:
8828 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8829 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8830 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8834 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8835 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8836 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8840 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8841 Mark the current server as unreachable
8842 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8845 @kindex M-o (Server)
8846 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8847 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8848 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8851 @kindex M-c (Server)
8852 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8853 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8854 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8858 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8859 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8860 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8866 @section Getting News
8867 @cindex reading news
8868 @cindex news backends
8870 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8871 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8872 or it can read from a local spool.
8875 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8876 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8881 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8884 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8885 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8886 server as the, uhm, address.
8888 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8889 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8890 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8891 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8893 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8894 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8895 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8897 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8902 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8903 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8904 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8906 @cindex authentification
8907 @cindex nntp authentification
8908 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8909 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8910 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
8911 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
8912 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
8913 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
8914 present in this hook.
8916 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8917 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8918 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8919 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
8920 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8921 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
8922 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
8923 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
8924 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
8925 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
8926 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
8927 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
8931 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
8934 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
8935 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
8936 @samp{default} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid
8937 @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is the only way the
8938 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
8943 Here's an example file:
8946 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
8947 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
8950 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
8951 have to be first, for instance.
8953 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
8954 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
8955 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
8956 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
8957 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
8958 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
8959 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
8961 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
8962 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
8968 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
8969 previously mentioned.
8971 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
8973 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8974 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8975 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8976 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8977 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8980 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8984 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8986 The default value is
8989 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8990 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8993 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8994 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8996 @item nntp-maximum-request
8997 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8998 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8999 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
9000 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
9001 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
9002 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
9003 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
9005 @c @item nntp-connection-timeout
9006 @c @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
9007 @c If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
9008 @c regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
9009 @c responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
9010 @c time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
9011 @c somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
9012 @c that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9013 @c connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9014 @c no timeouts are done.
9016 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9017 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9018 @c @cindex PPP connections
9019 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9020 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9021 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9022 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9023 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9024 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9025 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9026 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9027 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9028 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9030 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9031 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9032 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9033 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9036 @item nntp-server-hook
9037 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9038 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9041 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9042 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9043 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9044 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9045 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9046 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
9047 functions are supplied:
9050 @item nntp-open-network-stream
9051 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
9054 @item nntp-open-rlogin
9055 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9056 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9059 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9063 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9064 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9065 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9066 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9068 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9069 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9070 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9072 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9073 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9074 User name on the remote system.
9078 @item nntp-open-telnet
9079 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
9080 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
9082 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9085 @item nntp-telnet-command
9086 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9087 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9089 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9090 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9091 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9093 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9094 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9095 User name for log in on the remote system.
9097 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9098 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9099 Password to use when logging in.
9101 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9102 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9103 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9106 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9107 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9108 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9109 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9111 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9112 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9113 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9114 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9115 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9119 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
9120 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
9121 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
9122 you must have SSLay installed
9123 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
9124 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
9125 define a server as follows:
9128 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
9130 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
9132 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
9133 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
9134 (nntp-port-number "snews")
9135 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
9140 @item nntp-end-of-line
9141 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9142 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9143 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9144 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9146 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9147 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9148 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9152 @vindex nntp-address
9153 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9155 @item nntp-port-number
9156 @vindex nntp-port-number
9157 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9160 @item nntp-buggy-select
9161 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9162 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9164 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9165 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9166 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9167 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9170 @item nntp-xover-commands
9171 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9174 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9175 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9179 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9180 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9181 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9182 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9183 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9184 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9185 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9186 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9187 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9188 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9189 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9191 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9192 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9193 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9195 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9196 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9197 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9198 server closes connection.
9200 @item nntp-record-commands
9201 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9202 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9203 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9204 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9205 that doesn't seem to work.
9211 @subsection News Spool
9215 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9216 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9217 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9220 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9221 anything else) as the address.
9223 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9224 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9225 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9226 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9230 @item nnspool-inews-program
9231 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9232 Program used to post an article.
9234 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9235 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9236 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9238 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9239 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9240 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9241 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9243 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9244 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9245 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9246 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9248 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9249 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9250 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9252 @item nnspool-active-file
9253 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9254 The path to the active file.
9256 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9257 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9258 The path to the group descriptions file.
9260 @item nnspool-history-file
9261 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9262 The path to the news history file.
9264 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9265 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9266 The path to the active date file.
9268 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9269 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9270 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9273 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9274 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9276 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9277 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9278 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9284 @section Getting Mail
9285 @cindex reading mail
9288 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9292 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9293 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9294 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9295 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9296 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9297 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9298 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9299 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9300 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9301 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9302 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9306 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9307 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9309 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9310 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9311 and things will happen automatically.
9313 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9314 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9317 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9318 '((nnml "private")))
9321 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9322 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9323 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9324 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9325 like any other group.
9327 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9330 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9331 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9332 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9336 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9337 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9338 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9341 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9342 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9343 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9346 @node Splitting Mail
9347 @subsection Splitting Mail
9348 @cindex splitting mail
9349 @cindex mail splitting
9351 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9352 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9353 to be split into groups.
9356 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9357 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9358 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9362 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9363 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9364 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9365 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9366 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9367 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9368 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9371 ("list.\\1" "From:.*\\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9374 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9375 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9376 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9377 mail belongs in that group.
9379 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9380 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9381 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9382 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9383 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9384 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9386 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9387 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9388 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9389 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9390 thinks should carry this mail message.
9392 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9393 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9394 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9395 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9397 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9398 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9399 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9400 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9401 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9403 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9406 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9407 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9408 links. If that's the case for you, set
9409 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9410 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9412 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9413 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9414 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9415 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9417 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9418 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9419 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9420 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9421 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9422 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9423 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9424 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9428 @node Mail Backend Variables
9429 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9431 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9435 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9436 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9437 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9438 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9440 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9441 @item nnmail-spool-file
9445 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9446 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9447 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9448 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9449 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9450 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9451 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9452 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9453 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9454 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9455 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9456 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9457 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9458 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9459 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9461 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9463 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9464 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9467 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9468 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9469 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9470 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9471 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9472 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9474 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9475 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9476 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9477 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9478 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9479 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9480 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9483 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9484 @item nnmail-crash-box
9485 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9486 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9487 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9490 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9491 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9492 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9493 used for, well, anything, really.
9495 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9496 @item nnmail-split-hook
9497 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9498 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9499 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9500 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9501 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9502 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9503 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9504 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9506 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9507 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9508 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9509 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9510 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9511 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9512 starting to handle the new mail) and
9513 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9514 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9515 default file modes the new mail files get:
9518 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9519 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9521 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9522 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9525 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9526 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9527 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9528 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9529 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9530 it will be used instead.
9532 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9533 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9534 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9535 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9537 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9538 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9541 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9542 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9543 @cindex incoming mail files
9544 @cindex deleting incoming files
9545 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9546 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9549 @c This is @code{nil} by
9550 @c default for reasons of security.
9552 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9553 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9554 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9555 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9556 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9559 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9561 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9562 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9563 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9564 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9565 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9566 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9567 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9569 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9570 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9572 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9574 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9575 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9576 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9577 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9578 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9583 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9584 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9585 @cindex mail splitting
9586 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9588 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9589 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9590 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9591 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9592 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9593 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9595 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9598 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9599 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9600 ;; from real errors.
9601 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9603 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9604 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9605 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9606 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9607 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9608 ;; Other mailing lists...
9609 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9610 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9612 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9613 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9617 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9618 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9619 the five possible split syntaxes:
9624 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
9625 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
9629 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9630 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9631 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9634 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9635 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9636 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9637 be stored in one or more groups.
9640 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9641 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9644 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9645 this message. Use with extreme caution.
9648 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9649 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9650 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9655 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9656 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9657 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9658 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9659 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9661 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9662 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9663 are expanded as specified by the variable
9664 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9665 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9668 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9669 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9670 when all this splitting is performed.
9672 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9673 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9674 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9677 (any "debian-\\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9680 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
9681 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\1}
9682 up to @samp{\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
9683 groupings 1 through 9.
9686 @node Mail and Procmail
9687 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9692 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9693 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9694 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9695 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9696 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9698 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
9699 something like the following:
9701 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9703 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
9704 (setq nnmail-spool-file
9705 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
9708 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9709 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9712 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9713 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9714 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9715 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9716 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9717 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9719 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9722 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9724 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9725 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9727 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9728 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9729 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9730 to include all your mail groups.
9732 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9733 method will be created automatically.
9735 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9736 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9737 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9738 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9739 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9740 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9741 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9742 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9744 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9745 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9746 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9747 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9748 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9750 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9751 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9752 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9753 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9754 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9755 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9757 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9758 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9759 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9760 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9761 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9764 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9765 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9766 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9767 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9768 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9772 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9773 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9775 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9776 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9777 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9780 Doing so can be quite easy.
9782 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9783 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9784 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9785 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9786 your @code{nnml} groups.
9792 Go to the group buffer.
9795 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9796 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9799 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9802 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9803 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9806 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9807 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9810 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9811 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9812 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9813 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9814 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9816 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9817 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9818 using the new mail backend.
9822 @subsection Expiring Mail
9823 @cindex article expiry
9825 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9826 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9827 different approach to mail reading.
9829 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9830 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9831 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9832 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9833 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9834 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9837 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9838 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9839 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9840 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9841 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9842 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9843 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9844 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9846 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9847 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9848 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9849 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9850 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9851 column in the summary buffer.
9853 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9854 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9855 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9856 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9859 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9861 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9862 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9863 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9866 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
9867 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
9868 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
9869 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
9870 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
9872 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
9873 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
9876 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9877 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
9880 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
9881 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
9883 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9884 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9885 don't really mix very well.
9887 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9888 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9889 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
9890 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
9893 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9894 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9895 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9896 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9899 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9901 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9903 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9905 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9907 ((string= group "important")
9913 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9914 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9916 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9917 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
9918 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
9921 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9922 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9924 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9925 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9926 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9927 easier for procmail users.
9929 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9930 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9931 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9932 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9933 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9934 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9935 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9936 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9937 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9938 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9939 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9940 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9941 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9944 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9948 @subsection Washing Mail
9949 @cindex mail washing
9950 @cindex list server brain damage
9951 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9953 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9954 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9955 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9956 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9957 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9958 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9960 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9961 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9962 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9965 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9966 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9967 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9968 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9971 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9972 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9973 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9974 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9977 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9978 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9979 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9980 Emacs running on MS machines.
9984 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9985 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9986 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9987 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9990 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9991 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9992 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9993 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
9995 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9996 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9997 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9998 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9999 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
10000 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
10001 also be a list of regexp.
10003 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
10004 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
10007 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
10008 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
10011 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
10012 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
10013 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
10017 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10018 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
10019 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
10023 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
10024 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
10025 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
10032 @subsection Duplicates
10034 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
10035 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
10036 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
10037 @cindex duplicate mails
10038 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
10039 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
10040 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
10041 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
10042 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
10043 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
10044 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
10045 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10046 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10047 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10048 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10049 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10050 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10052 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10053 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10054 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10055 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10057 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10060 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10061 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10065 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10066 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10067 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10068 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10069 (any mail "mail.misc")
10076 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10077 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10082 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10083 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10084 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10085 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10086 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10089 @node Not Reading Mail
10090 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10092 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10093 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10094 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10096 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10097 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10099 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10100 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10101 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10102 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10103 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10104 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10105 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10106 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10107 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10108 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10109 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10111 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10112 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10116 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10117 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10119 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10120 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10121 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10124 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10125 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10126 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10127 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10128 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10132 @node Unix Mail Box
10133 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10135 @cindex unix mail box
10137 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10138 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10139 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10140 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10141 which group it belongs in.
10143 Virtual server settings:
10146 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10147 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10148 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10150 @item nnmbox-active-file
10151 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10152 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10154 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10155 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10156 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10162 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10166 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10167 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10168 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10169 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10170 article to say which group it belongs in.
10172 Virtual server settings:
10175 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10176 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10177 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10179 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10180 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10181 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10183 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10184 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10185 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10190 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10192 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10194 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10195 format. It should be used with some caution.
10197 @vindex nnml-directory
10198 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10199 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10200 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10201 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10203 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10206 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10207 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10208 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10209 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10210 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10211 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10212 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10213 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10215 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10216 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10217 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10218 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10220 Virtual server settings:
10223 @item nnml-directory
10224 @vindex nnml-directory
10225 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10227 @item nnml-active-file
10228 @vindex nnml-active-file
10229 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10231 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10232 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10233 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10236 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10237 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10238 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10240 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10241 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10242 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10244 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10245 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10246 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10248 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10249 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10250 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10254 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10255 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10256 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10257 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10258 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10259 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10260 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10265 @subsubsection MH Spool
10267 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10269 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10270 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10271 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10272 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10274 Virtual server settings:
10277 @item nnmh-directory
10278 @vindex nnmh-directory
10279 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10281 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10282 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10283 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10286 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10287 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10288 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10289 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10290 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10291 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10292 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10297 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10299 @cindex mbox folders
10300 @cindex mail folders
10302 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10303 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10304 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10307 Virtual server settings:
10310 @item nnfolder-directory
10311 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10312 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10314 @item nnfolder-active-file
10315 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10316 The name of the active file.
10318 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10319 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10320 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10322 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10323 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10324 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10327 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10328 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10329 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10330 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10331 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10332 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10335 @node Other Sources
10336 @section Other Sources
10338 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10339 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10343 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10344 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10345 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10346 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10347 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10348 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10352 @node Directory Groups
10353 @subsection Directory Groups
10355 @cindex directory groups
10357 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10358 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10361 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10362 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10363 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10364 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10366 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10367 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10368 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10369 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10370 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10372 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10374 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10375 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10376 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10377 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10380 @node Anything Groups
10381 @subsection Anything Groups
10384 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10385 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10386 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10389 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10390 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10391 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10392 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10393 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10394 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10395 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10396 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10397 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10398 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10401 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10402 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10403 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10404 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10406 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10407 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10408 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10409 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10411 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10412 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10413 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10414 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10415 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10416 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10417 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10418 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10423 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10424 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10425 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10426 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10428 @item nneething-exclude-files
10429 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10430 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10431 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10433 @item nneething-map-file
10434 @vindex nneething-map-file
10435 Name of the map files.
10439 @node Document Groups
10440 @subsection Document Groups
10442 @cindex documentation group
10445 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10446 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10453 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10458 The standard Unix mbox file.
10460 @cindex MMDF mail box
10462 The MMDF mail box format.
10465 Several news articles appended into a file.
10468 @cindex rnews batch files
10469 The rnews batch transport format.
10470 @cindex forwarded messages
10473 Forwarded articles.
10477 @cindex MIME digest
10478 @cindex 1153 digest
10479 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10480 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10481 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10483 @item standard-digest
10484 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10487 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10490 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10491 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10492 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10495 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10496 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10497 group. And that's it.
10499 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10500 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10501 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10502 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10503 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10504 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10505 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10506 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10507 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10508 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10510 Virtual server variables:
10513 @item nndoc-article-type
10514 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10515 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10516 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10517 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{standard-digest},
10518 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or @code{guess}.
10520 @item nndoc-post-type
10521 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10522 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10523 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10528 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10532 @node Document Server Internals
10533 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10535 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10536 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10537 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10538 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10540 First, here's an example document type definition:
10544 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10545 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10548 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10549 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10550 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10551 types can be defined with very few settings:
10554 @item first-article
10555 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10556 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10559 @item article-begin
10560 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10561 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10563 @item head-begin-function
10564 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10567 @item nndoc-head-begin
10568 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10571 @item nndoc-head-end
10572 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10573 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10575 @item body-begin-function
10576 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10580 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10583 @item body-end-function
10584 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10588 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10591 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10592 regexp will be totally ignored.
10596 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10597 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10598 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10599 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10600 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10603 @item prepare-body-function
10604 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10605 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10606 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10608 @item article-transform-function
10609 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10610 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10611 body of the article.
10613 @item generate-head-function
10614 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10615 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10616 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10617 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10621 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10626 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10627 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10628 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10629 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10630 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10631 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10632 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10633 (subtype digest guess))
10636 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10637 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10638 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10639 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10640 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10642 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10643 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10644 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10645 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10646 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
10647 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10648 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10649 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10650 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10651 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10659 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10660 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10661 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10663 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10664 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10665 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10668 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10669 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10670 that interested in doing things properly.
10672 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10673 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10676 First some terminology:
10681 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10682 get news and/or mail from.
10685 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10686 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10689 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10693 @item message packets
10694 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10695 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10696 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10698 @item response packets
10699 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10700 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10701 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10711 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10712 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10713 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10714 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10717 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10720 You put the packet in your home directory.
10723 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10724 the native or secondary server.
10727 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10728 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10731 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10735 You transfer this packet to the server.
10738 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10741 You then repeat until you die.
10745 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10746 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10749 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10750 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10751 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10755 @node SOUP Commands
10756 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10758 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10762 @kindex G s b (Group)
10763 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10764 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10765 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10766 process/prefix convention.
10769 @kindex G s w (Group)
10770 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10771 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10774 @kindex G s s (Group)
10775 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10776 Send all replies from the replies packet
10777 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10780 @kindex G s p (Group)
10781 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10782 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10785 @kindex G s r (Group)
10786 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10787 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10790 @kindex O s (Summary)
10791 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10792 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10793 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10794 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10799 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10804 @item gnus-soup-directory
10805 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10806 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10807 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10809 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10810 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10811 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10812 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10814 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10815 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10816 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10817 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10819 @item gnus-soup-packer
10820 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10821 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10822 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10824 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10825 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10826 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10827 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10829 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10830 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10831 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10833 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10834 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10835 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10836 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
10842 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
10845 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
10846 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
10847 you can read them at leisure.
10849 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
10853 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
10854 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
10855 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
10856 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
10858 @item nnsoup-directory
10859 @vindex nnsoup-directory
10860 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
10861 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
10863 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
10864 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
10865 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
10866 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
10868 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
10869 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
10870 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
10871 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
10872 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
10874 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
10875 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
10876 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
10877 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
10879 @item nnsoup-active-file
10880 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
10881 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
10882 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
10883 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
10884 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10886 @item nnsoup-packer
10887 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10888 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10889 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
10891 @item nnsoup-unpacker
10892 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
10893 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
10894 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10896 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
10897 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
10898 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
10901 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
10902 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10903 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10906 @item nnsoup-always-save
10907 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
10908 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
10914 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10916 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10917 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10918 more for that to happen.
10920 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10921 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10922 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10925 In specific, this is what it does:
10928 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10929 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10932 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10933 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10934 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10938 @subsection Web Searches
10942 @cindex InReference
10943 @cindex Usenet searches
10944 @cindex searching the Usenet
10946 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10947 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10948 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10949 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10950 searches without having to use a browser.
10952 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10953 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10954 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10955 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10956 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10958 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10959 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10960 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10961 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10962 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
10963 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10964 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10965 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10966 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10967 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
10970 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10971 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10972 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10973 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10974 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10975 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10977 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10978 to use @code{nnweb}.
10980 Virtual server variables:
10985 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10986 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
10990 @vindex nnweb-search
10991 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10993 @item nnweb-max-hits
10994 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10995 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10998 @item nnweb-type-definition
10999 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
11000 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
11001 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
11006 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
11010 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
11013 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
11016 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
11020 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
11027 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
11028 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
11029 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
11032 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
11033 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
11034 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
11036 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
11042 @item nngateway-address
11043 @vindex nngateway-address
11044 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11046 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11047 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11048 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11049 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11050 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11051 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11052 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11055 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11056 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11057 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11060 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11063 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11066 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11069 The following pre-defined functions exist:
11071 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11074 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
11075 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11076 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
11078 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11080 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
11081 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
11082 @code{nngateway-address}.
11087 (setq gnus-post-method
11088 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
11089 (nngateway-header-transformation
11090 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
11098 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11101 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11105 @node Combined Groups
11106 @section Combined Groups
11108 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11112 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11113 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11117 @node Virtual Groups
11118 @subsection Virtual Groups
11120 @cindex virtual groups
11121 @cindex merging groups
11123 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11126 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11127 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11128 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11130 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11131 regexp to match component groups.
11133 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11134 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11135 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11136 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11137 the virtual group.)
11139 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11140 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11143 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11146 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11147 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11149 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11150 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11151 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11152 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11155 "^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11158 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11159 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11160 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11162 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11163 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11164 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11165 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11166 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11168 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11169 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11170 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11172 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11173 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11174 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11175 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11176 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11177 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11178 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11179 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11180 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11181 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11182 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11185 @node Kibozed Groups
11186 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11190 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11191 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11192 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11193 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11195 @kindex G k (Group)
11196 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11199 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11200 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11201 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11202 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11204 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11205 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11206 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11208 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11209 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11210 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11211 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11212 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11213 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11214 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11215 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11217 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11218 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11219 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11220 Stranger things have happened.
11222 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11223 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11225 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11226 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11227 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11228 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11229 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11230 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11232 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11233 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11236 @node Gnus Unplugged
11237 @section Gnus Unplugged
11242 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11244 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11245 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11246 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11247 read news. Believe it or not.
11249 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11250 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11251 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11252 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11253 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11255 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11256 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11257 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11258 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11259 reading news on a machine.
11261 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11265 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11266 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11270 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11271 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11278 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11280 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11283 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11284 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11285 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11286 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11287 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11288 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11289 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11290 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11295 @subsection Agent Basics
11297 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11299 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11300 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11301 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11302 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11304 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11305 connected to the net continuously.
11307 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11308 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11310 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11315 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11316 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11317 already fetched while in this mode.
11320 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11321 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11322 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11325 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11326 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11327 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11328 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11331 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11332 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11333 then you read the news offline.
11336 And then you go to step 2.
11339 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11345 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11346 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11347 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11348 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11349 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11350 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11353 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
11360 @node Agent Categories
11361 @subsection Agent Categories
11363 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11364 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11365 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11366 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11367 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11368 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11369 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11371 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11372 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11373 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11376 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11377 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11378 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11382 @node Category Syntax
11383 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11385 A category consists of two things.
11389 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11390 are eligible for downloading; and
11393 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11394 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11395 score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
11398 A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
11401 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11403 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11404 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11410 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11411 short (for some value of ``short'').
11413 Here's a more complex predicate:
11422 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11423 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11426 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11427 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11428 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11430 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11431 you want to do, you can write your own.
11435 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11436 lines; default 100.
11439 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11440 lines; default 200.
11443 True iff the article has a download score less than
11444 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11447 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11448 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11451 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11452 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11453 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11462 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11463 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11464 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11467 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11468 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11469 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11470 following headers can be scored on: @code{From}, @code{Subject},
11471 @code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
11472 and @code{References}.
11475 @node The Category Buffer
11476 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11478 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11479 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11480 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11482 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11486 @kindex q (Category)
11487 @findex gnus-category-exit
11488 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11491 @kindex k (Category)
11492 @findex gnus-category-kill
11493 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11496 @kindex c (Category)
11497 @findex gnus-category-copy
11498 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11501 @kindex a (Category)
11502 @findex gnus-category-add
11503 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11506 @kindex p (Category)
11507 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11508 Edit the predicate of the current category
11509 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11512 @kindex g (Category)
11513 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11514 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11515 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11518 @kindex s (Category)
11519 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11520 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11521 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
11524 @kindex l (Category)
11525 @findex gnus-category-list
11526 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
11530 @node Category Variables
11531 @subsubsection Category Variables
11534 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
11535 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
11536 Hook run in category buffers.
11538 @item gnus-category-line-format
11539 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
11540 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
11541 Variables}). Valid elements are:
11545 The name of the category.
11548 The number of groups in the category.
11551 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
11552 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
11553 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
11555 @item gnus-agent-short-article
11556 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
11557 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
11559 @item gnus-agent-long-article
11560 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
11561 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
11563 @item gnus-agent-low-score
11564 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
11565 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
11568 @item gnus-agent-high-score
11569 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
11570 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
11576 @node Agent Commands
11577 @subsection Agent Commands
11579 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
11580 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
11581 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
11585 * Group Agent Commands::
11586 * Summary Agent Commands::
11587 * Server Agent Commands::
11590 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
11591 following incantation:
11593 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11595 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11600 @node Group Agent Commands
11601 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
11605 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
11606 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
11607 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
11608 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
11611 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
11612 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
11613 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
11616 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
11617 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
11618 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
11619 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
11622 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
11623 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
11624 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
11625 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
11628 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
11629 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
11630 Add the current group to an Agent category
11631 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
11636 @node Summary Agent Commands
11637 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
11641 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
11642 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
11643 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
11646 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
11647 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
11648 Remove the downloading mark from the article
11649 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
11652 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
11653 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
11654 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
11657 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
11658 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
11659 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
11664 @node Server Agent Commands
11665 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
11669 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
11670 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
11671 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
11672 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
11675 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
11676 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
11677 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
11678 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
11684 @subsection Agent Expiry
11686 @vindex gnus-agent-expiry-days
11687 @findex gnus-agent-expiry
11688 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expiry
11689 @cindex Agent expiry
11690 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
11693 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
11694 @code{gnus-agent-expiry} command that will expire all read articles that
11695 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expiry-days} days. It can be run
11696 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
11697 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
11698 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
11700 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
11701 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
11702 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
11703 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
11704 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
11707 @node Outgoing Messages
11708 @subsection Outgoing Messages
11710 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
11711 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
11712 after posting, and edit them at will.
11714 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
11715 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
11716 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
11717 messages in the draft group.
11721 @node Agent Variables
11722 @subsection Agent Variables
11725 @item gnus-agent-directory
11726 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
11727 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
11728 @file{~/News/agent/}.
11730 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
11731 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
11732 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
11733 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
11734 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
11737 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11738 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11739 Hook run when connecting to the network.
11741 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11742 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11743 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
11748 @node Example Setup
11749 @subsection Example Setup
11751 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
11752 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
11753 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
11756 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
11757 ;;; from your ISP's server.
11758 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
11760 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
11761 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
11762 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
11763 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
11765 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
11766 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11768 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
11772 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
11773 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
11776 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
11777 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
11778 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
11779 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
11780 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
11783 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
11784 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
11785 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
11786 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
11787 back all the killed groups.)
11789 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
11790 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
11791 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
11794 @node Batching Agents
11795 @subsection Batching Agents
11797 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
11798 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
11799 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
11803 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
11812 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
11813 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
11814 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
11817 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
11818 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
11819 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
11820 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
11821 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
11823 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
11824 before generating the summary buffer.
11826 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
11827 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
11828 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
11830 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
11831 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
11832 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
11833 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
11836 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
11837 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
11838 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
11839 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
11840 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
11841 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
11842 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
11843 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
11844 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
11845 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
11846 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
11847 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
11848 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
11849 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
11850 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
11851 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
11855 @node Summary Score Commands
11856 @section Summary Score Commands
11857 @cindex score commands
11859 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
11860 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
11861 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
11862 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
11863 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
11865 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
11866 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
11867 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
11868 score file the current one.
11870 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
11875 @kindex V s (Summary)
11876 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
11877 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
11880 @kindex V S (Summary)
11881 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
11882 Display the score of the current article
11883 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
11886 @kindex V t (Summary)
11887 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
11888 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
11889 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
11892 @kindex V R (Summary)
11893 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
11894 Run the current summary through the scoring process
11895 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
11896 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
11897 effect you're having.
11900 @kindex V c (Summary)
11901 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
11902 Make a different score file the current
11903 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
11906 @kindex V e (Summary)
11907 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
11908 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
11909 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
11913 @kindex V f (Summary)
11914 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
11915 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
11916 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
11919 @kindex V F (Summary)
11920 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
11921 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
11922 after editing score files.
11925 @kindex V C (Summary)
11926 @findex gnus-score-customize
11927 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
11928 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
11932 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
11937 @kindex V m (Summary)
11938 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
11939 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
11940 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
11943 @kindex V x (Summary)
11944 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
11945 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
11946 expunge all articles below this score
11947 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
11950 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
11951 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
11954 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
11955 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
11959 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
11960 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
11962 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
11963 keys are available:
11967 Score on the author name.
11970 Score on the subject line.
11973 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
11976 Score on thread---the References line.
11982 Score on the number of lines.
11985 Score on the Message-ID.
11988 Score on followups.
11998 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
11999 what headers you are scoring on.
12011 Substring matching.
12014 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
12043 Greater than number.
12048 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
12049 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
12050 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
12054 Temporary score entry.
12057 Permanent score entry.
12060 Immediately scoring.
12065 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
12066 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
12067 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12068 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12070 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12071 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12072 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12073 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12074 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12076 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12077 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12078 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12079 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12080 current score file.
12082 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12083 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12084 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12087 @node Group Score Commands
12088 @section Group Score Commands
12089 @cindex group score commands
12091 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12096 @kindex W f (Group)
12097 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12098 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12099 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12100 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12104 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12106 @findex gnus-batch-score
12107 @cindex batch scoring
12109 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l gnus -f gnus-batch-score
12113 @node Score Variables
12114 @section Score Variables
12115 @cindex score variables
12119 @item gnus-use-scoring
12120 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12121 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12122 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12124 @item gnus-kill-killed
12125 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12126 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12127 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12128 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12129 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12130 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12131 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12133 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12134 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12135 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12136 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12137 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12139 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12140 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12141 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12142 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12144 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12145 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12146 @cindex score cache
12147 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12148 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12149 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
12150 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12151 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12152 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12155 @item gnus-save-score
12156 @vindex gnus-save-score
12157 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12158 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12159 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12161 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12162 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12163 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12164 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12165 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12166 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12167 manually entered data.
12169 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12170 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12171 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12173 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12174 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12175 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12176 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12177 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12178 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12180 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12181 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12182 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12183 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12185 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12186 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12187 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12188 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12190 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12191 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12192 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12193 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12195 Predefined functions available are:
12198 @item gnus-score-find-single
12199 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12200 Only apply the group's own score file.
12202 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12203 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12204 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12205 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12206 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12207 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12208 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12209 then a regexp match is done.
12211 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12212 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12214 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12215 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12216 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12217 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12219 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12220 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12221 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12222 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12223 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12226 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12227 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12228 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12229 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12230 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12231 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12234 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12235 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12236 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12237 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12238 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12240 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12241 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12242 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12243 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12244 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12245 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12246 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12249 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12250 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12251 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12253 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12254 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12255 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12256 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12257 threading---according to the current value of
12258 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12259 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12260 simplified in this manner.
12265 @node Score File Format
12266 @section Score File Format
12267 @cindex score file format
12269 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12270 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12271 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12273 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12277 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12279 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12281 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12283 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12288 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12292 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12293 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12294 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12295 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12299 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12300 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12302 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12303 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12304 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12306 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12311 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12312 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12313 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12314 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12315 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12316 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12317 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12318 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12319 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12320 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12321 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12322 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12323 to articles that matches these score entries.
12325 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12326 score entry has one to four elements.
12330 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12331 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12335 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12336 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12337 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12338 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12339 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12340 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12343 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12344 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12345 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12346 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12347 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12350 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12351 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12352 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12353 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12356 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12357 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12358 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12359 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12360 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12361 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12362 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12363 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12364 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12365 instead, if you feel like.
12368 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12369 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
12371 These predicates are true if
12374 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
12377 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
12378 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
12385 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
12386 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
12387 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
12388 it's not. I think.)
12390 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
12391 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
12392 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
12393 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
12396 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12397 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12398 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12399 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12400 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12401 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12402 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12406 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12407 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12408 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12409 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12410 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12411 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12412 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12413 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12416 @item Head, Body, All
12417 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12421 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12422 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12423 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12424 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12425 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12426 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12427 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12431 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12432 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12433 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12434 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12435 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12436 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12437 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12438 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12439 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12440 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12444 @cindex Score File Atoms
12446 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12447 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12450 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12451 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12453 @item mark-and-expunge
12454 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12455 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12458 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12459 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12460 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12461 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12462 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12465 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12466 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12469 @item exclude-files
12470 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12471 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12475 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12476 ignored when handling global score files.
12479 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12480 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
12481 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
12482 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
12485 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12486 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12487 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12488 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12490 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12494 (mark-and-expunge -100)
12497 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
12498 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
12499 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
12500 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
12501 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
12503 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
12504 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
12505 ordinary scoring rules.
12508 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
12509 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
12510 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
12511 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
12512 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
12513 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
12514 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12515 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
12516 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
12517 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
12518 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
12522 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
12523 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
12524 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
12525 file for a number of groups.
12528 @cindex local variables
12529 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
12530 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
12531 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
12532 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
12533 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
12537 @node Score File Editing
12538 @section Score File Editing
12540 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
12541 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
12542 with a mode for that.
12544 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
12545 additional commands:
12550 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
12551 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
12552 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
12553 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
12556 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
12557 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
12558 Insert the current date in numerical format
12559 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
12560 you were wondering.
12563 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
12564 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
12565 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
12566 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
12567 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
12572 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
12574 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
12575 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
12577 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
12578 e} to begin editing score files.
12581 @node Adaptive Scoring
12582 @section Adaptive Scoring
12583 @cindex adaptive scoring
12585 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
12586 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
12587 stupidity, to be precise.
12589 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
12590 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
12591 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
12592 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
12593 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12594 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
12595 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
12596 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
12597 variable to @code{(word line)}.
12599 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12600 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
12601 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
12602 might look something like this:
12605 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12606 '((gnus-unread-mark)
12607 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
12608 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
12609 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
12610 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
12611 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
12612 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
12613 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
12614 (gnus-ancient-mark)
12615 (gnus-low-score-mark)
12616 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
12619 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
12620 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
12621 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
12622 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
12623 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
12624 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
12627 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
12628 will be applied to each article.
12630 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
12631 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
12632 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
12633 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
12635 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
12636 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
12637 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
12638 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
12640 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
12641 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
12642 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
12643 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
12645 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
12646 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
12647 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
12648 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
12649 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
12650 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
12652 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
12653 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
12654 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
12655 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
12656 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
12657 aspirins afterwards.)
12659 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
12660 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
12661 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
12663 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
12664 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
12665 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
12667 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
12668 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
12669 let you use different rules in different groups.
12671 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
12672 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
12673 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
12676 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
12677 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
12678 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
12679 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
12680 the length of the match is less than
12681 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
12682 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
12685 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12686 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
12687 headers. If you adapt on words, the
12688 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
12689 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
12692 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12693 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
12694 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
12695 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
12696 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
12699 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
12700 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
12701 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
12702 score with 30 points.
12704 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
12705 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
12706 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
12707 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
12708 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
12710 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
12711 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
12712 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
12713 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
12715 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
12716 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
12717 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
12718 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
12720 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
12721 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
12722 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
12724 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
12725 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
12726 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
12727 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
12730 @node Home Score File
12731 @section Home Score File
12733 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
12734 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
12735 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
12736 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
12738 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
12739 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
12740 could perhaps use the same home score file.
12742 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
12743 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
12748 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
12752 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
12753 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
12757 A list. The elements in this list can be:
12761 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
12762 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
12765 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
12766 the home score file.
12769 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
12772 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
12777 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
12780 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12781 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
12784 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
12785 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
12787 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
12789 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12790 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
12793 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
12794 Other functions include
12797 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
12798 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
12799 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
12800 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
12804 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
12805 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
12806 their own home score files:
12809 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12810 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
12811 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
12812 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
12813 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
12816 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
12817 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
12818 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
12819 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
12820 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
12822 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
12823 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
12824 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
12825 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
12826 precedence over this variable.
12829 @node Followups To Yourself
12830 @section Followups To Yourself
12832 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
12833 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
12834 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
12835 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
12836 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
12837 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
12841 @item gnus-score-followup-article
12842 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
12843 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
12846 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
12847 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
12848 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
12852 @vindex message-sent-hook
12853 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
12854 @code{message-sent-hook}.
12856 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
12857 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
12861 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12862 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12865 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
12866 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
12871 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
12875 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
12876 is system-dependent.
12880 @section Scoring Tips
12881 @cindex scoring tips
12887 @cindex scoring crossposts
12888 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
12889 the @code{Xref} header.
12891 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
12894 @item Multiple crossposts
12895 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
12896 more than, say, 3 groups:
12898 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
12901 @item Matching on the body
12902 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
12903 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
12904 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
12905 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
12906 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
12907 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
12908 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
12911 @item Marking as read
12912 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
12913 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
12914 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
12918 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
12920 @item Negated character classes
12921 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
12922 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
12923 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
12927 @node Reverse Scoring
12928 @section Reverse Scoring
12929 @cindex reverse scoring
12931 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
12932 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
12933 like this in your score file:
12937 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
12942 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
12943 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
12946 @node Global Score Files
12947 @section Global Score Files
12948 @cindex global score files
12950 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
12951 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
12952 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
12954 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
12955 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
12956 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
12958 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
12959 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
12960 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
12961 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
12962 files are applicable to which group.
12964 Say you want to use the score file
12965 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
12966 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
12969 (setq gnus-global-score-files
12970 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
12971 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
12974 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
12975 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
12976 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
12977 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
12978 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
12980 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
12981 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
12983 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
12984 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
12985 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
12986 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
12987 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
12988 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
12990 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
12996 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
12998 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
13000 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
13002 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
13003 lowered out of existence.
13005 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
13006 articles completely.
13009 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
13010 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
13011 old articles for a long time.
13014 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
13015 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
13016 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
13017 holding our breath yet?
13021 @section Kill Files
13024 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
13025 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
13026 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
13028 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
13029 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
13030 files into score files.
13032 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
13033 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
13034 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
13035 that isn't a very good idea.
13037 Normal kill files look like this:
13040 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13041 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
13045 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
13046 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
13048 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
13049 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
13052 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
13057 @kindex M-k (Summary)
13058 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
13059 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
13062 @kindex M-K (Summary)
13063 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
13064 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
13067 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
13072 @kindex M-k (Group)
13073 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
13074 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
13077 @kindex M-K (Group)
13078 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
13079 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
13082 Kill file variables:
13085 @item gnus-kill-file-name
13086 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
13087 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
13088 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
13089 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
13090 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
13091 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
13093 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13094 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
13095 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
13096 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13099 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13100 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13101 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13102 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13103 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13104 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13105 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13106 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13107 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13109 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13110 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13111 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13116 @node Converting Kill Files
13117 @section Converting Kill Files
13119 @cindex converting kill files
13121 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13122 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13123 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13126 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13127 You can fetch it from
13128 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13130 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13131 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13132 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13140 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13141 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13142 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13144 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13145 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13146 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13147 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13148 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13149 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13150 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13151 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13155 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13156 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13157 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13158 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13162 @node Using GroupLens
13163 @subsection Using GroupLens
13165 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13167 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13168 better bit in town at the moment.
13170 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13174 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13175 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13176 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13177 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13179 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13180 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13181 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13182 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13184 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13185 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13186 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13190 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13191 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13192 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13193 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13194 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13195 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13198 @node Rating Articles
13199 @subsection Rating Articles
13201 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13202 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13203 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13204 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13207 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13212 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13213 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13214 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13217 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13218 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13219 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13220 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13221 threads in rec.humor.
13225 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13226 the score of the article you're reading.
13231 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13232 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13233 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13236 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13237 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13238 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13242 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13243 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13246 @node Displaying Predictions
13247 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13249 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13250 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13251 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13252 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13253 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13255 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13256 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13257 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13258 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13259 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13260 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13261 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13262 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13263 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13264 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13265 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13266 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13267 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13269 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13270 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13271 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13272 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13274 The following are valid values for that variable.
13277 @item prediction-spot
13278 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13281 @item confidence-interval
13282 A numeric confidence interval.
13284 @item prediction-bar
13285 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13287 @item confidence-bar
13288 Numerical confidence.
13290 @item confidence-spot
13291 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13293 @item prediction-num
13294 Plain-old numeric value.
13296 @item confidence-plus-minus
13297 Prediction +/- confidence.
13302 @node GroupLens Variables
13303 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13307 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13308 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13309 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13310 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13313 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13314 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13317 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13318 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13320 @item grouplens-score-offset
13321 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13322 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13325 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13326 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13327 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13332 @node Advanced Scoring
13333 @section Advanced Scoring
13335 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13336 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13337 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13338 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13339 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13341 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13345 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13346 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13347 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13351 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13352 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13354 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13355 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13356 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13357 non-@code{nil} value.
13359 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13360 operator, and various match operators.
13367 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13368 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13369 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13374 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13375 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13376 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13381 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13382 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13386 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13387 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13388 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13389 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13390 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13391 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13392 the ancestry you want to go.
13394 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13395 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13396 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13397 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13398 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13401 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13402 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13404 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13405 when he's talking about Gnus:
13409 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13410 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13416 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13420 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13427 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13428 really don't want to read what he's written:
13432 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13433 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13437 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13438 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13439 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13446 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13447 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13448 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13449 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13453 The possibilities are endless.
13456 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13457 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13459 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13460 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13461 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13462 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13463 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13464 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13465 @samp{subject}) first.
13467 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13468 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13479 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13480 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13486 ("subject" "Gnus")))
13493 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
13494 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
13499 @section Score Decays
13500 @cindex score decays
13503 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
13504 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
13505 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
13506 use them in any sensible way.
13508 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
13509 @findex gnus-decay-score
13510 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
13511 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
13512 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
13513 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
13514 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
13515 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
13516 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
13517 definition of that function:
13520 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
13521 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant' and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
13524 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
13526 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
13528 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
13531 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
13532 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
13533 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
13534 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
13538 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
13541 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
13544 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
13548 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
13549 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
13550 the new score, which should be an integer.
13552 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
13553 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
13560 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
13561 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
13562 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
13563 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
13564 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
13565 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
13566 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
13567 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
13568 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
13569 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
13570 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
13571 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
13572 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
13573 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
13574 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
13575 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
13576 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
13577 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
13581 @node Process/Prefix
13582 @section Process/Prefix
13583 @cindex process/prefix convention
13585 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
13586 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
13588 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
13589 command to be performed on.
13593 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
13594 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
13595 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
13596 with the current one.
13598 @vindex transient-mark-mode
13599 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
13600 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
13602 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
13603 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
13606 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
13607 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
13609 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
13612 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
13613 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
13614 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
13615 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13617 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
13618 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
13619 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
13620 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
13621 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
13622 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
13623 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
13624 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
13628 @section Interactive
13629 @cindex interaction
13633 @item gnus-novice-user
13634 @vindex gnus-novice-user
13635 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
13636 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
13637 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
13638 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
13641 @item gnus-expert-user
13642 @vindex gnus-expert-user
13643 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
13644 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
13645 matter how strange.
13647 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
13648 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
13649 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
13650 is @code{t} by default.
13652 @item gnus-interactive-exit
13653 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
13654 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13659 @node Symbolic Prefixes
13660 @section Symbolic Prefixes
13661 @cindex symbolic prefixes
13663 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
13664 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
13665 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
13666 rule of 900 to the current article.
13668 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
13669 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
13670 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
13671 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
13672 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
13673 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
13674 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
13676 @kindex M-i (Summary)
13677 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
13678 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
13679 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
13680 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
13681 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
13682 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
13683 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
13684 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
13686 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
13687 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
13688 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
13690 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
13694 @node Formatting Variables
13695 @section Formatting Variables
13696 @cindex formatting variables
13698 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
13699 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
13700 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
13701 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
13702 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
13705 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
13706 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
13707 lots of percentages everywhere.
13710 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
13711 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
13712 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
13713 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
13714 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
13717 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
13718 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
13719 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
13720 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
13721 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
13722 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
13723 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
13724 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
13726 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
13727 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
13729 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
13730 @findex gnus-update-format
13731 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
13732 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
13733 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
13734 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
13738 @node Formatting Basics
13739 @subsection Formatting Basics
13741 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
13742 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
13743 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
13745 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
13746 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
13747 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
13748 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
13749 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
13752 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
13753 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
13754 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
13755 less than 4 characters wide.
13758 @node Mode Line Formatting
13759 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
13761 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
13762 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
13763 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
13764 with the following two differences:
13769 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
13772 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
13773 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
13774 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
13775 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
13776 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
13777 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
13778 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
13783 @node Advanced Formatting
13784 @subsection Advanced Formatting
13786 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
13787 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
13788 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
13789 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
13791 These are the valid modifiers:
13796 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
13800 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
13805 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
13808 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
13813 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
13816 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
13819 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
13822 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
13826 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
13827 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
13828 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
13829 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
13830 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
13831 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
13832 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
13834 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
13835 last operation, padding.
13837 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
13838 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
13839 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
13840 @xref{Compilation}.
13843 @node User-Defined Specs
13844 @subsection User-Defined Specs
13846 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
13847 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
13848 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
13849 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
13850 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
13851 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
13852 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
13853 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
13854 should protect against that.
13856 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
13857 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
13858 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
13859 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
13863 @node Formatting Fonts
13864 @subsection Formatting Fonts
13866 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
13867 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
13868 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
13869 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
13872 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
13873 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
13874 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
13875 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
13876 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
13877 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
13879 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
13882 ;; Create three face types.
13883 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
13884 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
13886 ;; We want the article count to be in
13887 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
13888 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
13889 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
13891 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
13892 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
13894 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
13895 (setq gnus-group-line-format
13896 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
13899 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
13900 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
13902 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
13903 mode-line variables.
13906 @node Windows Configuration
13907 @section Windows Configuration
13908 @cindex windows configuration
13910 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
13912 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
13913 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
13914 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
13915 @code{t} by default.
13917 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
13918 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
13919 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
13922 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
13923 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
13924 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13928 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
13929 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
13930 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
13931 possible names is listed below.
13933 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
13934 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
13937 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13941 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
13942 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
13943 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
13944 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
13945 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
13946 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
13947 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
13948 size spec per split.
13950 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
13951 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
13952 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
13953 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
13954 present) gets focus.
13956 Here's a more complicated example:
13959 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
13960 (summary 0.25 point)
13961 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
13965 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
13966 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
13967 occupy, not a percentage.
13969 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
13970 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
13971 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
13972 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
13973 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
13976 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
13979 (article (horizontal 1.0
13984 (summary 0.25 point)
13989 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
13990 @code{horizontal} thingie?
13992 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
13993 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
13994 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
13995 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
13996 the screen is to be given to this strip.
13998 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
13999 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
14000 lines from the splits.
14002 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
14006 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
14007 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
14008 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
14009 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
14010 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
14011 size = number | frame-params
14012 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
14015 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
14016 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
14017 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
14018 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
14020 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
14021 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
14022 @cindex window height
14023 @cindex window width
14024 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
14025 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
14026 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
14027 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
14028 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
14029 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
14031 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
14032 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
14033 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
14034 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
14036 @findex gnus-configure-frame
14037 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
14038 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
14039 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
14040 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
14041 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
14042 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
14043 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
14044 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
14045 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
14046 configuration list.
14049 (gnus-configure-frame
14053 (article 0.3 point))
14061 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
14062 @code{frame} split:
14065 (gnus-configure-frame
14068 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
14070 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
14071 (user-position . t)
14072 (left . -1) (top . 1))
14077 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
14078 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
14079 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
14080 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
14081 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
14082 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
14083 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
14084 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
14087 Here's a list of all possible keys for
14088 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
14090 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
14091 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
14092 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
14093 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
14094 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
14095 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
14097 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
14098 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
14099 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
14103 (message (horizontal 1.0
14104 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
14106 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
14111 @findex gnus-add-configuration
14112 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
14113 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
14114 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
14115 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
14118 (gnus-add-configuration
14119 '(article (vertical 1.0
14121 (summary .25 point)
14125 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14126 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14127 Gnus has been loaded.
14129 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14130 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14131 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14132 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14133 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14136 @node Faces and Fonts
14137 @section Faces and Fonts
14142 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14143 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14144 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14149 @section Compilation
14150 @cindex compilation
14151 @cindex byte-compilation
14153 @findex gnus-compile
14155 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14156 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14157 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14158 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14159 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14160 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14163 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14164 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14165 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14166 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14167 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14168 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14169 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14173 @section Mode Lines
14176 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14177 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14178 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14179 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14180 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14181 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14182 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14185 @cindex display-time
14187 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14188 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14189 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14190 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14191 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14192 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14193 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14194 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14197 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14199 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14200 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14202 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14203 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14204 (length display-time-string)))))
14207 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14208 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14209 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14210 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14211 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14214 @node Highlighting and Menus
14215 @section Highlighting and Menus
14217 @cindex highlighting
14220 @vindex gnus-visual
14221 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14222 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14223 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14226 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14227 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14230 @item group-highlight
14231 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14232 @item summary-highlight
14233 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14234 @item article-highlight
14235 Do highlights in the article buffer.
14237 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14239 Create menus in the group buffer.
14241 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14243 Create menus in the article buffer.
14245 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14247 Create menus in the server buffer.
14249 Create menus in the score buffers.
14251 Create menus in all buffers.
14254 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14255 buffers, you could say something like:
14258 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14261 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14264 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14267 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14268 in all Gnus buffers.
14270 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14273 @item gnus-mouse-face
14274 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14275 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14276 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14280 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14284 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14285 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14286 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14288 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14289 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14290 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14292 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14293 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14294 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14296 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14297 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14298 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14300 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14301 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14302 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14304 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14305 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14306 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14317 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14318 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14319 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14320 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14321 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14325 @vindex gnus-carpal
14326 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14327 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14328 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14333 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14334 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14335 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14337 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14338 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14339 Face used on buttons.
14341 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14342 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14343 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14345 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14346 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14347 Buttons in the group buffer.
14349 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14350 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14351 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14353 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14354 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14355 Buttons in the server buffer.
14357 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14358 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14359 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14362 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14363 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14364 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14372 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14373 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14374 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14375 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14376 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14378 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14379 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14380 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14382 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14383 been idle for thirty minutes:
14386 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14389 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14393 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14396 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14397 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14398 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14400 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14401 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14402 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14403 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14405 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14406 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14407 @var{idle} minutes.
14409 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14410 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14413 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14414 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14415 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14417 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14418 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14419 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
14420 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
14422 @vindex gnus-use-demon
14423 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
14424 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
14426 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
14427 your @file{.gnus} file:
14429 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
14431 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
14434 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
14435 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
14436 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
14437 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
14438 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
14439 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
14440 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
14441 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
14442 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
14443 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
14444 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
14446 @findex gnus-demon-init
14447 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
14448 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
14449 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
14450 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14451 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14453 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
14454 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14455 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14464 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14465 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14467 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14468 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14469 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14470 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14473 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14474 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14475 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14476 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14478 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
14479 this will make spam disappear.
14481 There are some variables to customize, of course:
14484 @item gnus-use-nocem
14485 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
14486 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
14489 @item gnus-nocem-groups
14490 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
14491 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
14492 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
14493 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
14495 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
14496 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
14497 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
14498 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
14499 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
14500 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
14501 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
14503 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
14506 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
14507 @cindex Chris Lewis
14508 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
14509 usenet abuse than anybody else.
14512 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
14513 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
14514 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
14516 @item jem@@xpat.com;
14518 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
14521 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
14522 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
14523 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
14526 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
14527 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
14528 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
14529 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
14530 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
14531 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
14532 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
14533 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
14534 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
14535 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
14537 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
14538 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
14541 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
14544 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
14545 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
14548 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
14551 The specs are applied left-to-right.
14554 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
14555 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
14557 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
14558 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
14559 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
14560 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
14562 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
14563 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
14566 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
14568 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
14576 This might be dangerous, though.
14578 @item gnus-nocem-directory
14579 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
14580 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
14581 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
14583 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14584 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14585 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
14586 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
14587 might then see old spam.
14591 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
14592 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
14593 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
14594 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
14601 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
14602 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
14603 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
14605 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
14606 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
14607 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
14608 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
14609 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
14610 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
14611 @code{undo} function.
14613 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
14614 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
14615 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
14616 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
14617 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
14618 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
14619 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
14620 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
14621 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
14622 never be totally undoable.
14624 @findex gnus-undo-mode
14625 @vindex gnus-use-undo
14627 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
14628 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
14629 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
14630 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
14635 @section Moderation
14638 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
14639 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
14640 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
14643 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
14647 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
14650 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
14652 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
14657 You split your incoming mail by matching on
14658 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
14659 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
14662 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
14663 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
14666 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
14667 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
14671 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
14674 (setq gnus-moderated-list
14675 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
14679 @node XEmacs Enhancements
14680 @section XEmacs Enhancements
14683 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
14687 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
14688 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
14689 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
14690 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
14703 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
14704 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
14705 over your shoulder as you read news.
14708 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
14709 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
14710 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
14711 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
14712 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
14717 @subsubsection Picon Basics
14719 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
14728 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
14729 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
14730 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
14731 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
14732 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
14733 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
14734 @code{GIF} formats.
14737 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14738 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
14739 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
14740 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string
14741 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
14743 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14744 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
14745 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at
14746 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
14747 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
14748 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14751 @node Picon Requirements
14752 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
14754 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
14755 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
14758 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
14759 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
14760 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
14762 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14763 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
14764 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
14765 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
14766 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
14770 @subsubsection Easy Picons
14772 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
14773 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
14776 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
14777 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14778 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
14781 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
14782 containing the Picons databases.
14784 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
14787 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
14792 @subsubsection Hard Picons
14800 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
14801 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
14802 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
14803 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
14804 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
14809 @item gnus-picons-database
14810 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14811 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
14812 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
14813 subdirectories. This is only useful if
14814 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
14815 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
14817 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14818 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14819 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
14820 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
14821 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
14822 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
14823 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14825 @item gnus-picons-display-where
14826 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14827 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
14828 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
14829 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
14830 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
14831 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
14832 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
14834 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14835 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14836 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
14841 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
14842 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
14844 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
14845 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
14848 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
14849 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14851 @item gnus-article-display-picons
14852 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14853 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
14854 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
14855 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14857 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
14858 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14859 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
14860 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14864 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
14865 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
14868 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14872 @node Picon Useless Configuration
14873 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
14881 The following variables offer further control over how things are
14882 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
14883 don't need to worry about.
14887 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
14888 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
14889 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14890 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
14892 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
14893 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
14894 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
14895 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
14897 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
14898 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
14899 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14900 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
14901 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
14903 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14904 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14905 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
14906 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
14907 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
14908 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
14909 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
14911 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14912 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14913 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
14914 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
14916 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14917 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14918 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
14919 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
14920 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
14921 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
14922 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
14924 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14925 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14926 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
14927 Defaults to @code{nil}.
14929 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
14930 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
14931 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
14932 Defaults to @code{t}.
14934 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14935 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14936 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
14937 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
14939 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14940 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14941 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
14942 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
14944 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14945 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14946 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
14947 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
14948 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
14949 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
14950 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
14951 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
14962 @subsection Smileys
14967 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
14972 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
14973 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
14975 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
14976 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14979 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
14982 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
14983 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
14984 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
14985 text and maps that to file names.
14987 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
14988 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
14989 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
14990 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
14991 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
14992 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
14994 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
14995 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
14997 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
14998 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
14999 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
15001 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
15002 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
15006 @item smiley-data-directory
15007 @vindex smiley-data-directory
15008 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
15010 @item smiley-flesh-color
15011 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
15012 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
15014 @item smiley-features-color
15015 @vindex smiley-features-color
15016 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15018 @item smiley-tongue-color
15019 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
15020 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
15022 @item smiley-circle-color
15023 @vindex smiley-circle-color
15024 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
15026 @item smiley-mouse-face
15027 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
15028 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
15034 @subsection Toolbar
15044 @item gnus-use-toolbar
15045 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
15046 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
15047 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
15048 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
15050 @item gnus-group-toolbar
15051 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
15052 The toolbar in the group buffer.
15054 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
15055 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
15056 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
15058 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15059 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
15060 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
15066 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
15069 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15070 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
15071 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
15072 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
15073 unusual directory structure.
15075 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15076 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
15077 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
15078 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
15080 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15081 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
15082 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
15083 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
15084 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
15085 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
15087 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15088 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
15089 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
15103 @node Fuzzy Matching
15104 @section Fuzzy Matching
15105 @cindex fuzzy matching
15107 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
15108 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
15110 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
15111 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
15112 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
15114 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
15115 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
15116 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
15117 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
15118 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
15121 @node Thwarting Email Spam
15122 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15126 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15128 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15129 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15130 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15131 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15132 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15133 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15134 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15135 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15138 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15139 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15140 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15141 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15142 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15143 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15147 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15148 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15150 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15151 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15152 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15153 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15154 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15155 part of the mail address.)
15158 (setq message-default-news-headers
15159 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15162 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15163 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15168 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15169 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15170 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15176 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15177 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15178 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15179 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15181 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15182 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15183 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15184 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15185 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15186 your fancy split rule in this way:
15191 (to "larsi" "misc")
15195 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15196 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15197 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15198 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15199 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15201 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15202 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15203 at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15204 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15205 cosmic balance somewhat.
15207 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15208 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15209 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15210 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15213 @node Various Various
15214 @section Various Various
15220 @item gnus-home-directory
15221 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15222 defaults to @file{~/}.
15224 @item gnus-directory
15225 @vindex gnus-directory
15226 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15227 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15228 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15230 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15231 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15232 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15233 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15235 @item gnus-default-directory
15236 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15237 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15238 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15239 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15240 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15241 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15242 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15245 @vindex gnus-verbose
15246 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15247 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15248 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15249 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15250 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15252 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15253 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15254 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15255 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15257 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15258 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15259 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15260 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15261 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15262 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15263 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15264 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15265 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15266 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15268 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15269 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15270 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15271 read when doing the operation described above.
15273 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15274 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15276 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15277 @cindex characters in file names
15278 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15279 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15280 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15283 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15287 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15288 Windows (phooey) systems.
15290 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15291 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15292 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15293 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15294 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15296 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15297 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15298 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15299 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15300 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15302 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15303 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15304 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15313 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15314 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15316 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15318 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15324 Not because of victories @*
15327 but for the common sunshine,@*
15329 the largess of the spring.
15333 but for the day's work done@*
15334 as well as I was able;@*
15335 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15336 but at the common table.@*
15341 @chapter Appendices
15344 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15345 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15346 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15347 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15348 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15349 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15350 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15358 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15359 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15361 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15362 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15363 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15364 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15365 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15367 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15368 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15369 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15370 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15371 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15372 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15374 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15375 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15376 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15377 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15379 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15380 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15381 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15383 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15384 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15386 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15387 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
15389 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37
15390 releases. If was released as ``Gnus 5.6.29' on March 8th 1998.
15392 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15393 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15394 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15395 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15396 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15400 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15401 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15402 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15403 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15404 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15405 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15406 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15413 What's the point of Gnus?
15415 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15416 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
15417 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
15418 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
15419 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
15420 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
15421 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
15422 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
15423 keep track of millions of people who post?
15425 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
15426 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
15427 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
15428 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
15429 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
15430 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
15431 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
15432 every one of you to explore and invent.
15434 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
15435 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
15438 @node Compatibility
15439 @subsection Compatibility
15441 @cindex compatibility
15442 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
15443 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
15444 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
15449 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
15453 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
15456 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
15459 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
15460 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
15461 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
15462 important variables have their values copied into their global
15463 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
15464 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
15466 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
15467 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
15468 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
15469 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
15470 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
15474 @cindex highlighting
15475 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
15476 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
15477 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
15478 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
15479 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
15480 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
15483 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
15484 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
15485 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
15486 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
15488 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
15489 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
15490 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
15491 to stop doing it the old way.
15493 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
15495 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
15497 @cindex reporting bugs
15499 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
15500 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
15501 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
15503 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
15504 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
15505 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
15506 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
15511 @subsection Conformity
15513 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
15514 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
15521 There are no known breaches of this standard.
15525 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
15527 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
15528 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
15529 We do have some breaches to this one.
15534 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
15535 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
15538 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
15539 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
15540 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
15541 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
15542 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
15547 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
15548 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
15553 @subsection Emacsen
15559 Gnus should work on :
15564 Emacs 19.32 and up.
15567 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
15570 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
15574 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
15575 reliably, at least.
15577 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
15578 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
15579 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
15584 @subsection Contributors
15585 @cindex contributors
15587 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
15588 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
15589 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
15590 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
15591 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
15592 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
15593 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
15594 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
15595 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
15596 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
15598 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
15604 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
15607 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
15608 well as numerous other things).
15611 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
15614 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
15617 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
15618 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
15621 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
15624 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
15625 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15628 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
15631 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
15634 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
15637 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
15640 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
15641 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
15644 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
15647 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
15650 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
15653 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
15657 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
15660 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
15663 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
15666 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
15667 well as autoconf support.
15671 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
15672 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
15674 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
15683 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
15687 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
15709 Massimo Campostrini,
15717 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
15723 Michael Welsh Duggan,
15726 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
15730 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
15736 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
15738 Michelangelo Grigni,
15741 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
15743 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
15745 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
15750 François Felix Ingrand,
15751 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
15753 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
15761 Peter Skov Knudsen,
15762 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
15763 Thor Kristoffersen,
15765 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
15782 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
15783 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
15790 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
15794 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
15796 John McClary Prevost,
15801 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
15806 Christian von Roques,
15808 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
15814 Philippe Schnoebelen,
15816 Randal L. Schwartz,
15844 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
15846 Shenghuo Zhu. @c Zhu
15848 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
15849 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
15850 (550kB and counting).
15852 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
15855 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
15856 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
15860 @subsection New Features
15861 @cindex new features
15864 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
15865 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
15866 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
15867 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6.29.
15870 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
15871 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
15872 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
15876 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
15878 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
15883 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
15884 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
15887 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
15888 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
15891 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
15894 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
15895 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
15896 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15899 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
15900 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
15901 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
15902 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
15905 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
15906 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15909 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
15910 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
15911 (@pxref{The Active File}).
15914 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
15915 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
15918 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
15919 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
15920 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
15923 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
15924 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
15925 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
15928 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
15929 the @file{.emacs} file.
15932 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
15933 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15936 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
15937 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
15940 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
15941 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15944 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
15945 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
15948 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
15949 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
15952 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
15955 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
15956 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
15959 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
15960 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
15963 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
15964 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
15967 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
15970 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
15971 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15974 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
15978 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
15982 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
15983 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
15986 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
15992 @node September Gnus
15993 @subsubsection September Gnus
15997 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
16001 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
16006 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
16007 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
16011 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
16012 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
16016 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
16020 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
16021 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
16024 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
16028 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
16031 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
16034 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
16037 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
16041 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
16042 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
16045 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
16049 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
16053 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
16057 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
16061 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
16064 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
16065 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
16068 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
16072 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
16073 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
16076 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
16079 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
16080 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
16081 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
16084 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
16088 The Gnus cache is much faster.
16091 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
16095 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
16096 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
16099 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
16100 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
16103 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
16104 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16107 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
16108 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
16109 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
16112 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
16113 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
16116 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
16119 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16122 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16123 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
16127 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
16130 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
16133 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
16134 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16137 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16141 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16144 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16149 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16152 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16156 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16159 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16163 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16166 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16169 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16170 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16173 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16174 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16178 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16179 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16182 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16186 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16187 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16190 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16193 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16197 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16201 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16202 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16205 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16209 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16210 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16213 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16214 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16217 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16221 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16224 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16225 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16229 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16232 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16238 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16240 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16244 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16251 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16254 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16255 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16258 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16259 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16263 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16264 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16267 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16270 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16271 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16274 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16278 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16279 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16283 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16284 Server Internals}).
16287 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16291 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16294 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16295 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16298 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16299 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16300 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16303 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16304 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16307 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16308 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16311 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16315 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16316 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16319 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16320 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16323 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16327 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16330 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16334 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16335 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16338 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16339 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16342 A new command for reading collections of documents
16343 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16344 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16347 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16351 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16352 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16355 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16356 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16357 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16360 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16361 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16365 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16369 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16373 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16378 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16382 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16386 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16387 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16390 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16393 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16400 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
16402 New features in Gnus 5.6.29:
16407 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
16408 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
16409 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
16412 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
16413 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
16414 group, which is created automatically.
16417 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
16421 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
16424 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
16425 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
16428 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
16432 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
16435 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
16436 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
16439 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
16442 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
16443 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
16446 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
16447 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
16450 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
16451 control over simplification.
16454 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
16457 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
16461 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
16464 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16467 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
16468 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
16469 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
16472 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
16473 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
16476 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
16480 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
16481 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
16484 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
16485 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
16488 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
16492 A history of where mails have been split is available.
16495 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
16498 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
16499 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
16502 A new function for citing in Message has been
16503 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
16506 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
16509 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
16513 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
16514 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
16517 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
16518 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
16521 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
16524 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
16529 @node Newest Features
16530 @subsection Newest Features
16533 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
16536 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
16538 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
16539 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
16542 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
16547 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
16550 Really do unbinhexing.
16553 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
16554 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
16557 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
16560 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
16563 facep is not declared.
16566 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
16567 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
16570 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
16575 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
16576 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
16577 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
16578 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
16579 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
16580 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
16581 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
16586 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
16589 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
16592 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
16594 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
16595 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
16597 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
16599 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
16601 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
16602 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
16604 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
16606 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
16607 be marked as unread.
16609 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
16611 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
16613 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
16614 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
16616 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
16618 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
16620 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
16621 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
16623 topics that contain just groups with ticked
16624 articles aren't displayed.
16626 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
16628 implement gnus-score-thread
16630 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
16631 make the mail groups killed.
16633 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
16635 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
16636 and articles have to be removed.
16638 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
16641 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
16643 finding short score file names takes forever.
16645 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16647 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
16649 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
16651 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
16653 nnweb doesn't work properly.
16655 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
16657 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
16658 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
16662 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
16664 really unbinhex binhex files.
16666 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
16667 bar and the Gnus bar.
16670 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
16671 `(canonize-message-id id)'
16672 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
16673 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
16674 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
16675 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
16680 nnml .overview directory with splits.
16684 postponed commands.
16686 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
16688 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
16691 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
16692 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
16694 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
16695 inherit copy prompts and save files.
16697 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
16699 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
16700 for backends that support that.
16702 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
16704 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
16705 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
16707 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
16708 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
16710 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
16712 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
16714 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
16716 server mode command: close/open all connections
16718 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
16719 has been changed before using it.
16721 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
16723 hide (sub)threads with low score.
16725 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
16727 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
16729 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
16730 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
16732 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
16733 contain groups that match a regexp.
16735 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
16738 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
16741 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
16742 from subject lines.
16744 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
16746 nntp-ping-before-connect
16748 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
16750 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
16751 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
16753 message annotations.
16755 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
16757 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
16758 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
16760 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
16765 support qmail maildir spools
16767 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
16769 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
16771 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
16773 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
16774 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
16776 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
16778 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
16780 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
16781 finds and generate proper active ranges.
16783 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
16784 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
16786 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
16788 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
16790 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
16791 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
16793 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
16795 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
16797 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
16798 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
16801 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
16803 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
16805 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
16806 `C-c C-c' when posting.
16808 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
16811 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
16812 should be marker as expirable.
16814 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
16816 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
16817 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
16819 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
16820 Also consult Date headers.
16822 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
16824 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
16826 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
16827 Message-ID, delete the "original".
16829 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
16830 into a See-Also header.
16832 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
16834 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
16836 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
16837 should be listed as such and not as "K".
16839 generate font names dynamically.
16841 score file mode auto-alist.
16843 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
16844 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
16846 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
16847 absolutely all headers there is.
16849 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
16850 and pipe them to the process.
16852 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
16853 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
16854 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
16856 function for starting to edit a file to put into
16857 the current mail group.
16859 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
16861 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
16862 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
16864 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
16865 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
16867 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
16869 when replying to several process-marked articles,
16870 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
16872 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
16873 groups it has been mailed to.
16875 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
16877 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
16879 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
16881 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
16882 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
16884 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
16885 newlines) should be ignored.
16887 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
16888 groups in subtopics as well.
16890 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
16892 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
16895 add edit and forward secondary marks.
16897 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
16899 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
16901 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
16903 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
16905 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
16907 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
16908 or the formatted article.
16910 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
16912 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
16913 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
16915 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
16917 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
16919 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
16921 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
16922 even unread articles.
16924 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
16926 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
16928 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
16930 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
16932 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16934 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
16937 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
16938 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
16940 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
16941 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
16943 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
16945 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
16947 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
16948 from a particular server? Hm.
16950 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
16951 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
16953 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
16955 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
16956 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
16958 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
16959 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
16961 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
16962 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
16963 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
16966 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
16967 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
16969 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
16971 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
16973 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
16975 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
16978 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
16981 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
16982 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
16984 command to show and edit group scores
16986 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
16989 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
16991 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
16993 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
16994 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
16997 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
16998 that are of that length.
17000 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
17002 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
17004 asynchronous posting under nntp.
17006 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
17008 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
17010 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
17012 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
17013 a score lower than this number.
17015 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
17017 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
17019 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
17020 so that each copy can be edited separately.
17022 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
17024 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
17025 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
17027 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
17030 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
17031 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
17032 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
17033 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
17035 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
17038 command to remove all topic stuff.
17040 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
17041 and splitting the resulting digests.
17043 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
17045 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
17047 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
17048 matches an alist -- before saving.
17050 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
17052 variable to activate each group before entering them
17053 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
17055 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
17056 starting Gnus first if necessary.
17058 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
17059 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
17061 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
17063 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
17064 of several groups at once.
17066 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
17067 matches some regexp(s).
17069 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
17071 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
17073 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
17075 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
17077 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
17079 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
17081 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
17083 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
17084 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
17085 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
17086 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
17088 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
17089 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
17091 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
17093 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
17094 recently cited text.
17096 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
17098 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
17101 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
17102 server and just read the articles in the server
17104 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
17105 value of nnoo variables.
17107 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
17109 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
17110 listed in each group info.
17112 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
17115 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
17116 should only be applied to some groups.
17118 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
17119 mail-copies-to: never.
17121 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
17122 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
17124 the slave dribble files should autosave to the slave file names.
17126 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
17129 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
17132 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
17134 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17137 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17141 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17143 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17144 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17145 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17146 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17147 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17149 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at
17150 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17157 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17158 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17160 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17161 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17163 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17164 "Return the date the group was last read."
17165 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17170 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
17171 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
17172 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17173 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17177 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17178 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17180 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17183 They could be used like this:
17187 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17188 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17189 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17191 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17193 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17196 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17199 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17200 affect the summary line format.
17204 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17206 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17207 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17209 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17212 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17214 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17216 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17218 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17220 - For other files, just find them normally.
17222 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17223 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17226 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17227 tell him what you are doing.
17230 Currently, I get prompted:
17234 decend into sci.something ?
17238 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17239 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17240 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17241 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17244 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17245 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
17246 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17247 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17250 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17251 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17257 more than n blank lines
17259 more than m identical lines
17260 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17262 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17266 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17267 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17268 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17269 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17272 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17273 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17274 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17275 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17278 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17281 soup - bowl of soup
17282 score below - dim light bulb
17283 score over - bright light bulb
17286 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17291 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17292 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17293 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17294 if (articles-selected)
17295 start-reading-selected-articles;
17296 junk-unread-articles;
17301 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17302 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17303 select-thread-under-cursor;
17305 select-article-under-cursor;
17309 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17310 if (more-pages-in-article)
17312 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17319 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17320 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17321 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17324 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17325 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17326 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17327 the wildcard expression).
17330 It would be nice if it also handled
17332 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17334 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17339 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17340 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17341 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17342 article versions) variable.
17344 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17346 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17347 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17351 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17354 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17355 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17356 (message-sent-hook).
17358 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17361 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17365 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17366 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17369 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17370 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17371 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17374 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17375 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17379 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17382 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17386 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17387 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17390 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17391 value of the signature file.
17394 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17395 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17398 (setq message-tab-alist
17399 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17400 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17402 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
17406 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
17409 a command to import a buffer into a group.
17412 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
17415 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
17416 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
17419 a command to process mark all unread articles.
17422 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
17423 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
17424 do more gathering by subject.
17427 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
17428 article numerical order.
17431 (gnus-thread-total-score
17432 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
17436 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
17439 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
17440 in the summary buffer.
17443 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
17444 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
17447 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
17448 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
17449 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
17450 and/or newsgroup name.
17453 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
17456 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
17459 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
17462 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
17463 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
17464 will automatically get the process mark.
17467 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
17468 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
17469 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
17472 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
17476 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
17477 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
17480 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
17481 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
17485 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
17486 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
17489 be able to post via DejaNews.
17492 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
17495 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
17496 allow them to be displayed separately.
17499 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
17500 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
17503 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
17504 articles that match a certain From header.
17507 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
17508 saving living summary buffers.
17511 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
17512 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
17515 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
17516 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
17519 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
17520 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
17523 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
17524 (goto-char (point-min))
17525 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
17526 (replace-match "`" t t))
17527 (goto-char (point-min))
17528 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
17529 (replace-match "'" t t))
17530 (goto-char (point-min))
17531 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
17532 (replace-match "\"" t t))
17533 (goto-char (point-min))
17534 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
17535 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
17540 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
17542 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
17543 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
17544 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
17545 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
17549 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
17552 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
17553 numbers and match on the age of the article.
17556 gnus-cacheable-groups
17560 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
17561 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
17562 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
17564 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
17565 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
17567 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
17568 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
17573 all commands that react to the process mark should push
17574 the current process mark set onto the stack.
17577 gnus-article-hide-pgp
17578 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
17580 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
17582 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
17583 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
17586 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
17587 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
17590 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
17594 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
17595 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
17598 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
17601 nndraft-request-group should tally autosave files.
17604 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
17607 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
17611 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
17617 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
17620 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
17624 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
17625 X characters in the body.
17628 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
17631 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
17634 format spec to "tab" to a position.
17637 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
17640 command to display all dormant articles.
17643 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
17646 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
17647 to something someone else has said.
17650 Read Netscape discussion groups:
17651 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
17654 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
17655 the displayed version.
17658 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
17662 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
17665 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
17666 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
17667 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
17671 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
17672 in the head or body.
17675 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
17678 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
17681 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
17682 in a special, unique buffer.
17685 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
17688 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
17689 is less than a certain number of days old.
17692 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
17695 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
17698 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
17699 file, for instance.
17702 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
17703 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
17704 dummy root instead of the first article.
17707 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
17708 topics for displaying.
17711 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
17712 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
17715 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
17718 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
17719 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
17720 summary buffer for each article.
17723 Solve the halting problem.
17732 @section The Manual
17736 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
17737 either @code{texi2dvi}
17739 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
17740 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
17742 to get what you hold in your hands now.
17744 The following conventions have been used:
17749 This is a @samp{string}
17752 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
17755 This is a @file{file}
17758 This is a @code{symbol}
17762 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
17766 (setq flargnoze "yes")
17769 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
17772 (setq flumphel 'yes)
17775 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
17776 ever get them confused.
17780 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
17781 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
17782 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
17783 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
17784 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
17785 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
17786 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
17794 @section Terminology
17796 @cindex terminology
17801 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
17802 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
17803 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
17804 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
17805 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
17809 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
17810 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
17811 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
17812 not posting, and replying is not following up.
17816 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
17820 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
17825 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
17826 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
17827 is all done by the backends.
17831 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
17832 default, way of getting news.
17836 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
17837 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
17842 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
17843 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
17847 A message that has been posted as news.
17850 @cindex mail message
17851 A message that has been mailed.
17855 A mail message or news article
17859 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
17864 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
17869 A line from the head of an article.
17873 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
17874 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
17878 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
17879 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
17880 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
17881 normal @sc{head} format.
17885 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
17886 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
17887 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
17888 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
17889 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
17890 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
17892 @item killed groups
17893 @cindex killed groups
17894 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
17895 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
17897 @item zombie groups
17898 @cindex zombie groups
17899 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
17902 @cindex active file
17903 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
17904 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
17905 is rather large, as you might surmise.
17908 @cindex bogus groups
17909 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
17910 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
17911 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
17914 @cindex activating groups
17915 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
17916 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
17917 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
17921 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
17923 @item select method
17924 @cindex select method
17925 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
17928 @item virtual server
17929 @cindex virtual server
17930 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
17931 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
17932 whole is a virtual server.
17936 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
17937 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
17940 @item ephemeral groups
17941 @cindex ephemeral groups
17942 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
17943 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
17944 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
17947 @cindex solid groups
17948 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
17949 group buffer are solid groups.
17951 @item sparse articles
17952 @cindex sparse articles
17953 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
17954 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
17958 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
17959 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
17963 @cindex thread root
17964 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
17965 articles in the thread.
17969 An article that has responses.
17973 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
17977 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
17978 specified by RFC1153.
17984 @node Customization
17985 @section Customization
17986 @cindex general customization
17988 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
17989 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
17990 for some quite common situations.
17993 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
17994 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
17995 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
17996 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
18000 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
18001 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
18003 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
18004 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
18005 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
18009 @item gnus-read-active-file
18010 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
18011 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
18012 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18013 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
18014 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
18016 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
18017 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
18018 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
18019 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
18023 @node Slow Terminal Connection
18024 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
18026 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
18027 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
18028 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
18032 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
18033 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
18034 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
18035 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
18036 horizontal and vertical recentering.
18038 @item gnus-visible-headers
18039 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
18040 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
18041 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
18042 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
18044 @item gnus-article-display-hook
18045 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
18047 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
18048 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
18049 gnus-article-hide-citation))
18052 @item gnus-use-full-window
18053 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
18054 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
18055 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
18056 want to read them anyway.
18058 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
18059 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
18062 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
18063 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
18064 lines, which might save some time.
18068 @node Little Disk Space
18069 @subsection Little Disk Space
18072 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
18073 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
18077 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
18078 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
18079 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
18080 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18083 @item gnus-save-killed-list
18084 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
18085 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
18086 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
18087 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
18093 @subsection Slow Machine
18094 @cindex slow machine
18096 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
18097 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
18099 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
18100 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
18102 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
18103 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
18104 summary buffer faster.
18106 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
18107 processing a bit faster.
18111 @node Troubleshooting
18112 @section Troubleshooting
18113 @cindex troubleshooting
18115 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
18123 Make sure your computer is switched on.
18126 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
18127 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
18131 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
18132 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
18133 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
18134 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
18137 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
18141 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
18142 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
18143 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
18144 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
18145 something like that.
18148 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
18151 @cindex reporting bugs
18153 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18155 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
18156 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
18157 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
18158 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18160 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18161 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18162 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18163 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18166 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18167 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18168 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18169 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18170 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18171 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18173 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18174 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18175 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18178 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18179 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18181 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18182 @cindex ding mailing list
18183 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18184 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18188 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
18189 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
18191 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18192 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18193 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18194 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18197 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18198 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18199 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18200 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18201 and general methods of operation.
18204 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18205 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18206 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18207 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18208 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18209 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18210 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18211 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18212 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18216 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18217 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18218 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18219 @cindex utility functions
18221 @cindex internal variables
18223 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18224 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18225 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18229 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18230 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18231 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18233 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18234 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18235 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18237 @item gnus-group-real-name
18238 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18239 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18242 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18243 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18244 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18245 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18247 @item gnus-get-info
18248 @findex gnus-get-info
18249 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18251 @item gnus-group-unread
18252 @findex gnus-group-unread
18253 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
18257 @findex gnus-active
18258 The active entry for @var{group}.
18260 @item gnus-set-active
18261 @findex gnus-set-active
18262 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
18264 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18265 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18266 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18269 @item gnus-continuum-version
18270 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18271 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18272 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18275 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18276 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18277 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18279 @item gnus-news-group-p
18280 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18281 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18283 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18284 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18285 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18287 @item gnus-server-to-method
18288 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18289 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18291 @item gnus-server-equal
18292 @findex gnus-server-equal
18293 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18295 @item gnus-group-native-p
18296 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18297 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18299 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18300 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18301 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18303 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18304 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18305 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18307 @item group-group-find-parameter
18308 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18309 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18310 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18312 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18313 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18314 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18316 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18317 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18318 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18320 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18321 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18322 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18323 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18326 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18330 @item gnus-read-method
18331 @findex gnus-read-method
18332 Prompts the user for a select method.
18337 @node Backend Interface
18338 @subsection Backend Interface
18340 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18341 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18342 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18343 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18344 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18345 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18347 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18348 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18349 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18350 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18351 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18352 been opened, the function should fail.
18354 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
18355 name. Take this example:
18359 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
18360 (nntp-port-number 4324))
18363 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
18364 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
18366 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
18367 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
18368 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
18370 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
18371 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
18372 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
18374 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
18375 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
18376 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
18377 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
18378 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
18379 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
18382 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
18383 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
18384 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
18385 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
18388 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
18391 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
18394 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
18395 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
18396 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
18397 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
18398 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
18399 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
18403 @node Required Backend Functions
18404 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
18408 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
18410 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
18411 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
18412 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
18413 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
18415 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
18416 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
18417 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
18418 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
18420 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
18421 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
18422 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
18423 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
18424 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
18425 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
18426 number, do maximum fetches.
18428 Here's an example HEAD:
18431 221 1056 Article retrieved.
18432 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
18433 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
18434 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
18435 Subject: Re: Something very droll
18436 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
18437 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
18439 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
18440 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
18441 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
18445 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
18446 these in the data buffer.
18448 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
18452 head = error / valid-head
18453 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
18454 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
18455 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
18456 header = <text> eol
18459 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
18460 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
18464 nov-buffer = *nov-line
18465 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
18466 field = <text except TAB>
18469 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
18473 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
18475 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
18476 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
18478 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
18479 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
18480 server. In fact, it should do so.
18482 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
18483 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
18486 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
18488 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
18489 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
18492 There should be no data returned.
18495 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
18497 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
18498 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
18499 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
18500 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
18502 There should be no data returned.
18505 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
18507 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
18508 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
18509 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
18510 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
18512 There should be no data returned.
18515 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
18517 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
18519 There should be no data returned.
18522 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
18524 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
18525 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
18526 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
18527 it would be nice if that were possible.
18529 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
18530 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
18531 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
18532 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
18533 into its article buffer.
18535 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
18536 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
18537 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
18538 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
18539 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
18540 on successful article retrieval.
18543 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
18545 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
18546 making @var{group} the current group.
18548 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
18551 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
18554 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
18557 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
18558 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
18559 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
18560 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
18561 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
18562 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
18563 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
18564 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
18567 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
18568 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
18569 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
18573 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18575 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
18576 a no-op on most backends.
18578 There should be no data returned.
18581 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
18583 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
18586 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
18589 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
18590 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
18593 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
18594 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
18597 active-file = *active-line
18598 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
18600 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
18603 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
18604 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
18605 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
18608 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
18610 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
18611 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
18612 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
18613 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
18614 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
18615 clear if the posting could not be completed.
18617 There should be no result data from this function.
18622 @node Optional Backend Functions
18623 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
18627 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
18629 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
18630 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
18631 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
18633 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
18634 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
18635 former is in the same format as the data from
18636 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
18637 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
18640 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
18644 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
18646 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
18647 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
18648 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
18649 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
18650 should return the (altered) group info.
18652 There should be no result data from this function.
18655 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
18657 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
18658 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
18659 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
18660 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
18661 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
18662 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
18663 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
18664 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
18666 There should be no result data from this function.
18669 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
18671 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
18672 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
18673 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
18674 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
18675 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
18677 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
18678 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
18679 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
18682 There should be no result data from this function.
18685 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
18687 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
18688 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
18689 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
18690 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
18691 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
18692 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
18693 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
18695 There should be no result data from this function.
18698 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
18700 The result data from this function should be a description of
18704 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
18706 description = <text>
18709 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
18711 The result data from this function should be the description of all
18712 groups available on the server.
18715 description-buffer = *description-line
18719 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
18721 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
18722 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
18723 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
18726 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18728 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
18730 There should be no return data.
18733 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
18735 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
18736 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
18737 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
18738 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
18739 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
18742 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
18745 There should be no result data returned.
18748 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
18751 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
18752 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
18754 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
18755 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
18756 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
18757 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
18758 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
18759 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
18761 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
18762 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
18765 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18766 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18768 There should be no data returned.
18771 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
18773 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
18774 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
18775 this function in short order.
18777 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18778 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18780 There should be no data returned.
18783 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
18785 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
18786 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
18788 There should be no data returned.
18791 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
18793 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
18794 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
18795 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
18797 There should be no data returned.
18800 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
18802 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
18803 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
18805 There should be no data returned.
18810 @node Error Messaging
18811 @subsubsection Error Messaging
18813 @findex nnheader-report
18814 @findex nnheader-get-report
18815 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
18816 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
18817 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
18818 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
18819 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
18820 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
18823 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
18825 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
18828 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
18829 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
18830 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
18831 takes one argument---the server symbol.
18833 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
18834 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
18835 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
18838 @node Writing New Backends
18839 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
18841 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
18842 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
18843 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
18844 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
18845 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
18848 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
18849 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
18850 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
18852 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
18853 package called @code{nnoo}.
18855 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
18856 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
18862 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
18863 parameters. For instance:
18866 (nnoo-declare nndir
18870 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
18871 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
18874 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
18875 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
18876 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
18878 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
18879 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
18880 a function in those backends.
18883 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18884 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18885 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18888 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
18889 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
18890 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
18892 @item nnoo-define-basics
18893 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
18897 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18901 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
18902 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
18903 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
18905 @item nnoo-map-functions
18906 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
18907 functions from the parent backends.
18910 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18911 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18912 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
18915 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
18916 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
18917 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
18918 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
18921 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
18922 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
18923 haven't already been defined.
18929 nnmh-request-newgroups)
18933 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
18934 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
18935 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
18940 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
18943 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
18944 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
18948 (require 'nnheader)
18952 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
18954 (nnoo-declare nndir
18957 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18958 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18959 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18961 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
18962 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
18965 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
18966 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
18967 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
18969 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
18970 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
18972 ;;; Interface functions.
18974 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18976 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
18977 (setq nndir-directory
18978 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
18980 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
18981 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
18982 (push `(nndir-current-group
18983 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18985 (push `(nndir-top-directory
18986 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18988 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
18990 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18991 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18992 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18993 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
18994 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
18998 nnmh-status-message
19000 nnmh-request-newgroups))
19006 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19007 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
19009 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
19010 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
19011 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
19012 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
19014 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
19015 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
19020 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
19023 The abilities can be:
19027 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
19029 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
19031 This backend supports both mail and news.
19033 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
19036 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
19037 articles and groups.
19039 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
19040 true for almost all backends.
19041 @item prompt-address
19042 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
19043 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
19044 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
19048 @node Mail-like Backends
19049 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
19051 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
19052 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
19053 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
19054 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
19057 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
19058 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
19059 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
19062 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
19063 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
19066 This function takes four parameters.
19070 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
19073 @item exit-function
19074 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
19076 @item temp-directory
19077 Where the temporary files should be stored.
19080 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
19081 performed for one group only.
19084 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
19085 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
19086 find the article number assigned to this article.
19088 The function also uses the following variables:
19089 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
19090 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
19091 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
19092 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
19096 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
19097 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
19101 @node Score File Syntax
19102 @subsection Score File Syntax
19104 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
19105 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
19106 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
19108 Here's a typical score file:
19112 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
19119 BNF definition of a score file:
19122 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
19123 element = rule / atom
19124 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
19125 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
19126 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
19127 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
19129 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
19130 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
19131 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
19132 date-header = "date"
19133 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19134 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19135 score = "nil" / <integer>
19136 date = "nil" / <natural number>
19137 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
19138 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
19139 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
19140 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
19141 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19142 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19143 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
19144 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
19145 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
19146 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
19147 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
19148 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
19149 exclude-files / read-only / touched
19150 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
19151 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
19152 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
19153 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
19154 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
19155 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
19156 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
19157 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
19158 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
19159 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
19160 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
19161 eval = "eval" space <form>
19162 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
19165 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
19168 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
19169 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
19170 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
19171 one looong line, then that's ok.
19173 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19174 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19178 @subsection Headers
19180 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19181 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19182 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19183 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19185 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19186 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19187 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19188 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19189 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19190 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19191 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19193 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19194 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19195 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
19196 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19197 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19199 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
19206 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19207 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19209 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19210 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19211 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19212 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19214 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19218 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19221 is transformed into
19224 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19227 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19228 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19231 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19234 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19235 is slightly tricky:
19238 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19244 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19247 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19253 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19260 and is equal to the previous range.
19262 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19263 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19264 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19268 range = simple-range / normal-range
19269 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19270 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19271 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19272 number *[ " " contents ]
19275 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19276 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19277 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19278 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19279 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19284 @subsection Group Info
19286 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19287 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19288 describes the group.
19290 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19291 second is a more complex one:
19294 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
19296 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19297 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19299 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19302 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19303 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19304 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19305 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19306 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19307 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19308 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19309 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19310 this section is about.
19312 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
19313 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
19314 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
19316 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
19319 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
19320 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
19321 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19322 group = quote <string> quote
19323 ralevel = rank / level
19324 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19325 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
19326 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19328 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
19329 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
19330 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
19331 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
19334 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
19335 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
19338 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
19339 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
19342 @item gnus-info-group
19343 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
19344 @findex gnus-info-group
19345 @findex gnus-info-set-group
19346 Get/set the group name.
19348 @item gnus-info-rank
19349 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
19350 @findex gnus-info-rank
19351 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
19352 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
19354 @item gnus-info-level
19355 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
19356 @findex gnus-info-level
19357 @findex gnus-info-set-level
19358 Get/set the group level.
19360 @item gnus-info-score
19361 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
19362 @findex gnus-info-score
19363 @findex gnus-info-set-score
19364 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
19366 @item gnus-info-read
19367 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
19368 @findex gnus-info-read
19369 @findex gnus-info-set-read
19370 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
19372 @item gnus-info-marks
19373 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
19374 @findex gnus-info-marks
19375 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
19376 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
19378 @item gnus-info-method
19379 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
19380 @findex gnus-info-method
19381 @findex gnus-info-set-method
19382 Get/set the group select method.
19384 @item gnus-info-params
19385 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
19386 @findex gnus-info-params
19387 @findex gnus-info-set-params
19388 Get/set the group parameters.
19391 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
19392 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
19394 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
19395 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
19396 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
19397 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
19400 @node Extended Interactive
19401 @subsection Extended Interactive
19402 @cindex interactive
19403 @findex gnus-interactive
19405 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
19406 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
19407 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
19410 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
19411 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
19416 The best thing to do would have been to implement
19417 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
19418 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
19419 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
19420 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
19421 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
19422 @code{interactive}.
19424 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
19429 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
19430 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
19434 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
19435 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
19436 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
19439 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
19443 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
19447 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
19453 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
19454 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
19458 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
19459 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
19460 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
19462 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
19463 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
19464 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
19465 Gnus, that's very useful.
19467 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
19468 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
19469 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
19470 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
19471 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
19472 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
19473 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
19474 following function:
19477 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
19481 (,function ,@@args))
19485 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
19486 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
19487 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
19490 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
19491 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
19492 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
19494 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
19495 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
19496 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
19499 @node Various File Formats
19500 @subsection Various File Formats
19503 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
19504 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
19508 @node Active File Format
19509 @subsubsection Active File Format
19511 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
19512 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
19515 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
19518 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
19519 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
19520 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
19521 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
19522 no.general 1000 900 y
19525 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
19528 active = *group-line
19529 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
19530 group = <non-white-space string>
19532 high-number = <non-negative integer>
19533 low-number = <positive integer>
19534 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
19537 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
19538 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
19541 @node Newsgroups File Format
19542 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
19544 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
19545 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
19546 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
19549 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
19550 Here's the definition:
19554 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
19555 group = <non-white-space string>
19557 description = <string>
19562 @node Emacs for Heathens
19563 @section Emacs for Heathens
19565 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
19566 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
19567 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
19568 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
19569 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
19570 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
19571 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
19575 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
19576 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
19581 @subsection Keystrokes
19585 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
19588 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
19591 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
19592 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
19593 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
19594 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
19595 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
19596 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
19598 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
19599 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
19600 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
19601 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
19602 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
19603 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
19604 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
19606 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
19607 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
19608 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
19609 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
19610 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
19611 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
19612 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
19614 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
19615 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
19616 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
19617 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
19618 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
19624 @subsection Emacs Lisp
19626 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
19627 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
19628 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
19629 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
19631 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
19632 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
19633 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
19634 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
19635 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
19636 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
19637 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
19640 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
19641 write the following:
19644 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
19647 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
19648 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
19649 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
19652 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
19653 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
19654 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
19655 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
19656 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
19658 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
19659 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
19660 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
19664 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
19668 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
19671 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
19672 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
19675 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
19678 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
19679 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
19682 @include gnus-faq.texi