10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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290 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
291 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
294 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
295 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
296 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
297 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
298 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
299 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
300 License'' in the Emacs manual.
302 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
303 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
304 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
306 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
307 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
308 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
309 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
317 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
319 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
320 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
322 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
323 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
324 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
325 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
326 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
327 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
328 License'' in the Emacs manual.
330 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
331 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
332 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
334 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
335 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
336 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
337 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
349 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
350 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
352 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
353 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
354 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
355 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
356 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
357 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
358 License'' in the Emacs manual.
360 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
361 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
362 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
364 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
365 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
366 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
367 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
376 @top The Gnus Newsreader
380 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
381 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
382 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
385 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.06.
396 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
397 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
399 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
400 being accused of plagiarism:
402 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
403 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
404 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
405 can even read news with it!
407 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
408 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
409 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
410 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
411 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
417 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
418 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
419 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
420 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
421 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
422 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
423 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
424 * Various:: General purpose settings.
425 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
426 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
427 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
428 * Key Index:: Key Index.
431 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
435 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
436 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
437 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
438 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
439 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
440 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
441 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
442 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
443 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
444 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
445 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
449 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
450 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
451 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
455 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
456 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
457 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
458 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
459 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
460 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
461 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
462 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
463 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
464 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
465 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
466 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
467 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
468 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
469 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
470 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
471 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
475 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
476 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
477 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
483 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
484 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
485 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
489 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
490 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
491 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
492 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
493 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
497 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
498 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
499 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
500 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
501 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
503 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
504 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
505 * Threading:: How threads are made.
506 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
507 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
508 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
509 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
510 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
511 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
512 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
513 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
514 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
515 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
516 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
517 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
518 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
519 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
520 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
521 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
522 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
523 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
524 or reselecting the current group.
525 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
526 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
527 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
528 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
530 Summary Buffer Format
532 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
533 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
534 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
535 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
539 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
540 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
542 Reply, Followup and Post
544 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
545 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
546 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
547 * Canceling and Superseding::
551 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
552 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
553 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
555 * Generic Marking Commands::
556 * Setting Process Marks::
560 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
561 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
562 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
566 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
567 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
569 Customizing Threading
571 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
572 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
573 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
574 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
578 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
579 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
580 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
581 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
582 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
583 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
587 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
588 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
589 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
593 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
594 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
595 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
596 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
597 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
598 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
599 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
600 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
601 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
602 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
604 Alternative Approaches
606 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
607 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
609 Various Summary Stuff
611 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
612 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
613 * Summary Generation Commands::
614 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
618 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
619 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
620 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
621 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
622 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
626 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
627 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
628 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
629 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
630 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
631 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
632 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
633 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
637 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
638 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
639 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
640 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
641 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
642 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
643 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
644 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
648 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
649 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
650 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
651 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
652 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
653 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
654 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
658 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
659 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
663 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
664 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
665 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
669 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
670 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
671 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
672 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
673 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
674 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
675 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
676 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
677 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
678 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
679 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
680 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
681 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
685 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
686 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
687 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
689 Choosing a Mail Back End
691 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
692 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
693 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
694 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
695 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
696 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
701 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
702 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
703 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
704 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
705 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
706 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
710 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
711 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
712 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
716 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
717 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
718 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
719 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
720 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
724 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
728 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
729 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
730 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
734 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
735 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
739 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
740 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
741 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
742 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
743 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
744 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
745 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
746 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
747 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
748 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
752 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
753 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
754 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
758 * Group Agent Commands::
759 * Summary Agent Commands::
760 * Server Agent Commands::
764 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
765 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
766 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
767 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
768 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
769 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
770 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
771 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
772 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
773 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
774 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
775 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
776 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
777 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
778 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
779 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
780 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
784 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
785 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
786 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
787 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
791 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
792 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
793 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
797 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
798 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
799 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
800 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
801 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
802 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
803 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
804 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
805 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
806 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
807 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
808 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
809 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
810 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
811 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
812 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
813 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
814 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
815 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
819 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
820 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
821 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
822 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
823 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
824 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
825 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
826 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
830 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
831 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
832 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
833 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
834 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
838 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
839 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
840 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
841 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
842 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
846 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
847 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
848 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
852 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
853 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
854 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
855 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
856 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
857 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
858 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
859 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
860 * Frequently Asked Questions::
864 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
865 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
866 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
867 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
868 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
869 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
870 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
871 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
872 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
876 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
877 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
878 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
879 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
880 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
884 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
885 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
886 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
887 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
891 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
892 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
893 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
894 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
895 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
896 * Group Info:: The group info format.
897 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
898 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
899 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
903 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
904 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
905 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
906 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
907 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
908 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
912 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
913 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
917 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
918 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
924 @chapter Starting Gnus
929 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
930 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
933 @findex gnus-other-frame
934 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
935 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
936 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
938 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
939 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
940 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
942 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
943 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
946 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
947 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
948 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
949 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
950 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
951 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
952 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
953 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
954 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
955 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
956 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
960 @node Finding the News
961 @section Finding the News
964 @vindex gnus-select-method
966 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
967 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
968 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
969 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
972 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
973 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
976 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
979 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
982 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
985 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
986 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
987 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
989 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
991 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
992 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
993 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
994 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
995 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
996 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
998 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
999 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1000 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1001 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1003 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1004 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1005 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1006 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1007 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1008 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1009 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1010 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1011 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1014 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1016 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1017 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1018 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1019 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1020 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1021 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1023 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1025 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1026 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1027 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1028 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1029 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1030 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1033 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1034 you would typically set this variable to
1037 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1041 @node The First Time
1042 @section The First Time
1043 @cindex first time usage
1045 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1046 be subscribed by default.
1048 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1049 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1050 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1051 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1054 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1055 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1056 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1058 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1059 help you with most common problems.
1061 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1062 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1066 @node The Server is Down
1067 @section The Server is Down
1068 @cindex server errors
1070 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1071 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1072 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1074 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1075 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1076 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1077 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1078 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1079 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1080 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1082 @findex gnus-no-server
1083 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1085 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1086 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1087 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1088 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1089 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1090 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1091 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1095 @section Slave Gnusae
1098 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1099 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1100 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1101 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1103 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1104 @code{.newsrc} file.
1106 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1107 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1108 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1109 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1110 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1111 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1112 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1114 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1115 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1116 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1117 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1118 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1119 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1120 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1121 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1123 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1124 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1126 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1127 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1128 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1129 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1130 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1132 @node Fetching a Group
1133 @section Fetching a Group
1134 @cindex fetching a group
1136 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1137 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1138 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1139 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1140 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1141 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1147 @cindex subscription
1149 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1150 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1151 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1152 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1153 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1154 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1155 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1156 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1157 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1160 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1161 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1162 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1166 @node Checking New Groups
1167 @subsection Checking New Groups
1169 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1170 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1171 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1172 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1173 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1174 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1175 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1176 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1177 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1178 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1180 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1181 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1182 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1183 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1184 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1185 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1186 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1187 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1188 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1189 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1190 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1192 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1193 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1194 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1195 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1196 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1197 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1200 @node Subscription Methods
1201 @subsection Subscription Methods
1203 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1204 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1205 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1207 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1208 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1210 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1214 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1215 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1216 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1217 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1218 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1220 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1221 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1222 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1223 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1227 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1229 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1230 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1231 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1232 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1233 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1234 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1235 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1236 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1237 up. Or something like that.
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1241 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1242 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1243 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1247 Kill all new groups.
1249 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1250 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1251 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1252 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1253 topic parameter that looks like
1259 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1262 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1267 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1268 A closely related variable is
1269 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1270 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1271 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1272 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1275 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1276 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1277 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1278 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1281 @node Filtering New Groups
1282 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1284 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1285 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1286 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1289 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1292 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1293 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1294 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1295 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1296 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1297 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1298 subscribing these groups.
1299 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1300 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1302 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1303 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1304 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1305 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1306 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1307 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1308 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1309 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1311 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1312 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1313 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1314 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1315 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1316 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1317 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1318 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1319 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1320 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1323 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1324 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1327 @node Changing Servers
1328 @section Changing Servers
1329 @cindex changing servers
1331 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1332 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1333 very flaky and you want to use another.
1335 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1336 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1340 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1341 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1342 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1343 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1346 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1347 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1348 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1349 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1351 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1352 @findex gnus-change-server
1353 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1354 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1355 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1356 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1357 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1359 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1360 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1361 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1362 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1363 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1365 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1366 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1367 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1368 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1369 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1370 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1372 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1373 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1374 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1375 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1377 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1378 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1379 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1380 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1381 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1382 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1383 cache for all groups).
1387 @section Startup Files
1388 @cindex startup files
1393 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1394 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1396 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1397 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1398 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1399 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1400 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1401 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1402 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1404 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1405 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1406 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1407 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1408 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1409 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1411 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1412 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1413 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1414 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1415 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1416 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1417 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1418 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1419 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1420 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1422 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1423 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1424 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1425 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1426 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1427 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1428 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1429 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1430 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1431 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1432 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1433 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1435 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1436 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1437 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1438 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1440 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1441 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1442 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1443 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1444 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1445 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1446 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1447 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1448 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1449 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1452 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1453 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1455 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1456 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1459 @vindex gnus-init-file
1460 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1461 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1462 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1463 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1464 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1465 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1466 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1467 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1468 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1474 @cindex dribble file
1477 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1478 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1479 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1480 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1481 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1484 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1485 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1488 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1489 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1490 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1492 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1493 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1494 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1495 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1496 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1497 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1499 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1500 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1501 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1504 @node The Active File
1505 @section The Active File
1507 @cindex ignored groups
1509 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1510 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1511 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1513 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1514 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1515 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1516 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1517 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1518 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1519 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1522 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1523 @c if you set it to anything else.
1525 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1527 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1528 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1529 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1531 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1532 you actually subscribe to.
1534 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1535 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1536 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1537 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1539 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1540 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1541 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1542 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1543 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1544 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1546 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1547 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1548 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1551 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1552 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1553 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1554 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1555 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1556 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1558 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1559 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1561 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1562 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1564 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1565 secondary select methods.
1568 @node Startup Variables
1569 @section Startup Variables
1573 @item gnus-load-hook
1574 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1575 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1576 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1577 times you start Gnus.
1579 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1580 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1581 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1583 @item gnus-startup-hook
1584 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1585 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1587 @item gnus-started-hook
1588 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1589 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1592 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1593 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1594 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1595 generating the group buffer.
1597 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1598 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1599 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1600 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1601 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1602 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1603 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1604 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1606 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1607 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1608 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1609 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1610 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1611 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1613 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1614 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1615 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1617 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1618 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1619 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1621 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1622 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1623 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1624 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1630 @chapter Group Buffer
1631 @cindex group buffer
1633 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1635 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1636 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1637 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1638 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1639 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1640 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1641 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1642 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1643 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1644 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1645 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1646 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1647 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1648 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1649 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1650 @c human rights at 9...
1653 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1654 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1655 long as Gnus is active.
1659 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1660 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1661 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1662 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1663 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1664 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1665 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1666 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1672 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1673 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1674 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1675 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1676 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1677 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1678 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1679 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1680 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1681 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1682 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1683 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1684 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1685 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1686 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1687 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1688 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1692 @node Group Buffer Format
1693 @section Group Buffer Format
1696 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1697 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1698 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1702 @node Group Line Specification
1703 @subsection Group Line Specification
1704 @cindex group buffer format
1706 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1707 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1709 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1712 25: news.announce.newusers
1713 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1718 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1719 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1720 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1721 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1723 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1724 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1725 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1726 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1727 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1728 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1730 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1732 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1733 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1734 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1735 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1736 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1738 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1739 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1740 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1742 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1747 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1750 Whether the group is subscribed.
1753 Level of subscribedness.
1756 Number of unread articles.
1759 Number of dormant articles.
1762 Number of ticked articles.
1765 Number of read articles.
1768 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1769 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1771 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1772 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1773 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1774 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1775 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1776 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1777 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1778 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1781 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1784 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1793 Newsgroup description.
1796 @samp{m} if moderated.
1799 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1808 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1812 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1815 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1816 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1817 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1818 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1819 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1822 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1824 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1828 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1831 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1835 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1836 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1837 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1838 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1839 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1840 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1845 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1846 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1847 group, or a bogus native group.
1850 @node Group Modeline Specification
1851 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1852 @cindex group modeline
1854 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1855 The mode line can be changed by setting
1856 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1857 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1861 The native news server.
1863 The native select method.
1867 @node Group Highlighting
1868 @subsection Group Highlighting
1869 @cindex highlighting
1870 @cindex group highlighting
1872 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1873 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1874 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1875 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1876 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1878 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1882 (cond (window-system
1883 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1884 (defface my-group-face-1
1885 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1886 (defface my-group-face-2
1887 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1888 (defface my-group-face-3
1889 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1890 (defface my-group-face-4
1891 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1892 (defface my-group-face-5
1893 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1895 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1896 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1897 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1898 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1899 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1900 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1903 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1905 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1912 The number of unread articles in the group.
1916 Whether the group is a mail group.
1918 The level of the group.
1920 The score of the group.
1922 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1924 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1925 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1927 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1928 topic being inserted.
1931 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1932 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1933 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1935 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1936 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1937 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1938 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1939 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1942 @node Group Maneuvering
1943 @section Group Maneuvering
1944 @cindex group movement
1946 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1947 expected, hopefully.
1953 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1954 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1955 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1961 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1962 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1963 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1967 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1968 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1972 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1973 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1977 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1978 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1979 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1983 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1984 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1985 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1988 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1994 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1995 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1996 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2001 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2002 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2003 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2007 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2008 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2009 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2012 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2013 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2014 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2015 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2019 @node Selecting a Group
2020 @section Selecting a Group
2021 @cindex group selection
2026 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2027 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2028 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2029 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2030 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2031 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2032 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2033 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2034 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2035 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2037 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2038 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2039 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2041 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2042 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2047 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2048 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2049 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2050 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2051 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2055 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2056 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2057 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2058 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2059 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2060 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2061 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2062 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2063 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2064 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2067 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2068 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2069 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2070 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2071 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2074 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2075 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2076 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2077 doing any processing of its contents
2078 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2079 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2080 manner will have no permanent effects.
2084 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2085 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2086 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2087 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2088 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2089 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2090 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2091 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2094 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2095 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2096 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2097 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2098 Which article this is is controlled by the
2099 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2105 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2108 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2111 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2113 @item unseen-or-unread
2114 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2115 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2119 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2123 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2124 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2126 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2127 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2128 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2129 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2133 @node Subscription Commands
2134 @section Subscription Commands
2135 @cindex subscription
2143 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2144 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2145 Toggle subscription to the current group
2146 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2152 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2153 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2154 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2155 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2161 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2162 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2163 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2169 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2170 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2173 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2174 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2175 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2176 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2177 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2183 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2184 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2188 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2189 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2192 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2193 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2194 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2195 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2196 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2197 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2198 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2199 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2200 @file{.newsrc} file.
2204 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2214 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2215 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2216 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2217 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2218 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2219 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2224 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2225 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2226 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2231 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2232 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2234 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2235 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2236 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2237 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2238 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2239 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2246 @section Group Levels
2250 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2251 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2252 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2253 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2254 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2256 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2262 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2263 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2264 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2265 prompted for a level.
2268 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2269 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2270 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2271 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2272 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2273 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2274 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2275 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2276 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2277 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2278 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2279 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2280 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2281 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2282 reasons of efficiency.
2284 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2285 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2287 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2288 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2289 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2290 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2291 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2292 groups are hidden, in a way.
2294 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2295 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2296 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2297 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2298 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2299 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2301 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2302 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2303 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2304 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2305 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2306 list of killed groups.)
2308 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2309 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2310 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2312 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2313 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2314 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2315 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2316 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2317 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2318 relevant valid ranges.
2320 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2321 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2322 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2323 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2324 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2325 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2328 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2329 one with the best level.
2331 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2332 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2333 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2336 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2337 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2338 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2339 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2342 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2343 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2344 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2345 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2347 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2348 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2349 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2350 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2351 to 5. The default is 6.
2355 @section Group Score
2360 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2361 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2362 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2365 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2366 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2367 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2368 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2369 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2370 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2371 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2372 least significant part.))
2374 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2375 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2376 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2377 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2378 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2379 action after each summary exit, you can add
2380 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2381 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2382 slow things down somewhat.
2385 @node Marking Groups
2386 @section Marking Groups
2387 @cindex marking groups
2389 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2390 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2391 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2392 bidding on those groups.
2394 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2395 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2396 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2404 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2405 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2411 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2412 Remove the mark from the current group
2413 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2417 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2418 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2422 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2423 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2427 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2428 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2432 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2433 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2434 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2437 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2439 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2440 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2441 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2442 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2443 the command to be executed.
2446 @node Foreign Groups
2447 @section Foreign Groups
2448 @cindex foreign groups
2450 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2451 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2452 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2453 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2460 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2461 @cindex making groups
2462 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2463 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2464 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2468 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2469 @cindex renaming groups
2470 Rename the current group to something else
2471 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2472 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2478 @findex gnus-group-customize
2479 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2483 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2484 @cindex renaming groups
2485 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2486 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2490 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2491 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2492 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2497 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2498 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2502 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2504 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2505 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2510 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2511 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2515 @cindex (ding) archive
2516 @cindex archive group
2517 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2518 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2519 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2520 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2521 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2522 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2523 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2527 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2529 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2530 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2531 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2532 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2536 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2538 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2539 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2540 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2544 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2545 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2547 Make a group based on some file or other
2548 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2549 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2550 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2551 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2552 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2553 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2554 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2555 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2556 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2560 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2561 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2562 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2563 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2567 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2572 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2573 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2574 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2575 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2576 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2577 @xref{Web Searches}.
2579 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2580 to a particular group by using a match string like
2581 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2584 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2585 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2586 This function will delete the current group
2587 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2588 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2589 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2590 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2591 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2595 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2596 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2597 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2601 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2602 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2603 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2606 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2609 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2610 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2611 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2612 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2613 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2614 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2618 @node Group Parameters
2619 @section Group Parameters
2620 @cindex group parameters
2622 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2623 Here's an example group parameter list:
2626 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2630 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2631 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2632 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2633 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2635 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2636 is an alist of regexps and values.
2638 The following group parameters can be used:
2643 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2646 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2649 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2650 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2651 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2652 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2653 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2655 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2656 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2657 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2658 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2659 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2660 list address instead.
2662 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2666 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2669 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2672 It is totally ignored
2673 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2674 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2676 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2677 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2678 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2679 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2680 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2682 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2683 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2684 sending the message.
2686 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2687 @cindex Mail List Groups
2688 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2689 entering summary buffer.
2691 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2696 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2697 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2698 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2699 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2700 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2701 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2703 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2704 directly uses this group parameter.
2708 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2709 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2710 of whether it has any unread articles.
2712 @item broken-reply-to
2713 @cindex broken-reply-to
2714 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2715 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2716 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2717 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2718 broken behavior. So there!
2722 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2723 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2727 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2728 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2729 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2734 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2735 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2736 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2737 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2738 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2739 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2740 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2741 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2742 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2746 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2747 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2748 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2750 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2753 @cindex total-expire
2754 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2755 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2756 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2757 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2760 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2764 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2765 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2766 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2767 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2768 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2769 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2772 @cindex score file group parameter
2773 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2774 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2775 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2778 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2779 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2780 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2781 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2784 @cindex admin-address
2785 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2786 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2787 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2788 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2792 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2793 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2797 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2800 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2801 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2804 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2808 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2810 Here are some examples:
2814 Display only unread articles.
2817 Display everything except expirable articles.
2819 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2820 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2824 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2825 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2826 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2827 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2828 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2832 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2833 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2834 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2838 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2839 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2840 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2845 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2846 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2847 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2849 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2851 @item ignored-charsets
2852 @cindex ignored-charset
2853 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2854 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2855 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2857 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2860 @cindex posting-style
2861 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2862 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2863 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2864 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2865 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2867 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2868 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2869 like this in the group parameters:
2874 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2879 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2880 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2884 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2885 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2886 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2887 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2888 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2892 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2893 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2894 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2895 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2897 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2898 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2899 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2900 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2903 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2904 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2908 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2911 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2912 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2913 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2914 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2915 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2916 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2917 @code{eval}ed there.
2919 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2920 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2921 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2922 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2923 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2924 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2925 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2926 parameters for the group.
2929 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2930 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2931 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2932 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2933 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2937 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2938 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2939 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2940 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2941 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2943 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2944 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2948 (setq gnus-parameters
2950 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2951 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2952 (gnus-summary-line-format
2953 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2957 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2961 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2965 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2968 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2969 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2972 @node Listing Groups
2973 @section Listing Groups
2974 @cindex group listing
2976 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2984 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2985 List all groups that have unread articles
2986 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2987 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2988 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2989 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2996 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2997 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2998 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2999 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3000 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3001 unsubscribed groups).
3005 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3006 List all unread groups on a specific level
3007 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3008 with no unread articles.
3012 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3013 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3014 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3015 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3020 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3021 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3025 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3026 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3027 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3031 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3032 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3036 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3037 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3038 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3039 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3040 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3041 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3042 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3043 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3047 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3048 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3049 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3054 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3055 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3059 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3060 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3064 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3065 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3069 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3070 List groups limited within the current selection
3071 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3075 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3076 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3080 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3081 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3085 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3086 @cindex visible group parameter
3087 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3088 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3089 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3090 get the same effect.
3092 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3093 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3094 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3095 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3096 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3099 @node Sorting Groups
3100 @section Sorting Groups
3101 @cindex sorting groups
3103 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3104 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3105 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3106 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3107 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3108 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3113 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3115 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3117 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3118 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3119 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3121 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3122 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3123 Sort by group level.
3125 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3126 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3127 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3129 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3130 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3131 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3132 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3134 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3135 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3136 Sort by number of unread articles.
3138 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3139 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3140 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3142 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3144 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3149 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3150 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3154 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3155 some sorting criteria:
3159 @kindex G S a (Group)
3160 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3161 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3162 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3165 @kindex G S u (Group)
3166 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3167 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3168 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3171 @kindex G S l (Group)
3172 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3173 Sort the group buffer by group level
3174 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3177 @kindex G S v (Group)
3178 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3179 Sort the group buffer by group score
3180 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3183 @kindex G S r (Group)
3184 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3185 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3186 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3189 @kindex G S m (Group)
3190 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3191 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3192 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3196 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3197 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3199 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3200 commands will sort in reverse order.
3202 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3206 @kindex G P a (Group)
3207 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3208 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3209 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3212 @kindex G P u (Group)
3213 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3214 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3215 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3218 @kindex G P l (Group)
3219 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3220 Sort the groups by group level
3221 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3224 @kindex G P v (Group)
3225 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3226 Sort the groups by group score
3227 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3230 @kindex G P r (Group)
3231 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3232 Sort the groups by group rank
3233 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3236 @kindex G P m (Group)
3237 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3238 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3239 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3242 @kindex G P s (Group)
3243 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3244 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3248 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3252 @node Group Maintenance
3253 @section Group Maintenance
3254 @cindex bogus groups
3259 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3260 Find bogus groups and delete them
3261 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3265 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3266 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3267 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3268 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3269 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3273 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3274 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3275 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3276 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3277 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3278 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3281 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3282 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3283 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3284 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3289 @node Browse Foreign Server
3290 @section Browse Foreign Server
3291 @cindex foreign servers
3292 @cindex browsing servers
3297 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3298 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3299 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3300 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3303 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3304 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3305 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3306 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3308 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3313 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3314 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3318 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3319 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3322 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3323 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3324 Enter the current group and display the first article
3325 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3328 @kindex RET (Browse)
3329 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3330 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3334 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3335 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3336 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3342 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3343 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3347 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3348 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3349 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3354 @section Exiting Gnus
3355 @cindex exiting Gnus
3357 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3362 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3363 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3364 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3365 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3369 @findex gnus-group-exit
3370 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3371 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3375 @findex gnus-group-quit
3376 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3377 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3380 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3381 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3382 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3383 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3384 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3389 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3390 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3391 trying to customize meta-variables.
3396 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3397 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3398 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3404 @section Group Topics
3407 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3408 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3409 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3410 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3411 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3412 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3416 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3417 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3428 2: alt.religion.emacs
3431 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3433 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3434 13: comp.sources.unix
3437 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3439 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3440 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3441 is a toggling command.)
3443 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3444 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3445 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3446 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3449 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3450 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3451 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3454 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3458 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3459 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3460 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3461 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3462 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3466 @node Topic Commands
3467 @subsection Topic Commands
3468 @cindex topic commands
3470 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3471 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3472 definitions slightly.
3474 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3475 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3476 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3477 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3478 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3479 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3481 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3488 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3489 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3490 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3494 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3496 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3497 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3498 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3499 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3502 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3503 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3504 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3505 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3509 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3510 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3511 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3512 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3518 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3519 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3520 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3524 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3525 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3526 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3529 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3530 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3531 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3532 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3533 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3535 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3536 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3540 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3541 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3548 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3550 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3551 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3552 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3553 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3554 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3555 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3559 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3565 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3566 Move the current group to some other topic
3567 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3568 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3572 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3573 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3577 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3578 Copy the current group to some other topic
3579 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3580 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3584 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3585 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3586 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3590 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3591 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3592 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3596 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3597 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3598 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3599 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3600 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3601 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3602 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3605 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3606 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3610 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3611 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3612 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3616 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3617 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3618 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3622 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3623 Toggle hiding empty topics
3624 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3628 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3629 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3630 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3633 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3634 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3635 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3636 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3639 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3640 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3641 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3642 expiry process (if any)
3643 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3647 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3648 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3651 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3652 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3653 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3657 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3658 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3659 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3662 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3663 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3664 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3667 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3668 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3669 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3673 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3674 @cindex group parameters
3675 @cindex topic parameters
3677 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3678 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3683 @node Topic Variables
3684 @subsection Topic Variables
3685 @cindex topic variables
3687 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3688 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3690 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3691 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3692 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3705 Number of groups in the topic.
3707 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3709 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3712 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3713 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3714 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3717 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3718 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3720 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3721 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3722 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3726 @subsection Topic Sorting
3727 @cindex topic sorting
3729 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3735 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3736 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3737 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3738 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3741 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3742 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3743 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3744 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3747 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3748 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3749 Sort the current topic by group level
3750 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3753 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3754 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3755 Sort the current topic by group score
3756 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3759 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3760 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3761 Sort the current topic by group rank
3762 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3765 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3766 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3767 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3768 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3771 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3772 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3773 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3774 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3778 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3779 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3780 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3781 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3785 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3786 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3790 @node Topic Topology
3791 @subsection Topic Topology
3792 @cindex topic topology
3795 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3801 2: alt.religion.emacs
3804 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3806 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3807 13: comp.sources.unix
3810 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3811 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3812 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3817 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3818 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3822 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3823 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3824 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3825 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3826 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3827 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3829 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3830 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3831 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3834 @node Topic Parameters
3835 @subsection Topic Parameters
3836 @cindex topic parameters
3838 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3839 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3840 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3842 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3847 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3848 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3849 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3852 @item subscribe-level
3853 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3854 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3855 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3859 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3860 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3861 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3862 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3868 2: alt.religion.emacs
3872 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3874 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3875 13: comp.sources.unix
3879 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3880 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3881 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3882 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3883 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3884 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3886 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3887 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3888 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3889 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3890 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3892 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3893 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3894 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3895 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3896 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3897 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3898 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3899 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3902 @node Misc Group Stuff
3903 @section Misc Group Stuff
3906 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3907 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3908 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3909 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3910 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3917 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3918 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3919 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3923 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3924 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3925 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3926 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3927 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3928 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3929 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3933 @findex gnus-group-mail
3934 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3935 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3936 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3937 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3941 @findex gnus-group-news
3942 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3943 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3944 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3946 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3947 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3948 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3949 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3950 for this to work though.
3954 Variables for the group buffer:
3958 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3959 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3960 is called after the group buffer has been
3963 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3964 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3965 is called after the group buffer is
3966 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3969 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3970 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3971 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3972 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3974 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3975 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3976 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3977 whether they are empty or not.
3979 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3980 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3981 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3982 non-ASCII group names.
3986 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3987 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3990 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3991 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3992 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3993 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3994 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3995 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3999 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4000 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4005 @node Scanning New Messages
4006 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4007 @cindex new messages
4008 @cindex scanning new news
4014 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4015 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4016 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4017 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4018 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4019 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4024 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4025 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4026 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4027 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4028 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4029 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4030 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4032 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4033 @cindex activating groups
4035 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4036 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4041 @findex gnus-group-restart
4042 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4043 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4044 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4048 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4049 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4051 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4052 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4056 @node Group Information
4057 @subsection Group Information
4058 @cindex group information
4059 @cindex information on groups
4066 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4067 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4070 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4071 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4072 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4073 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4074 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4075 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4076 for fetching the file.
4078 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4079 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4083 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4085 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4086 @cindex describing groups
4087 @cindex group description
4088 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4089 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4090 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4094 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4095 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4096 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4103 @findex gnus-version
4104 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4108 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4109 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4112 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4115 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4116 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4120 @node Group Timestamp
4121 @subsection Group Timestamp
4123 @cindex group timestamps
4125 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4126 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4127 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4130 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4133 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4135 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4136 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4139 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4140 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4143 This will result in lines looking like:
4146 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4147 0: custom 19961002T012713
4150 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4151 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4155 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4156 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4159 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4160 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4164 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4165 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4166 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4167 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4169 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4175 @subsection File Commands
4176 @cindex file commands
4182 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4183 @vindex gnus-init-file
4184 @cindex reading init file
4185 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4186 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4190 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4191 @cindex saving .newsrc
4192 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4193 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4194 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4197 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4198 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4199 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4204 @node Sieve Commands
4205 @subsection Sieve Commands
4206 @cindex group sieve commands
4208 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4209 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4210 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4211 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4212 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4214 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4215 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4216 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4217 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4218 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4219 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4220 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4221 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4222 regenerate the Sieve script.
4224 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4225 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4226 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4227 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4228 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4229 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4230 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4231 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4232 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4233 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4236 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4237 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4242 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4248 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4249 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4250 @cindex generating sieve script
4251 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4252 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4256 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4257 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4258 @cindex updating sieve script
4259 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4260 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4261 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4266 @node Summary Buffer
4267 @chapter Summary Buffer
4268 @cindex summary buffer
4270 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4271 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4273 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4274 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4276 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4279 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4280 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4281 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4282 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4283 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4284 * Delayed Articles::
4285 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4286 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4287 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4288 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4289 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4290 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4291 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4292 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4293 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4294 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4295 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4296 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4297 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4298 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4299 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4300 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4301 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4302 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4303 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4304 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4305 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4306 or reselecting the current group.
4307 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4308 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4309 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4310 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4314 @node Summary Buffer Format
4315 @section Summary Buffer Format
4316 @cindex summary buffer format
4320 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4321 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4322 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4328 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4329 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4330 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4331 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4334 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4335 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4336 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4337 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4338 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4339 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4340 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4341 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4342 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4343 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4344 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4347 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4348 'mail-extract-address-components)
4351 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4352 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4353 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4354 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4357 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4358 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4360 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4361 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4362 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4363 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4364 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4366 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4367 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4368 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4369 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4370 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4371 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4373 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4375 The following format specification characters and extended format
4376 specification(s) are understood:
4382 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4383 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4385 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4386 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4387 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4389 Full @code{From} header.
4391 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4393 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4394 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4396 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4397 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4398 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4399 may be more thorough.
4401 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4404 Number of lines in the article.
4406 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4407 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4409 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4411 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4414 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4415 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4417 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4418 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4420 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4421 for adopted articles.
4423 One space for each thread level.
4425 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4427 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4430 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4431 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4432 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4435 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4437 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4438 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4439 default level. If the difference between
4440 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4441 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4449 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4451 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4457 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4458 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4460 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4461 article has any children.
4467 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4468 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4470 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4471 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4472 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4473 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4474 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4475 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4478 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4479 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4480 There can only be one such area.
4482 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4483 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4484 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4485 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4486 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4487 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4489 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4490 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4492 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4495 @node To From Newsgroups
4496 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4500 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4501 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4502 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4503 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4504 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4508 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4509 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4510 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4514 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4515 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4518 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4519 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4522 @findex gnus-extra-header
4523 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4524 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4525 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4528 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4532 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4533 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4534 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4535 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4536 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4537 headers are used instead.
4541 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4542 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4543 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4544 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4547 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4548 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4549 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4550 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4552 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4556 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4558 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4559 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4560 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4561 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4565 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4568 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4569 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4576 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4577 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4580 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4581 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4583 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4584 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4585 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4586 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4588 Here are the elements you can play with:
4594 Unprefixed group name.
4596 Current article number.
4598 Current article score.
4602 Number of unread articles in this group.
4604 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4607 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4608 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4609 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4610 and no unselected ones.
4612 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4613 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4615 Subject of the current article.
4617 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4619 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4621 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4623 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4625 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4627 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4631 @node Summary Highlighting
4632 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4636 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4637 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4638 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4639 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4640 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4642 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4643 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4644 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4645 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4647 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4648 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4649 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4650 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4652 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4653 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4654 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4655 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4656 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4657 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4660 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4661 ((> score default) . bold))
4663 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4664 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4668 @node Summary Maneuvering
4669 @section Summary Maneuvering
4670 @cindex summary movement
4672 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4673 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4675 None of these commands select articles.
4680 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4681 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4682 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4683 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4684 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4688 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4689 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4690 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4691 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4692 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4695 @kindex G g (Summary)
4696 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4697 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4698 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4701 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4702 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4703 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4704 to the group buffer.
4706 Variables related to summary movement:
4710 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4711 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4712 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4713 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4714 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4715 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4716 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4717 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4718 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4719 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4720 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4721 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4722 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4723 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4725 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4726 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4727 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4728 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4729 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4730 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4731 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4733 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4735 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4736 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4737 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4738 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4739 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4741 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4742 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4743 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4744 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4745 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4746 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4747 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4748 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4751 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4752 the given number of lines from the top.
4757 @node Choosing Articles
4758 @section Choosing Articles
4759 @cindex selecting articles
4762 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4763 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4767 @node Choosing Commands
4768 @subsection Choosing Commands
4770 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4771 and they all select and display an article.
4773 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4774 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4778 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4779 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4780 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4781 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4786 @kindex G n (Summary)
4787 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4788 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4789 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4794 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4795 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4796 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4801 @kindex G N (Summary)
4802 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4803 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4808 @kindex G P (Summary)
4809 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4810 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4813 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4814 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4815 Go to the next article with the same subject
4816 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4819 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4820 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4821 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4822 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4826 @kindex G f (Summary)
4828 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4829 Go to the first unread article
4830 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4834 @kindex G b (Summary)
4836 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4837 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4838 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4839 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4844 @kindex G l (Summary)
4845 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4846 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4849 @kindex G o (Summary)
4850 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4852 @cindex article history
4853 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4854 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4855 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4856 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4857 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4858 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4863 @kindex G j (Summary)
4864 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4865 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4866 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4871 @node Choosing Variables
4872 @subsection Choosing Variables
4874 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4877 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4878 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4879 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4880 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4881 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4882 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4884 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4885 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4886 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4887 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4889 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4890 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4891 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4892 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4893 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4894 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4895 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4896 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4897 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4898 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4899 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4900 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4901 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4902 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4907 @node Paging the Article
4908 @section Scrolling the Article
4909 @cindex article scrolling
4914 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4915 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4916 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4917 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4918 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4921 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4922 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4923 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4926 @kindex RET (Summary)
4927 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4928 Scroll the current article one line forward
4929 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4932 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4933 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4934 Scroll the current article one line backward
4935 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4939 @kindex A g (Summary)
4941 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4942 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4943 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4944 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4945 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4946 the way it came from the server.
4948 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4949 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4950 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4953 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4958 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4963 @kindex A < (Summary)
4964 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4965 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4966 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4971 @kindex A > (Summary)
4972 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4973 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4977 @kindex A s (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4980 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4981 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4985 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4986 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4991 @node Reply Followup and Post
4992 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4995 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4996 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4997 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4998 * Canceling and Superseding::
5002 @node Summary Mail Commands
5003 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5005 @cindex composing mail
5007 Commands for composing a mail message:
5013 @kindex S r (Summary)
5015 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5016 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5017 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5018 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5019 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5024 @kindex S R (Summary)
5025 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5026 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5027 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5028 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5029 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5032 @kindex S w (Summary)
5033 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5034 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5035 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5036 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5037 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5040 @kindex S V (Summary)
5041 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5042 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5043 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5044 the process/prefix convention.
5047 @kindex S v (Summary)
5048 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5049 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5050 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5051 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5052 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5053 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5057 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5058 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5059 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5060 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5061 Forward the current article to some other person
5062 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5063 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5064 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5065 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5066 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5067 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5068 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5069 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5070 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5076 @kindex S m (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5078 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5079 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5080 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5081 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5086 @kindex S i (Summary)
5087 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5088 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5089 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5090 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5092 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5093 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5094 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5095 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5096 for this to work though.
5099 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5100 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5101 @cindex bouncing mail
5102 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5103 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5104 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5105 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5106 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5107 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5108 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5109 very well fail, though.
5112 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5113 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5114 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5115 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5116 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5117 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5118 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5119 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5120 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5121 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5123 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5124 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5125 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5126 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5127 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5129 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5130 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5133 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5135 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5136 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5137 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5140 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5141 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5142 @cindex crossposting
5143 @cindex excessive crossposting
5144 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5145 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5147 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5148 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5149 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5150 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5151 command understands the process/prefix convention
5152 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5156 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5157 Manual}, for more information.
5160 @node Summary Post Commands
5161 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5163 @cindex composing news
5165 Commands for posting a news article:
5171 @kindex S p (Summary)
5172 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5173 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5174 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5175 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5176 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5181 @kindex S f (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5183 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5184 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5188 @kindex S F (Summary)
5190 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5191 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5192 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5193 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5194 process/prefix convention.
5197 @kindex S n (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5199 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5200 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5203 @kindex S N (Summary)
5204 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5205 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5206 message through mail and include the original message
5207 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5208 the process/prefix convention.
5211 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5212 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5213 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5214 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5215 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5216 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5217 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5218 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5219 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5220 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5221 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5222 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5223 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5226 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5227 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5229 @cindex making digests
5230 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5231 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5232 process/prefix convention.
5235 @kindex S u (Summary)
5236 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5237 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5238 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5239 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5242 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5243 Manual}, for more information.
5246 @node Summary Message Commands
5247 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5251 @kindex S y (Summary)
5252 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5253 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5254 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5255 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5256 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5261 @node Canceling and Superseding
5262 @subsection Canceling Articles
5263 @cindex canceling articles
5264 @cindex superseding articles
5266 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5267 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5269 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5271 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5273 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5274 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5275 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5276 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5277 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5278 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5280 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5281 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5284 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5285 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5286 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5288 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5289 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5290 your original article.
5292 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5294 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5295 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5296 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5299 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5300 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5301 have posted almost the same article twice.
5303 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5304 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5305 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5306 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5307 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5308 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5309 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5310 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5311 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5312 canceled/superseded.
5314 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5316 @node Delayed Articles
5317 @section Delayed Articles
5318 @cindex delayed sending
5319 @cindex send delayed
5321 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5322 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5323 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5324 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5327 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5330 @findex gnus-delay-article
5331 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5332 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5333 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5334 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5338 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5339 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5340 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5341 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5344 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5345 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5346 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5349 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5350 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5351 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5352 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5353 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5354 that means a time tomorrow.
5357 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5358 couple of variables:
5361 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5362 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5363 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5364 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5366 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5367 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5368 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5369 formats described above.
5371 @item gnus-delay-group
5372 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5373 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5374 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5375 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5377 @item gnus-delay-header
5378 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5379 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5380 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5381 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5384 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5385 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5386 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5387 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5388 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5390 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5391 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5392 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5393 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5394 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5395 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5398 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5399 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5400 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5401 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5402 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5403 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5404 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5405 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5407 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5408 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5409 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5410 forget to set that up :-)
5414 @node Marking Articles
5415 @section Marking Articles
5416 @cindex article marking
5417 @cindex article ticking
5420 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5422 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5423 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5424 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5426 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5429 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5430 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5431 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5435 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5439 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5440 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5441 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5445 @node Unread Articles
5446 @subsection Unread Articles
5448 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5453 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5454 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5456 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5457 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5458 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5459 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5460 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5461 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5462 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5465 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5466 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5468 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5469 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5470 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5471 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5475 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5476 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5478 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5483 @subsection Read Articles
5484 @cindex expirable mark
5486 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5491 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5492 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5493 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5496 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5497 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5500 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5501 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5502 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5505 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5506 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5509 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5510 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5513 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5514 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5517 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5518 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5521 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5522 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5525 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5526 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5529 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5530 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5534 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5535 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5536 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5540 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5541 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5543 One more special mark, though:
5547 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5548 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5550 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5551 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5552 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5553 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5559 @subsection Other Marks
5560 @cindex process mark
5563 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5569 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5570 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5571 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5572 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5573 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5576 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5577 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5578 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5579 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5582 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5583 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5584 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5587 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5588 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5589 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5592 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5593 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5594 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5595 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5598 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5599 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5600 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5601 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5602 mark, in which case it simply never appears.
5605 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5606 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5607 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5610 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5611 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5612 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5613 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5614 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5617 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5618 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5619 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5620 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5621 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5622 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5626 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5627 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5628 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5630 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5631 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5632 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5636 @subsection Setting Marks
5637 @cindex setting marks
5639 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5644 @kindex M c (Summary)
5645 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5646 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5647 @cindex mark as unread
5648 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5649 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5655 @kindex M t (Summary)
5656 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5657 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5658 @xref{Article Caching}.
5663 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5664 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5665 Mark the current article as dormant
5666 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5670 @kindex M d (Summary)
5672 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5673 Mark the current article as read
5674 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5678 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5679 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5680 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5685 @kindex M k (Summary)
5686 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5687 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5688 and then select the next unread article
5689 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5693 @kindex M K (Summary)
5694 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5695 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5696 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5697 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5700 @kindex M C (Summary)
5701 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5702 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5703 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5706 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5707 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5708 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5709 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5712 @kindex M H (Summary)
5713 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5714 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5715 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5718 @kindex M h (Summary)
5719 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5720 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5721 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5724 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5725 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5726 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5727 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5730 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5731 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5732 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5733 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5737 @kindex M e (Summary)
5739 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5740 Mark the current article as expirable
5741 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5744 @kindex M b (Summary)
5745 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5746 Set a bookmark in the current article
5747 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5750 @kindex M B (Summary)
5751 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5752 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5753 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5756 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5757 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5758 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5759 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5762 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5763 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5764 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5765 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5768 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5769 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5770 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5771 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5772 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5775 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5776 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5777 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5778 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5779 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5780 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5781 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5782 The default is @code{t}.
5785 @node Generic Marking Commands
5786 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5788 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5789 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5790 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5791 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5792 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5795 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5796 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5799 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5800 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5801 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5802 to list in this manual.
5804 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5805 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5806 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5807 article, you could say something like:
5810 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5811 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5812 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5818 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5819 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5823 @node Setting Process Marks
5824 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5825 @cindex setting process marks
5832 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5834 Mark the current article with the process mark
5835 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5836 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5840 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5841 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5842 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5843 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5846 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5847 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5848 Remove the process mark from all articles
5849 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5852 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5853 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5854 Invert the list of process marked articles
5855 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5858 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5859 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5860 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5861 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5864 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5865 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5866 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5867 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5870 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5871 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5872 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5875 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5876 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5877 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5878 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5881 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5882 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5883 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5884 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5887 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5888 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5889 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5890 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5893 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5894 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5895 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5898 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5899 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5900 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5901 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5904 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5905 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5906 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5909 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5910 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5911 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5912 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5915 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5916 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5917 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5918 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5921 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5922 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5923 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5924 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5927 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5928 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5929 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5930 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5934 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5935 set process marks based on article body contents.
5942 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5943 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5944 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5947 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5948 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5949 additional articles.
5955 @kindex / / (Summary)
5956 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5957 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5958 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5962 @kindex / a (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5964 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5965 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5969 @kindex / x (Summary)
5970 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5971 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5972 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5973 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5978 @kindex / u (Summary)
5980 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5981 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5982 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5983 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5984 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5987 @kindex / m (Summary)
5988 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5989 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5990 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5993 @kindex / t (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5995 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5996 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5997 articles younger than that number of days.
6000 @kindex / n (Summary)
6001 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6002 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6003 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6004 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6007 @kindex / w (Summary)
6008 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6009 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6010 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6014 @kindex / v (Summary)
6015 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6016 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6017 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6020 @kindex / p (Summary)
6021 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6022 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6023 group parameter predicate
6024 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6025 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6029 @kindex M S (Summary)
6030 @kindex / E (Summary)
6031 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6032 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6033 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6036 @kindex / D (Summary)
6037 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6038 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6039 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6042 @kindex / * (Summary)
6043 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6044 Include all cached articles in the limit
6045 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6048 @kindex / d (Summary)
6049 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6050 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6051 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6054 @kindex / M (Summary)
6055 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6056 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6059 @kindex / T (Summary)
6060 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6061 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6064 @kindex / c (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6066 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6067 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6070 @kindex / C (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6072 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6073 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6074 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6077 @kindex / N (Summary)
6078 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6079 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6080 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6083 @kindex / o (Summary)
6084 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6085 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6086 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6094 @cindex article threading
6096 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6097 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6098 hierarchical fashion.
6100 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6101 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6102 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6103 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6104 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6105 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6106 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6108 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6112 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6115 A tree-like article structure.
6118 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6121 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6122 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6123 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6124 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6125 called loose threads.
6127 @item thread gathering
6128 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6130 @item sparse threads
6131 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6132 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6138 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6139 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6143 @node Customizing Threading
6144 @subsection Customizing Threading
6145 @cindex customizing threading
6148 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6149 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6150 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6151 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6156 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6159 @cindex loose threads
6162 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6163 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6164 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6165 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6166 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6167 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6169 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6170 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6171 There are four possible values:
6175 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6176 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6177 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6178 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6179 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6184 @cindex adopting articles
6189 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6190 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6191 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6192 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6195 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6196 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6197 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6198 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6199 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6200 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6201 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6204 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6205 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6206 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6210 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6211 display them after one another.
6214 Don't gather loose threads.
6217 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6218 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6219 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6220 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6221 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6222 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6223 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6224 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6225 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6226 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6227 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6229 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6230 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6231 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6234 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6235 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6236 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6237 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6238 simplification is used.
6240 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6241 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6242 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6243 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6245 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6247 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6253 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6254 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6255 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6256 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6261 (mapconcat 'identity
6262 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6264 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6267 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6270 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6271 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6272 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6273 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6274 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6275 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6277 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6280 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6281 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6282 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6284 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6285 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6288 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6289 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6290 Remove excessive whitespace.
6292 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6293 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6294 Remove all whitespace.
6297 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6300 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6301 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6302 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6303 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6304 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6305 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6306 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6307 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6309 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6310 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6311 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6312 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6313 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6314 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6315 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6316 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6317 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6321 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6322 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6323 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6324 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6326 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6327 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6328 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6331 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6335 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6336 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6342 @node Filling In Threads
6343 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6346 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6347 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6348 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6349 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6350 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6351 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6352 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6353 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6354 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6355 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6356 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6357 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6360 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6361 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6362 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6364 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6365 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6366 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6367 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6368 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6369 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6370 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6371 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6372 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6373 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6374 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6375 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6376 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6377 @code{nil} by default.
6379 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6380 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6381 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6382 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6383 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6384 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6385 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6387 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6388 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6389 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6394 @node More Threading
6395 @subsubsection More Threading
6398 @item gnus-show-threads
6399 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6400 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6401 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6402 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6403 slower and more awkward.
6405 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6406 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6407 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6410 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6411 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6412 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6417 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6418 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6419 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6422 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6423 unread, but you get my drift.)
6426 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6427 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6428 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6429 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6430 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6431 threads are expunged.
6433 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6434 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6435 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6438 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6439 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6440 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6441 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6442 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6443 result in a new thread.
6445 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6446 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6447 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6450 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6451 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6452 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6453 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6454 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6455 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6456 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6457 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6458 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6459 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6460 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6465 @node Low-Level Threading
6466 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6470 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6471 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6472 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6474 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6475 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6476 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6477 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6478 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6479 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6480 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6481 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6482 meaningful. Here's one example:
6485 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6487 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6488 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6490 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6492 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6499 @node Thread Commands
6500 @subsection Thread Commands
6501 @cindex thread commands
6507 @kindex T k (Summary)
6508 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6509 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6510 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6511 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6512 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6517 @kindex T l (Summary)
6518 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6519 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6520 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6521 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6524 @kindex T i (Summary)
6525 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6526 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6527 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6530 @kindex T # (Summary)
6531 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6532 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6533 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6536 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6537 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6538 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6539 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6542 @kindex T T (Summary)
6543 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6544 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6547 @kindex T s (Summary)
6548 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6549 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6550 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6553 @kindex T h (Summary)
6554 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6555 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6558 @kindex T S (Summary)
6559 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6560 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6563 @kindex T H (Summary)
6564 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6565 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6568 @kindex T t (Summary)
6569 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6570 Re-thread the current article's thread
6571 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6572 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6575 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6576 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6577 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6578 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6582 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6583 understand the numeric prefix.
6588 @kindex T n (Summary)
6590 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6592 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6593 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6594 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6597 @kindex T p (Summary)
6599 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6601 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6602 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6603 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6606 @kindex T d (Summary)
6607 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6608 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6611 @kindex T u (Summary)
6612 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6613 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6616 @kindex T o (Summary)
6617 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6618 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6621 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6622 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6623 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6624 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6625 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6626 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6627 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6628 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6629 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6630 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6631 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6632 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6636 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6637 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6639 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6640 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6641 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6642 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6643 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6644 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6645 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6646 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6647 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6648 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6649 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6650 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6652 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6653 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6654 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6655 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6656 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6657 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date} and
6658 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6660 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6661 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6662 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6664 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6665 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6666 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6667 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6668 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6669 ascending article order.
6671 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6672 by number, you could do something like:
6675 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6676 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6677 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6678 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6681 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6682 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6683 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6684 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6685 which the articles arrived.
6687 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6691 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6693 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6694 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6697 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6698 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6699 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6700 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6703 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6704 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6705 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6706 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6707 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6708 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6709 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6710 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6711 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6712 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6713 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6714 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6715 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6717 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6721 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6722 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6723 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6728 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6729 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6730 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6731 @cindex article pre-fetch
6734 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6735 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6736 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6737 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6738 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6740 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6741 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6743 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6744 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6745 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6746 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6747 connection is blocked.
6749 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6750 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6751 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6752 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6754 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6755 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6756 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6757 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6760 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6763 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6764 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6765 happen automatically.
6767 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6768 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6769 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6770 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6771 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6772 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6773 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6775 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6776 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6777 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6778 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6779 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6780 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6781 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6782 data structure as the only parameter.
6784 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6787 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6788 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6789 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6790 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6793 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6796 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6797 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6798 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6800 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6801 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6802 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6803 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6807 Remove articles when they are read.
6810 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6813 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6815 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6816 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6817 @c from the next group.
6820 @node Article Caching
6821 @section Article Caching
6822 @cindex article caching
6825 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6826 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6827 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6828 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6829 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6831 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6833 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6834 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6835 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6836 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6837 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6838 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6839 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6840 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6842 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6843 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6844 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6845 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6846 as dormant, and don't worry.
6848 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6850 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6851 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6852 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6853 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6854 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6855 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6856 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6857 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6858 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6859 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6861 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6862 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6863 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6864 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6865 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6866 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6867 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6868 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6869 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6870 not then be downloaded by this command.
6872 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6873 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6874 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6875 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6876 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6877 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6879 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6880 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6881 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6882 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6883 variables, the group is not cached.
6885 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6886 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6887 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6888 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6889 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6890 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6891 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6892 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6893 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6896 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6897 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6898 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6899 where, isn't that cool?
6901 @node Persistent Articles
6902 @section Persistent Articles
6903 @cindex persistent articles
6905 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6906 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6907 useful in my opinion.
6909 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6910 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6911 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6912 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6913 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6914 the expiry going on at the news server.
6916 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6917 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6918 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6924 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6925 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6928 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6930 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6931 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6935 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6937 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6938 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6939 interested in persistent articles:
6942 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6946 @node Article Backlog
6947 @section Article Backlog
6949 @cindex article backlog
6951 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6952 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6953 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6954 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6955 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6956 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6957 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6958 increase memory usage some.
6960 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6961 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6962 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6963 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6964 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6965 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6966 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6968 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6971 @node Saving Articles
6972 @section Saving Articles
6973 @cindex saving articles
6975 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6976 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6977 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6978 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6979 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6981 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
6982 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
6983 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
6985 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6986 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6987 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6989 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6990 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6991 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6992 deleted before saving.
6998 @kindex O o (Summary)
7000 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7001 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7002 Save the current article using the default article saver
7003 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7006 @kindex O m (Summary)
7007 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7008 Save the current article in mail format
7009 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7012 @kindex O r (Summary)
7013 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7014 Save the current article in rmail format
7015 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7018 @kindex O f (Summary)
7019 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7020 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7021 Save the current article in plain file format
7022 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7025 @kindex O F (Summary)
7026 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7027 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7028 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7031 @kindex O b (Summary)
7032 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7033 Save the current article body in plain file format
7034 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7037 @kindex O h (Summary)
7038 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7039 Save the current article in mh folder format
7040 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7043 @kindex O v (Summary)
7044 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7045 Save the current article in a VM folder
7046 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7050 @kindex O p (Summary)
7052 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7053 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7054 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7057 @kindex O P (Summary)
7058 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7059 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7060 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7061 external program Muttprint (see
7062 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7063 options to use is controlled by the variable
7064 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7068 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7069 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7070 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7071 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7072 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7073 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7074 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7075 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7076 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7077 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7078 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7079 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7083 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7084 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7085 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7086 functions below, or you can create your own.
7090 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7091 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7092 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7093 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7094 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7095 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7096 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7098 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7099 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7100 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7101 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7102 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7103 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7105 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7106 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7107 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7108 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7109 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7110 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7111 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7113 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7114 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7115 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7116 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7117 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7118 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7120 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7121 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7122 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7123 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7124 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7126 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7127 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7128 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7129 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7130 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7133 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7134 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7135 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7136 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7137 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7139 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7140 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7141 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7142 reader to use this setting.
7145 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7146 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7147 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7148 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7151 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7152 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7153 available functions that generate names:
7157 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7158 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7159 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7161 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7162 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7163 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7165 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7166 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7167 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7169 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7170 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7171 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7173 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7174 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7175 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7178 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7179 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7180 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7181 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7182 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7186 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7187 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7188 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7189 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7192 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7193 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7194 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7195 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7196 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7197 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7198 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7199 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7200 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7202 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7203 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7204 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7205 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7207 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7208 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7209 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7212 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7213 lots of mail groups called things like
7214 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7215 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7216 following will do just that:
7219 (defun my-save-name (group)
7220 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7221 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7223 (setq gnus-split-methods
7224 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7229 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7230 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7231 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7232 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7233 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7234 all the files in the top level directory
7235 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7236 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7237 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7238 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7240 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7241 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7242 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7243 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7244 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7247 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7251 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7252 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7253 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7256 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7257 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7258 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7259 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7262 @node Decoding Articles
7263 @section Decoding Articles
7264 @cindex decoding articles
7266 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7267 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7270 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7271 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7272 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7273 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7274 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7275 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7279 @cindex article series
7280 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7281 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7282 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7283 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7284 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7286 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7287 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7288 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7290 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7291 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7292 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7294 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7295 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7296 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7299 @node Uuencoded Articles
7300 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7302 @cindex uuencoded articles
7307 @kindex X u (Summary)
7308 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7309 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7310 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7313 @kindex X U (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7315 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7316 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7319 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7320 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7321 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7324 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7325 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7326 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7327 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7331 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7332 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7333 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7334 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7335 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7337 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7338 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7339 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7340 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7343 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7344 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7345 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7346 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7347 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7348 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7352 @node Shell Archives
7353 @subsection Shell Archives
7355 @cindex shell archives
7356 @cindex shared articles
7358 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7359 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7360 some commands to deal with these:
7365 @kindex X s (Summary)
7366 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7367 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7370 @kindex X S (Summary)
7371 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7372 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7375 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7377 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7380 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7382 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7383 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7387 @node PostScript Files
7388 @subsection PostScript Files
7394 @kindex X p (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7396 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7399 @kindex X P (Summary)
7400 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7401 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7402 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7405 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7406 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7407 View the current PostScript series
7408 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7411 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7412 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7413 View and save the current PostScript series
7414 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7419 @subsection Other Files
7423 @kindex X o (Summary)
7424 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7425 Save the current series
7426 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7429 @kindex X b (Summary)
7430 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7431 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7432 doesn't really work yet.
7436 @node Decoding Variables
7437 @subsection Decoding Variables
7439 Adjective, not verb.
7442 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7443 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7444 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7448 @node Rule Variables
7449 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7450 @cindex rule variables
7452 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7453 variables are of the form
7456 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7463 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7464 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7466 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7467 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7470 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7471 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7474 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7475 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7476 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7477 user and default view rules.
7479 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7480 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7481 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7486 @node Other Decode Variables
7487 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7490 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7492 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7493 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7494 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7495 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7496 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7500 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7501 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7504 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7505 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7506 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7509 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7510 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7511 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7512 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7513 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7516 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7517 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7518 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7520 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7521 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7522 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7523 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7524 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7527 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7528 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7529 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7531 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7532 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7533 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7534 looking for files to display.
7536 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7537 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7538 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7541 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7542 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7543 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7546 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7547 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7548 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7551 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7552 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7553 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7556 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7557 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7558 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7559 decoded articles as unread.
7561 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7562 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7563 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7564 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7566 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7567 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7568 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7570 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7571 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7573 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7574 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7575 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7576 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7578 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7579 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7580 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7581 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7582 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7583 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7584 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7585 simply dropped them.
7590 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7591 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7595 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7596 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7597 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7598 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7599 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7600 for you when you post the article.
7602 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7603 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7604 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7605 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7607 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7608 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7609 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7610 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7611 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7612 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7613 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7615 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7616 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7617 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7618 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7619 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7620 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7621 Default is @code{t}.
7627 @subsection Viewing Files
7628 @cindex viewing files
7629 @cindex pseudo-articles
7631 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7632 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7633 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7634 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7635 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7636 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7637 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7639 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7640 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7641 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7642 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7644 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7645 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7646 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7648 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7649 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7650 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7651 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7652 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7654 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7655 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7656 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7657 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7658 a list of parameters to that command.
7660 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7661 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7662 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7664 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7665 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7666 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7669 @node Article Treatment
7670 @section Article Treatment
7672 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7673 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7674 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7675 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7676 these articles easier.
7679 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7680 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7681 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7682 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7683 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7684 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7685 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7686 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7687 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7688 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7692 @node Article Highlighting
7693 @subsection Article Highlighting
7694 @cindex highlighting
7696 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7697 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7702 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7703 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7704 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7705 Do much highlighting of the current article
7706 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7707 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7710 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7711 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7712 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7713 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7714 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7715 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7716 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7717 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7718 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7719 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7720 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7721 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7724 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7725 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7726 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7728 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7731 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7733 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7734 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7735 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7737 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7738 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7739 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7741 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7742 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7743 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7744 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7745 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7746 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7748 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7749 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7750 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7752 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7753 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7754 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7756 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7757 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7758 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7759 that it's a citation.
7761 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7762 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7763 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7765 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7766 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7767 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7769 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7770 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7771 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7772 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7778 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7779 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7780 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7781 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7782 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7783 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7784 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7785 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7790 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7793 @node Article Fontisizing
7794 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7796 @cindex article emphasis
7798 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7799 @kindex W e (Summary)
7800 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7801 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7802 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7803 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7805 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7806 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7807 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7808 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7809 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7810 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7811 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7812 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7816 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7817 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7818 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7827 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7828 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7829 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7830 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7831 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7832 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7833 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7834 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7835 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7836 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7837 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7838 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7839 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7841 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7842 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7843 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7847 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7850 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7852 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7853 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7854 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7855 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7857 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7860 @node Article Hiding
7861 @subsection Article Hiding
7862 @cindex article hiding
7864 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7865 too much cruft in most articles.
7870 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7871 @findex gnus-article-hide
7872 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7873 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7874 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7877 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7878 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7879 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7883 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7884 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7885 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7886 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7889 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7890 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7891 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7895 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7896 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7897 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7898 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7899 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7900 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7901 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7902 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7906 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7907 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7908 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7909 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7914 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7915 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7916 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7917 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7918 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7919 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7920 articles that have signatures in them do:
7922 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7924 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7926 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7927 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7929 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7932 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7937 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7938 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7939 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7940 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7943 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7944 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7947 @cindex stripping advertisements
7948 @cindex advertisements
7949 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7950 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7951 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7952 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7953 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7954 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7955 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7956 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7957 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7958 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7962 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7963 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7964 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7965 customizing the hiding:
7969 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7970 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7971 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7972 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7973 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7974 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7975 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7980 Starting point of the hidden text.
7982 Ending point of the hidden text.
7984 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7986 Number of lines of hidden text.
7989 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7990 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7991 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7992 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7993 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7998 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7999 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8001 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8002 following two variables:
8005 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8006 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8007 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8008 50), hide the cited text.
8010 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8011 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8012 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8017 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8018 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8019 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8020 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8021 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8022 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8026 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8027 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8028 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8030 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8031 citation customization.
8033 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8037 @node Article Washing
8038 @subsection Article Washing
8040 @cindex article washing
8042 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8043 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8045 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8046 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8049 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8050 articles by default.
8055 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8056 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8060 @kindex W l (Summary)
8061 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8062 Remove page breaks from the current article
8063 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8067 @kindex W r (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8069 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8070 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8071 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8072 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8073 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8075 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8076 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8077 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8078 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8082 @kindex W t (Summary)
8084 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8085 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8086 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8089 @kindex W v (Summary)
8090 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8091 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8092 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8095 @kindex W o (Summary)
8096 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8097 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8100 @kindex W d (Summary)
8101 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8102 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8104 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8106 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8107 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8108 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8109 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8112 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8113 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8114 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8115 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8118 @kindex W k (Summary)
8119 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8120 @cindex Outlook Express
8121 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8122 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8125 @kindex W w (Summary)
8126 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8127 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8129 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8133 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8134 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8135 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8138 @kindex W C (Summary)
8139 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8140 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8141 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8144 @kindex W c (Summary)
8145 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8146 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8147 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8148 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8149 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8152 @kindex W q (Summary)
8153 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8154 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8155 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8156 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8157 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8158 readable to me. Note that this is usually done automatically by
8159 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8160 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8161 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8164 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8165 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8166 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8167 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8168 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8169 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8170 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8172 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8175 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8176 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8177 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8178 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8179 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8182 @kindex W u (Summary)
8183 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8184 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8185 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8186 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8187 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8190 @kindex W h (Summary)
8191 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8192 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8193 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8194 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8196 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8198 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8199 The default is to use the function specified by
8200 @code{mm-inline-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Customization, , , emacs-mime})
8201 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by the
8202 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8210 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8214 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8217 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8220 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8225 @kindex W b (Summary)
8226 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8227 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8228 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8231 @kindex W B (Summary)
8232 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8233 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8234 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8237 @kindex W p (Summary)
8238 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8239 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8240 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8241 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8242 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8243 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8244 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8247 @kindex W s (Summary)
8248 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8249 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8250 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8253 @kindex W a (Summary)
8254 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8255 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8256 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8259 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8260 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8261 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8262 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8265 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8266 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8267 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8268 lines with a single empty line.
8269 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8272 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8273 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8274 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8275 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8278 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8279 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8280 Do all the three commands above
8281 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8284 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8285 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8286 Remove all blank lines
8287 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8290 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8291 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8292 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8293 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8296 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8297 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8298 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8299 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8303 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8306 @node Article Header
8307 @subsection Article Header
8309 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8314 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8315 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8316 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8319 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8320 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8321 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8322 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8325 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8326 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8327 Fold all the message headers
8328 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8332 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8333 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8334 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8339 @node Article Buttons
8340 @subsection Article Buttons
8343 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8344 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8345 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8346 button on these references.
8348 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8349 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8350 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8355 @item gnus-button-alist
8356 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8357 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8360 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8366 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8367 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8368 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a variable containing a
8369 regexp, useful variables to use include @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8372 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8373 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8374 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8377 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8378 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8379 avoid false matches.
8382 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8385 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8386 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8390 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8393 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8396 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8397 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8398 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8399 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8400 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8403 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8406 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8408 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8409 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8410 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8411 default values of the variables above.
8413 @item gnus-article-button-face
8414 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8415 Face used on buttons.
8417 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8418 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8419 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8423 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8427 @subsection Article Date
8429 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8430 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8431 when the article was sent.
8436 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8437 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8438 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8439 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8442 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8443 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8445 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8446 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8449 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8450 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8451 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8454 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8455 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8456 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8457 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8460 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8461 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8462 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8463 @findex format-time-string
8464 Display the date using a user-defined format
8465 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8466 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8467 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8468 for a list of possible format specs.
8471 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8472 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8473 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8474 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8475 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8476 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8479 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8482 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8483 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8486 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8487 into wonderful absurdities.
8489 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8492 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8495 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8496 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8500 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8501 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8502 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8503 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8504 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8505 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8506 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8510 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8511 preferred format automatically.
8514 @node Article Display
8515 @subsection Article Display
8520 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8521 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8523 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8524 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8526 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8527 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8529 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8530 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8532 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8537 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8538 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8539 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8540 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8543 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8545 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8548 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8549 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8550 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8553 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8555 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8556 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8559 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8560 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8561 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8562 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8565 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8566 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8567 Remove all images from the article buffer
8568 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8574 @node Article Signature
8575 @subsection Article Signature
8577 @cindex article signature
8579 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8580 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8581 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8582 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8583 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8584 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8585 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8586 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8587 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8590 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8591 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8592 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8593 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8594 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8595 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8596 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8597 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8600 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8603 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8604 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8605 signature when displaying articles.
8609 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8612 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8615 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8616 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8618 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8619 in question is not a signature.
8622 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8623 listed above. Here's an example:
8626 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8627 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8630 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8631 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8632 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8633 signature after all.
8636 @node Article Miscellania
8637 @subsection Article Miscellania
8641 @kindex A t (Summary)
8642 @findex gnus-article-babel
8643 Translate the article from one language to another
8644 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8650 @section MIME Commands
8651 @cindex MIME decoding
8653 @cindex viewing attachments
8655 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8656 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8662 @kindex K v (Summary)
8663 View the @sc{mime} part.
8666 @kindex K o (Summary)
8667 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8670 @kindex K c (Summary)
8671 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8674 @kindex K e (Summary)
8675 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8678 @kindex K i (Summary)
8679 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8682 @kindex K | (Summary)
8683 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8686 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8691 @kindex K b (Summary)
8692 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8693 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8697 @kindex K m (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8699 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8700 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8701 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8702 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8705 @kindex X m (Summary)
8706 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8707 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8708 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8709 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8712 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8713 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8714 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8715 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8718 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8719 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8720 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8723 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8724 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8725 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8727 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8728 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8729 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8730 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8731 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8732 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8735 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8736 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8737 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8744 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8745 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8746 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8747 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8750 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8753 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8757 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8758 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8759 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8760 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8761 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8762 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8765 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8766 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8767 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8768 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8769 displayed. This variable overrides
8770 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8772 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8773 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8774 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8776 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8777 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8778 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8779 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8780 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8781 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8782 save all jpegs into some directory).
8784 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8787 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8788 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8790 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8791 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8792 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8793 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8794 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8797 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8798 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8799 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8801 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8802 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8803 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8804 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8806 Ready-made functions include@*
8807 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8808 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8809 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8810 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8811 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8812 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8813 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8814 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8815 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8816 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8817 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8818 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8820 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8821 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8823 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8824 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8825 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8828 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8829 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8830 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8831 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8835 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8844 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8845 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8846 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8847 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8848 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8849 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8850 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8852 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8853 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8854 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8855 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8857 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8858 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8859 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8860 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8861 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8862 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8863 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8864 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8866 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8867 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8868 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8869 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8870 quoted-printable header encoding.
8872 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8873 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8874 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8878 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8881 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8882 means encode all charsets),
8884 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8885 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8886 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8893 @cindex coding system aliases
8894 @cindex preferred charset
8896 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8898 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8899 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8902 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8903 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8906 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8907 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8909 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8912 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8915 This will almost do the right thing.
8917 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8921 (codepage-setup 1251)
8922 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8926 @node Article Commands
8927 @section Article Commands
8934 @kindex A P (Summary)
8935 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8936 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8937 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8938 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8939 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8940 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8945 @node Summary Sorting
8946 @section Summary Sorting
8947 @cindex summary sorting
8949 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8950 can't really see why you'd want that.
8955 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8956 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8957 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8960 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8961 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8962 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8965 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8966 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8967 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8970 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8971 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8972 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8975 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8976 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8977 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8980 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8981 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8982 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8985 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8986 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8987 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8990 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8991 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8992 Sort using the default sorting method
8993 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8996 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8997 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8998 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8999 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9000 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9004 @node Finding the Parent
9005 @section Finding the Parent
9006 @cindex parent articles
9007 @cindex referring articles
9012 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9013 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9014 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9015 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9016 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9017 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9018 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9019 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9020 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9022 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9023 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9024 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9025 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9026 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9030 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9031 @kindex A R (Summary)
9032 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9033 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9036 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9037 @kindex A T (Summary)
9038 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9039 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9040 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9041 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9042 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9043 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9044 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9046 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9047 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9048 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9049 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9050 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9051 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9054 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9055 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9057 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9058 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9059 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9060 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9061 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9062 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9063 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9066 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9067 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9068 by giving this command a prefix.
9070 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9071 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9072 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9073 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9074 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9075 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9078 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9079 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9080 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9083 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9084 then ask Deja if that fails:
9087 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9089 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
9092 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9093 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9094 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9095 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9096 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9097 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9098 support this at all.
9101 @node Alternative Approaches
9102 @section Alternative Approaches
9104 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9105 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9108 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9109 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9114 @subsection Pick and Read
9115 @cindex pick and read
9117 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9118 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9119 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9120 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9122 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9123 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9124 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9125 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9126 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9127 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9129 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9134 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9135 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9136 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9137 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9138 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9139 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9140 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9141 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9144 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9145 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9146 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9147 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9151 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9152 Unpick the thread or article
9153 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9154 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9155 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9156 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9157 the thread or article at that line.
9161 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9162 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9163 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9164 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9165 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9166 will still be visible when you are reading.
9170 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9171 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9172 which is mapped to the same function
9173 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9175 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9178 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9181 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9182 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9184 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9185 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9186 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9188 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9189 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9190 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9191 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9192 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9193 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9194 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9198 @subsection Binary Groups
9199 @cindex binary groups
9201 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9202 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9203 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9204 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9205 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9206 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9207 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9210 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9211 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9212 command, when you have turned on this mode
9213 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9215 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9216 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9220 @section Tree Display
9223 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9224 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9225 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9226 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9229 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9232 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9233 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9234 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9236 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9237 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9238 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9239 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9240 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9242 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9243 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9244 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9245 default is @code{modeline}.
9247 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9248 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9249 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9250 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9251 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9252 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9253 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9259 The name of the poster.
9261 The @code{From} header.
9263 The number of the article.
9265 The opening bracket.
9267 The closing bracket.
9272 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9274 Variables related to the display are:
9277 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9278 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9279 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9280 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9281 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9282 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9284 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9285 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9286 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9287 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9291 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9292 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9293 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9294 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9295 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9296 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9297 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9298 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9299 other windows displayed next to it.
9301 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9305 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9306 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9309 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9310 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9311 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9312 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9313 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9314 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9315 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9319 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9322 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9332 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9336 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9337 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9339 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9341 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9346 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9347 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9348 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9351 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9352 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9353 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9354 (gnus-add-configuration
9358 (summary 0.75 point)
9363 @xref{Window Layout}.
9366 @node Mail Group Commands
9367 @section Mail Group Commands
9368 @cindex mail group commands
9370 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9371 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9373 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9374 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9379 @kindex B e (Summary)
9380 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9381 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9382 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9383 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9384 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9387 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9388 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9389 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9390 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9391 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9392 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9395 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9396 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9397 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9398 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9399 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9400 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9403 @kindex B m (Summary)
9405 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9406 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9407 Move the article from one mail group to another
9408 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9409 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9412 @kindex B c (Summary)
9414 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9415 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9416 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9417 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9418 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9421 @kindex B B (Summary)
9422 @cindex crosspost mail
9423 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9424 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9425 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9426 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9427 be properly updated.
9430 @kindex B i (Summary)
9431 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9432 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9433 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9434 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9437 @kindex B I (Summary)
9438 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9439 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9440 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9441 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9444 @kindex B r (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9446 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9447 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9448 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9449 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9450 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9451 (which is the default).
9455 @kindex B w (Summary)
9457 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9458 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9459 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9460 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9461 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9462 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9463 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9466 @kindex B q (Summary)
9467 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9468 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9469 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9470 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9473 @kindex B t (Summary)
9474 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9475 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9476 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9479 @kindex B p (Summary)
9480 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9481 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9482 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9483 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9484 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9485 article from your news server (or rather, from
9486 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9487 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9488 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9489 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9490 just not have arrived yet.
9493 @kindex K E (Summary)
9494 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9495 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9496 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9497 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9498 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9502 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9503 @cindex moving articles
9504 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9505 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9506 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9507 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9508 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9509 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9510 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9513 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9514 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9515 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9516 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9520 @node Various Summary Stuff
9521 @section Various Summary Stuff
9524 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9525 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9526 * Summary Generation Commands::
9527 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9531 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9532 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9533 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9535 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9536 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9537 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9538 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9539 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9540 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9543 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9544 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9545 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9546 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9547 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9549 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9550 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9551 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9554 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9555 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9556 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9557 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9558 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9559 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9560 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9561 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9562 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9563 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9565 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9566 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9567 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9568 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9569 list of articles to be selected.
9571 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9572 the list in one particular group:
9575 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9576 (if (string= group "some.group")
9577 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9581 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9582 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9583 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9584 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9585 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9586 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9587 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9588 buffers. For example:
9591 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9592 '(message-use-followup-to
9593 (gnus-visible-headers .
9594 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9600 @node Summary Group Information
9601 @subsection Summary Group Information
9606 @kindex H f (Summary)
9607 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9608 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9609 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9610 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9611 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9612 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9613 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9614 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9615 be used for fetching the file.
9618 @kindex H d (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9620 Give a brief description of the current group
9621 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9622 rereading the description from the server.
9625 @kindex H h (Summary)
9626 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9627 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9628 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9631 @kindex H i (Summary)
9632 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9633 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9637 @node Searching for Articles
9638 @subsection Searching for Articles
9643 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9645 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9646 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9649 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9650 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9651 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9652 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9656 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9657 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9658 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9659 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9660 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9661 search backward instead.
9663 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9664 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9667 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9668 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9669 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9670 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9673 @node Summary Generation Commands
9674 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9679 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9680 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9681 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9684 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9685 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9686 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9687 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9692 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9693 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9699 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9700 @kindex A D (Summary)
9701 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9702 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9703 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9704 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9705 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9706 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9707 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9708 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9712 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9713 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9714 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9715 several documents into one biiig group
9716 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9717 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9718 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9719 command understands the process/prefix convention
9720 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9723 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9724 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9725 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9726 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9727 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9728 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9732 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9733 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9734 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9737 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9738 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9739 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9740 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9743 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9744 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9745 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9746 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9751 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9752 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9753 @cindex summary exit
9754 @cindex exiting groups
9756 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9757 group and return you to the group buffer.
9763 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9765 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9766 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9767 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9768 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9769 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9770 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9771 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9772 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9773 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9774 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9775 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9779 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9781 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9782 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9783 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9787 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9789 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9790 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9791 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9792 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9795 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9796 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9797 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9798 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9801 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9802 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9803 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9804 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9807 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9808 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9809 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9810 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9811 all articles, both read and unread.
9815 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9816 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9817 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9818 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9819 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9820 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9821 articles, both read and unread.
9824 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9825 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9826 Exit the group and go to the next group
9827 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9830 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9831 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9832 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9833 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9836 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9837 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9838 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9839 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9840 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9841 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9844 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9845 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9846 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9847 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9849 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9850 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9851 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9852 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9853 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9854 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9855 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9856 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9857 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9858 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9859 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9860 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9862 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9864 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9865 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9866 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9867 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9868 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9869 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9870 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9871 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9872 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9875 @node Crosspost Handling
9876 @section Crosspost Handling
9880 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9881 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9882 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9883 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9884 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9885 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9888 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9889 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9890 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9891 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9892 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9894 @cindex cross-posting
9897 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9898 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9899 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9900 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9901 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9902 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9903 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9904 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9905 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9906 the cross reference mechanism.
9908 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9909 @cindex overview.fmt
9910 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9911 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9912 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9913 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9914 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9915 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9918 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9919 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9920 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9925 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9928 @node Duplicate Suppression
9929 @section Duplicate Suppression
9931 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9932 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9933 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9934 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9939 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9940 is evil and not very common.
9943 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9944 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9947 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9948 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9951 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9954 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9955 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9957 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9958 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9959 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9960 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9961 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9962 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9963 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9966 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9967 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9968 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9969 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9970 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9974 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9975 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9976 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9978 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9979 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9980 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9981 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9982 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9983 session are suppressed.
9985 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9986 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9987 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9988 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9990 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9991 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9992 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9993 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9996 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9997 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9998 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9999 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10000 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10001 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10002 to you to figure out, I think.
10007 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10008 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10009 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10013 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10014 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10017 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10018 or newer is recommended.
10022 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10023 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10026 @item mm-verify-option
10027 @vindex mm-verify-option
10028 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10029 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10030 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10032 @item mm-decrypt-option
10033 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10034 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10035 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10036 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10041 @section Mailing List
10043 @kindex A M (summary)
10044 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10045 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10046 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10047 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10048 summary buffer, or say:
10051 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10054 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10059 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10060 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10061 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10064 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10065 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10066 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10069 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10070 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10071 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10075 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10076 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10077 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10080 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10081 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10082 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10085 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10086 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10087 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10091 @node Article Buffer
10092 @chapter Article Buffer
10093 @cindex article buffer
10095 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10096 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10097 tell Gnus otherwise.
10100 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10101 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10102 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10103 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10104 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10108 @node Hiding Headers
10109 @section Hiding Headers
10110 @cindex hiding headers
10111 @cindex deleting headers
10113 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10114 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10116 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10117 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10118 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10119 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10120 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10121 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10122 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10123 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10124 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10126 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10130 @item gnus-visible-headers
10131 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10132 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10133 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10134 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10136 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10137 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10140 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10143 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10146 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10147 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10148 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10149 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10150 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10151 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10153 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10154 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10157 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10160 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10163 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10164 variable will have no effect.
10168 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10169 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10170 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10171 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10172 the headers are to be displayed.
10174 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10175 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10178 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10181 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10182 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10184 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10185 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10186 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10187 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10188 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10189 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10190 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10193 These conditions are:
10196 Remove all empty headers.
10198 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10199 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10201 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10202 @code{From} header.
10204 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10207 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10208 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10210 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10213 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10215 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10218 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10221 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10222 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10225 This is also the default value for this variable.
10229 @section Using MIME
10232 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10233 while people stand around yawning.
10235 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10236 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10238 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10239 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10240 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10242 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10243 @findex gnus-display-mime
10244 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10245 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10246 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10247 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10249 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10253 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10254 @item RET (Article)
10255 @kindex RET (Article)
10256 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10257 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10258 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10259 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10260 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10261 object is displayed inline.
10263 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10264 @item M-RET (Article)
10265 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10267 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10268 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10270 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10272 @kindex t (Article)
10273 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10274 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10276 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10278 @kindex C (Article)
10279 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10280 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10282 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10284 @kindex o (Article)
10285 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10286 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10288 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10289 @item C-o (Article)
10290 @kindex C-o (Article)
10291 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10292 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10293 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10294 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10295 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10296 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10298 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10300 @kindex c (Article)
10301 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10302 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10304 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10306 @kindex p (Article)
10307 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10308 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10309 @file{.mailcap} file.
10311 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10313 @kindex i (Article)
10314 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10315 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10316 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10317 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10318 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10321 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10323 @kindex E (Article)
10324 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10325 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10326 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10328 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10330 @kindex e (Article)
10331 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10332 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10334 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10336 @kindex | (Article)
10337 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10339 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10341 @kindex . (Article)
10342 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10343 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10347 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10348 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10351 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10352 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10353 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10354 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10355 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10356 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10357 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10358 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10359 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10361 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10363 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10366 @node Customizing Articles
10367 @section Customizing Articles
10368 @cindex article customization
10370 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10371 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10372 called automatically when you select the articles.
10374 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10375 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10376 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10377 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10379 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10380 for sensible values.
10384 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10387 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10390 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10393 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10396 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10400 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10401 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10402 regexps in the list.
10405 A list where the first element is not a string:
10407 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10408 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10409 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10413 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10418 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10419 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10420 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10421 considered to contain just a single part.
10423 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10424 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10425 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10426 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10427 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10428 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10429 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10431 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10432 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10433 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10434 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10437 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10438 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10440 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10442 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10443 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10444 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10445 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10446 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10447 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10448 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10449 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10450 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10451 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10453 @xref{Article Washing}.
10455 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10456 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10457 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10458 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10459 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10460 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10461 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10463 @xref{Article Date}.
10465 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10466 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10467 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10471 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10473 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10475 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10476 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10477 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10481 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10485 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10486 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10487 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10488 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10489 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10490 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10491 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10492 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10494 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10496 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10497 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10498 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10500 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10502 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10503 @item gnus-treat-translate
10504 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10506 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10507 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10508 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10509 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10511 @xref{Article Header}.
10516 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10517 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10518 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10519 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10520 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10524 @node Article Keymap
10525 @section Article Keymap
10527 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10528 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10529 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10530 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10533 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10538 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10539 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10540 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10543 @kindex DEL (Article)
10544 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10545 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10548 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10549 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10550 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10551 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10552 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10555 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10556 @findex gnus-article-mail
10557 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10558 given a prefix, include the mail.
10561 @kindex s (Article)
10562 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10563 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10564 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10567 @kindex ? (Article)
10568 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10569 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10570 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10573 @kindex TAB (Article)
10574 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10575 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10576 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10579 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10580 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10581 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10584 @kindex R (Article)
10585 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10586 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10587 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10588 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10592 @kindex F (Article)
10593 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10594 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10595 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10596 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10604 @section Misc Article
10608 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10609 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10610 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10611 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10614 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10615 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10617 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10618 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10620 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10621 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10622 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10623 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10624 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10625 the contents of the article buffer.
10627 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10628 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10629 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10631 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10632 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10633 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10634 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10636 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10637 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10638 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10639 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10640 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10646 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10647 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10648 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10653 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10656 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10659 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10660 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10661 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10664 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10667 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10670 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10675 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10679 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10681 @item gnus-break-pages
10682 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10683 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10684 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10685 paging will not be done.
10687 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10688 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10689 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10694 @node Composing Messages
10695 @chapter Composing Messages
10696 @cindex composing messages
10699 @cindex sending mail
10704 @cindex using s/mime
10705 @cindex using smime
10707 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10708 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10709 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10710 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10711 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10712 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10715 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10716 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10717 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10718 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10719 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10720 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10721 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10722 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10725 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10726 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10732 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10735 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10736 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10737 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10738 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10740 @item gnus-add-to-list
10741 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10742 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10743 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10745 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10746 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10747 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10748 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10749 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10754 @node Posting Server
10755 @section Posting Server
10757 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10758 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10760 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10762 It can be quite complicated.
10764 @vindex gnus-post-method
10765 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10766 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10767 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10768 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10769 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10770 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10771 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10772 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10773 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10776 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10779 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10780 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10781 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10782 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10784 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10785 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10787 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10788 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10791 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10792 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10794 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10795 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10796 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10797 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10798 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10799 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10800 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10801 package correctly. An example:
10804 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10805 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10808 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10809 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10810 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10812 @node Mail and Post
10813 @section Mail and Post
10815 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10819 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10820 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10821 @cindex mailing lists
10823 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10824 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10825 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10826 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10827 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10828 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10829 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10830 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10831 still a pain, though.
10835 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10836 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10837 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10840 @findex ispell-message
10842 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10845 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10846 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10849 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10853 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10854 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10856 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10859 Modify to suit your needs.
10862 @node Archived Messages
10863 @section Archived Messages
10864 @cindex archived messages
10865 @cindex sent messages
10867 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10868 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10869 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10870 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10873 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
10874 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
10877 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10878 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10879 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10882 (nnfolder "archive"
10883 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10884 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10885 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10886 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10889 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10890 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10891 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10892 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10895 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10896 '(nnfolder "archive"
10897 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10898 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10899 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10902 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10904 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10905 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10906 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10908 This variable can be used to do the following:
10913 Messages will be saved in that group.
10915 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10916 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10917 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10918 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10919 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10920 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10921 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10922 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10926 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10928 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10929 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10932 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10937 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10939 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10942 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10944 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10947 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10949 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10950 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10951 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10952 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10955 More complex stuff:
10957 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10958 '((if (message-news-p)
10963 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10964 messages in one file per month:
10967 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10968 '((if (message-news-p)
10970 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10973 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10974 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10976 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10977 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10978 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10979 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10980 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10981 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10982 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10983 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10984 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10985 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10987 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10988 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10989 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10990 this will disable archiving.
10993 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10994 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10995 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10996 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10997 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11000 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11001 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11002 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11005 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11006 but the latter is the preferred method.
11008 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11009 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11010 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11012 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11013 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11014 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11015 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11016 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11017 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11018 changed in the future.
11023 @node Posting Styles
11024 @section Posting Styles
11025 @cindex posting styles
11028 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11030 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11031 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11032 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11035 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11036 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11037 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11038 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11039 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11044 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11045 (organization "What me?"))
11047 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11048 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11049 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11052 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11053 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11054 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11055 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11056 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11057 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11058 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11059 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11061 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11062 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11063 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11064 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11065 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. If it's a function symbol, that
11066 function will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol,
11067 then the variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list
11068 will be @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil}
11069 value, then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
11071 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11072 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11073 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11074 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11075 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11076 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11077 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11078 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11079 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11080 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11083 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11084 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11085 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11086 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11087 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11088 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11089 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11090 references chars lines xref extra.
11092 @vindex message-reply-headers
11094 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11095 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11096 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11098 @findex message-mail-p
11099 @findex message-news-p
11101 So here's a new example:
11104 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11106 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11108 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11109 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11111 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11112 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11113 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11114 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11115 (signature my-news-signature))
11116 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11117 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11118 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11119 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
11120 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11121 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11122 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11123 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11124 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11125 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11127 (From (save-excursion
11128 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11129 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11131 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11134 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11135 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11136 if you fill many roles.
11143 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11144 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11145 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11146 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11147 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11149 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11150 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11151 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11152 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11153 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11157 @vindex nndraft-directory
11158 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11159 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11160 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11161 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11162 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11163 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11165 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11166 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11169 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11170 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11171 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11172 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11173 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11174 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11175 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11176 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11177 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11178 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11179 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11180 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11181 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11182 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11184 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11185 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11186 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11188 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11189 @kindex D e (Draft)
11190 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11191 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11192 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11194 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11197 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11198 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11199 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11200 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11201 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11202 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11203 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11206 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11207 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11208 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11211 @node Rejected Articles
11212 @section Rejected Articles
11213 @cindex rejected articles
11215 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11216 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11217 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11218 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11220 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11221 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11222 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11223 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11224 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11226 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11227 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11228 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11230 @node Signing and encrypting
11231 @section Signing and encrypting
11233 @cindex using s/mime
11234 @cindex using smime
11236 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11237 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11238 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11239 (@pxref{Security}).
11241 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11242 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11243 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11245 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11246 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11247 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11248 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11249 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11250 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11251 automatically encrypted messages.
11253 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11254 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11255 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11260 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11261 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11263 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11266 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11267 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11269 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11272 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11273 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11275 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11278 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11279 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11281 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11284 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11285 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11287 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11290 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11291 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11293 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11296 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11297 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11298 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11302 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11304 @node Select Methods
11305 @chapter Select Methods
11306 @cindex foreign groups
11307 @cindex select methods
11309 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11310 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11311 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11312 personal mail group.
11314 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11315 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11316 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11317 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11318 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11319 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11321 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11322 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11324 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11327 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11328 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11329 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11330 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11331 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11333 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11336 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11337 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11338 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11339 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11340 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11341 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11342 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11343 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11347 @node Server Buffer
11348 @section Server Buffer
11350 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11351 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11352 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11353 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11354 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11355 back end represents a virtual server.
11357 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11358 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11359 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11360 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11362 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11363 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11364 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11365 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11366 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11367 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11368 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11370 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11371 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11374 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11375 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11376 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11377 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11378 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11379 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11380 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11383 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11384 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11387 @node Server Buffer Format
11388 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11389 @cindex server buffer format
11391 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11392 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11393 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11394 variable, with some simple extensions:
11399 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11402 The name of this server.
11405 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11408 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11411 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11412 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11413 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11414 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11424 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11427 @node Server Commands
11428 @subsection Server Commands
11429 @cindex server commands
11435 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11436 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11440 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11441 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11444 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11445 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11446 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11450 @findex gnus-server-exit
11451 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11455 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11456 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11460 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11461 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11465 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11466 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11470 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11471 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11475 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11476 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11477 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11482 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11483 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11484 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11485 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11490 @node Example Methods
11491 @subsection Example Methods
11493 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11496 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11499 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11505 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11506 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11509 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11510 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11512 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11513 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11517 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11520 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11521 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11523 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11524 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11525 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11529 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11532 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11535 Here's the method for a public spool:
11539 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11540 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11546 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11547 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11548 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11549 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11550 should probably look something like this:
11554 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11555 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11556 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11557 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11560 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11561 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11562 configuration to the example above:
11565 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11568 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11570 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11571 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11572 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11576 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11577 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11578 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11579 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11582 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11583 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11584 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11585 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11588 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11589 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11591 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11592 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11594 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11595 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11596 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11598 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11600 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11601 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11602 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11603 will contain the following:
11613 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11614 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11615 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11618 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11619 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11620 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11623 @node Server Variables
11624 @subsection Server Variables
11626 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11627 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11628 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11629 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11630 won't change the "derived" variables.
11632 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11633 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11634 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11635 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11636 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11637 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11638 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11639 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11640 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11644 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11645 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11646 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11650 @node Servers and Methods
11651 @subsection Servers and Methods
11653 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11654 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11655 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11656 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11660 @node Unavailable Servers
11661 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11663 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11664 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11665 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11666 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11667 actually the case or not.
11669 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11670 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11671 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11672 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11673 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11674 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11675 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11676 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11678 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11679 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11681 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11682 with the following commands:
11688 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11689 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11690 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11694 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11695 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11696 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11700 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11701 Mark the current server as unreachable
11702 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11705 @kindex M-o (Server)
11706 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11707 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11708 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11711 @kindex M-c (Server)
11712 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11713 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11714 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11718 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11719 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11720 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11724 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11725 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11731 @section Getting News
11732 @cindex reading news
11733 @cindex news back ends
11735 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11736 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11737 or it can read from a local spool.
11740 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11741 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11749 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11750 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11751 server as the, uhm, address.
11753 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11754 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11755 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11756 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11758 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11759 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11760 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11762 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11767 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11768 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11769 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11771 @cindex authentification
11772 @cindex nntp authentification
11773 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11774 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11775 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11776 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11777 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11778 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11779 present in this hook.
11781 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11782 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11783 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11784 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11785 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11786 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11787 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11788 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11789 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11790 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11791 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11792 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11796 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11799 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11801 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11802 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11803 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11804 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11805 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11806 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11807 @samp{force} is explained below.
11811 Here's an example file:
11814 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11815 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11818 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11819 have to be first, for instance.
11821 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11822 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11823 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11824 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11825 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11826 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11827 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11829 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11830 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11836 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11837 previously mentioned.
11839 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11841 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11842 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11843 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11844 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11845 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11848 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11849 '(("innd" (ding))))
11852 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11854 The default value is
11857 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11858 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11859 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11862 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11863 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11865 @item nntp-maximum-request
11866 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11867 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11868 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11869 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11870 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11871 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11872 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11874 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11875 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11876 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11877 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11878 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11879 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11880 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11881 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11882 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11883 no timeouts are done.
11885 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11886 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11887 @c @cindex PPP connections
11888 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11889 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11890 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11891 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11892 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11893 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11894 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11895 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11896 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11897 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11899 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11900 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11901 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11902 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11903 @c described above.
11905 @item nntp-server-hook
11906 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11907 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11910 @item nntp-buggy-select
11911 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11912 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11914 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11915 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11916 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11917 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11920 @item nntp-xover-commands
11921 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11924 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11925 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11929 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11930 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11931 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11932 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11933 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11934 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11935 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11936 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11937 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11938 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11939 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11941 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11942 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11943 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11945 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11946 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11947 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11948 server closes connection.
11950 @item nntp-record-commands
11951 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11952 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11953 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11954 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11955 that doesn't seem to work.
11957 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11958 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11959 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11960 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11961 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11962 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11963 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11964 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11966 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11967 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11968 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11969 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11970 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11971 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11972 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11975 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11978 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11979 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11983 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11984 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11985 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11989 @node Direct Functions
11990 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11991 @cindex direct connection functions
11993 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11994 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11995 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11996 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11999 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12000 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12001 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12004 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12005 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12006 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12007 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12008 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12009 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12010 define a server as follows:
12013 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12015 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12017 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12018 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12019 (nntp-port-number "snews")
12020 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12023 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12024 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12025 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12026 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12027 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12028 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12029 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12030 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12034 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12035 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12036 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12039 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12040 session, which is not a good idea.
12044 @node Indirect Functions
12045 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12046 @cindex indirect connection functions
12048 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12049 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12050 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12051 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12052 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12053 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12056 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12057 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12058 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12059 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12060 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12062 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12065 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12066 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12067 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12068 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12070 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12071 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12072 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12073 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12074 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12075 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12076 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12077 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12080 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12081 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12082 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12083 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12085 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12088 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12089 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12090 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12093 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12094 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12095 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12096 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12098 @item nntp-via-user-password
12099 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12100 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12102 @item nntp-via-envuser
12103 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12104 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12105 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12106 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12108 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12109 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12110 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12111 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12118 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12123 @item nntp-via-user-name
12124 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12125 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12127 @item nntp-via-address
12128 @vindex nntp-via-address
12129 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12134 @node Common Variables
12135 @subsubsection Common Variables
12137 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12138 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12143 @item nntp-pre-command
12144 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12145 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12146 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12147 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12148 wrapper for instance.
12151 @vindex nntp-address
12152 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12154 @item nntp-port-number
12155 @vindex nntp-port-number
12156 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12158 @item nntp-end-of-line
12159 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12160 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12161 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12162 using a non native connection function.
12164 @item nntp-telnet-command
12165 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12166 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12167 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12168 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12170 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12171 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12172 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12179 @subsection News Spool
12183 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12184 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12185 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12188 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12189 anything else) as the address.
12191 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12192 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12193 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12194 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12198 @item nnspool-inews-program
12199 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12200 Program used to post an article.
12202 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12203 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12204 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12206 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12207 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12208 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12209 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12211 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12212 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12213 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12214 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12216 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12217 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12218 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12220 @item nnspool-active-file
12221 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12222 The path to the active file.
12224 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12225 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12226 The path to the group descriptions file.
12228 @item nnspool-history-file
12229 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12230 The path to the news history file.
12232 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12233 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12234 The path to the active date file.
12236 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12237 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12238 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12241 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12242 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12244 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12245 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12246 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12252 @section Getting Mail
12253 @cindex reading mail
12256 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12260 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12261 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12262 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12263 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12264 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12265 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12266 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12267 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12268 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12269 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12270 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12271 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12272 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12276 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12277 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12279 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12280 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12281 of a culture shock.
12283 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12284 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12286 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12287 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12288 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12289 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12291 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12293 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12294 deleted? How awful!
12296 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12297 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12298 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12299 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12302 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12303 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12304 they want to treat a message.
12306 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12307 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12308 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12309 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12310 archived somewhere else.
12312 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12313 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12314 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12315 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12316 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12318 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12319 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12320 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12322 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12323 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12326 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12327 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12328 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12329 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12330 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12332 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12333 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12334 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12335 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12336 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12337 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12341 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12342 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12344 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12345 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12346 and things will happen automatically.
12348 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12349 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12352 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12355 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12356 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12357 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12358 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12359 like any other group.
12361 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12364 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12365 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12366 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12370 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12371 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12372 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12375 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12376 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12377 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12380 @node Splitting Mail
12381 @subsection Splitting Mail
12382 @cindex splitting mail
12383 @cindex mail splitting
12385 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12386 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12387 to be split into groups.
12390 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12391 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12392 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12393 ("mail.other" "")))
12396 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12397 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12398 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12399 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12400 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12401 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12402 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12405 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12408 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12409 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12410 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12411 mail belongs in that group.
12413 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12414 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12415 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12416 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12417 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12418 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12420 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12421 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12422 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12423 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12424 thinks should carry this mail message.
12426 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12427 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12428 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12429 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12431 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12432 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12433 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12434 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12435 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12437 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12440 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12441 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12442 links. If that's the case for you, set
12443 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12444 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12446 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12447 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12448 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12449 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12450 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12451 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12454 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12455 Header lines longer than the value of
12456 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12459 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12460 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12461 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12462 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12463 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12464 can be turned off completely by binding
12465 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12466 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12468 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12469 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12470 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12471 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12472 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12473 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12474 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12475 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12476 month's rent money.
12480 @subsection Mail Sources
12482 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12483 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12487 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12488 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12489 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12493 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12494 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12496 @cindex mail server
12499 @cindex mail source
12501 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12502 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12507 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12510 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12511 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12512 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12515 The following mail source types are available:
12519 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12525 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12526 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12529 An example file mail source:
12532 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12535 Or using the default path:
12541 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12542 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12543 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12546 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12550 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12553 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12557 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12560 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12562 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12565 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12569 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12570 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12571 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12572 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12573 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12574 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12575 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12576 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12582 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12586 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12590 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12591 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12592 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12593 predicate are considered.
12597 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12601 An example directory mail source:
12604 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12609 Get mail from a POP server.
12615 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12616 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12619 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12620 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12621 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12622 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12623 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12626 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12630 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12634 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12635 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12638 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12641 The valid format specifier characters are:
12645 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12646 included in this string.
12649 The name of the server.
12652 The port number of the server.
12655 The user name to use.
12658 The password to use.
12661 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12662 corresponding keywords.
12665 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12666 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12669 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12670 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12673 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12674 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12677 @item :authentication
12678 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12679 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12684 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12685 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12687 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12688 default user name, and default fetcher:
12694 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12697 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12698 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12701 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12704 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12708 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12709 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12710 contains exactly one mail.
12716 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12717 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12720 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12721 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12723 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12724 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12725 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12728 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12729 from locking problems).
12733 Two example maildir mail sources:
12736 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12737 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12741 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12746 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12747 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12748 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12749 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12752 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12753 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12759 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12760 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12763 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12764 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12767 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12771 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12775 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12776 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12777 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12778 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12780 @item :authentication
12781 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12782 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12783 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12784 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12787 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12788 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12789 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12795 The valid format specifier characters are:
12799 The name of the server.
12802 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12805 The port number of the server.
12808 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12809 corresponding keywords.
12812 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12813 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12816 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12817 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12818 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12819 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12820 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12821 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
12824 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12825 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12826 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12827 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
12830 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12831 after finishing the fetch.
12835 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12838 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12840 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12844 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
12845 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
12846 @uref{www.my-deja.com}.
12848 NOTE: Now @uref{mail.yahoo.com} provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12851 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12852 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12854 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12860 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12861 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12864 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12868 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12872 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12873 folder after finishing the fetch.
12877 An example webmail source:
12880 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12882 :password "secret")
12887 @item Common Keywords
12888 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12894 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12895 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12899 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12904 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12905 useful when you use local mail and news.
12910 @subsubsection Function Interface
12912 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12913 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12914 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12915 consider the following mail-source setting:
12918 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12919 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12922 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12923 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12924 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12925 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12926 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12928 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12931 @node Mail Source Customization
12932 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12934 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12935 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12939 @item mail-source-crash-box
12940 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12941 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12942 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12944 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12945 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12946 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12948 @item mail-source-directory
12949 @vindex mail-source-directory
12950 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12951 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12952 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12955 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12956 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12957 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12958 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12959 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12960 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12962 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12963 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12964 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12966 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12967 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12968 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12969 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12974 @node Fetching Mail
12975 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12977 @vindex mail-sources
12978 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12979 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12980 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12981 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12983 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12984 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12987 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12988 mail server, you'd say something like:
12993 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12994 :password "secret")))
12997 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13001 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13002 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13005 :password "secret")))
13009 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13010 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13011 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13012 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13013 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13014 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13018 @node Mail Back End Variables
13019 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13021 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13025 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13026 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13027 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13028 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13030 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13031 @item nnmail-split-hook
13032 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13033 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13034 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13035 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13036 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13037 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13038 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13039 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13040 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13043 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13044 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13045 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13046 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13047 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13048 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13049 starting to handle the new mail) and
13050 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13051 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13052 default file modes the new mail files get:
13055 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13056 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13058 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13059 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13062 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13063 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13064 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13065 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13066 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13067 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13068 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13070 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13071 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13072 @findex delete-file
13073 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13075 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13076 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13077 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13078 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13079 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13081 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13082 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13083 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13084 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13085 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13087 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13088 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13089 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13094 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13095 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13096 @cindex mail splitting
13097 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13099 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13100 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13101 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13102 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13103 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13104 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13106 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13109 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13110 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13111 ;; from real errors.
13112 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13114 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13115 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13116 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13117 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13118 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13119 ;; Other mailing lists...
13120 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13121 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13122 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13123 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13124 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13125 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13126 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13127 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13129 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13130 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13134 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13135 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13136 the five possible split syntaxes:
13141 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13142 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13146 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13147 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13148 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13149 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13150 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13151 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13152 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13153 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13156 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13157 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13158 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13159 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13162 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13163 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13166 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13167 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13170 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13171 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13172 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13173 function should return a @var{split}.
13176 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13177 body of the messages:
13180 (defun split-on-body ()
13182 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13183 (goto-char (point-min))
13184 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13188 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13189 when the @code{:} function is run.
13192 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13193 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13194 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13198 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13202 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13203 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13204 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13205 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13206 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13208 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13209 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13210 are expanded as specified by the variable
13211 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13212 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13215 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13216 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13217 when all this splitting is performed.
13219 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13220 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13221 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13224 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13227 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13228 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13230 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13231 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13232 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13233 groupings 1 through 9.
13235 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13236 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13237 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13238 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13239 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13240 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13241 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13242 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13243 it once per thread.
13245 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13246 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13247 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13250 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13251 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13253 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13254 ;; other splits go here
13258 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13259 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13260 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13261 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13262 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13263 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13264 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13265 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13266 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13267 unless the group name matches the regexp
13268 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13269 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13270 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13271 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13272 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13273 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13274 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13275 messages goes into the new group.
13277 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13278 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13279 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13280 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13281 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13285 @node Group Mail Splitting
13286 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13287 @cindex mail splitting
13288 @cindex group mail splitting
13290 @findex gnus-group-split
13291 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13292 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13293 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13294 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13295 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13296 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13297 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13298 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13300 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13301 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13302 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13303 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13305 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13306 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13307 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13308 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13309 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13310 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13311 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13313 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13314 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13315 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13316 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13317 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13318 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13319 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13321 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13322 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13323 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13324 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13325 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13326 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13327 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13328 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13329 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13330 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13331 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13332 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13333 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13335 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13340 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13341 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13343 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13344 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13345 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13346 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13348 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13351 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13352 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13353 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13356 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13357 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13358 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13362 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13363 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13364 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13368 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13371 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13372 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13373 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13374 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13375 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13376 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13377 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13378 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13379 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13381 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13382 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13383 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13384 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13385 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13386 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13387 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13388 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13389 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13391 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13392 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13393 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13394 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13395 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13396 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13399 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13402 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13403 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13404 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13405 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13406 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13409 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13410 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13411 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13412 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13414 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13415 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13416 @cindex incorporating old mail
13417 @cindex import old mail
13419 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13420 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13421 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13424 Doing so can be quite easy.
13426 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13427 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13428 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13429 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13430 your @code{nnml} groups.
13436 Go to the group buffer.
13439 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13440 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13443 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13446 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13447 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13450 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13451 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13454 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13455 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13456 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13457 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13458 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13460 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13461 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13462 using the new mail back end.
13465 @node Expiring Mail
13466 @subsection Expiring Mail
13467 @cindex article expiry
13469 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13470 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13471 different approach to mail reading.
13473 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13474 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13475 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13476 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13477 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13478 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13481 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13482 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13483 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13484 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13485 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13486 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13487 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13488 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13490 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13491 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13492 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13493 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13494 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13495 column in the summary buffer.
13497 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13498 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13499 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13500 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13503 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13505 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13506 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13507 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13510 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13511 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13512 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13513 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13514 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13516 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13517 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13520 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13521 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13524 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13525 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13527 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13528 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13529 don't really mix very well.
13531 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13532 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13533 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13534 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13537 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13538 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13539 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13540 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13543 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13545 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13547 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13549 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13551 ((string= group "important")
13557 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13558 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13560 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13561 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13562 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13565 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13566 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13568 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13569 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13570 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13571 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13572 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13573 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13574 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13575 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13576 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13577 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13578 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13579 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13580 name or @code{delete}.
13582 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13584 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13587 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13588 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13589 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13590 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13591 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13594 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13595 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13596 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13597 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13598 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13601 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13602 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13603 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13604 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13605 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13606 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13608 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13609 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13610 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13611 easier for procmail users.
13613 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13614 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13615 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13616 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13617 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13618 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13619 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13620 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13621 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13622 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13623 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13624 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13625 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13628 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13630 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13631 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13632 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13633 auto-expire turned on.
13637 @subsection Washing Mail
13638 @cindex mail washing
13639 @cindex list server brain damage
13640 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13642 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13643 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13644 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13645 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13646 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13647 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13649 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13650 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13651 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13654 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13655 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13656 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13657 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13660 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13661 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13662 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13663 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13664 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13667 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13668 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13669 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13670 Emacs running on MS machines.
13674 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13675 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13676 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13677 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13680 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13681 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13682 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13683 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13685 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13686 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13687 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13688 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13689 into a feature by documenting it.)
13691 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13692 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13693 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13694 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13695 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13696 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13697 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13700 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13701 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13704 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13705 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13708 This can also be done non-destructively with
13709 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13711 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13712 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13713 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13715 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13716 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13718 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13719 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13720 @code{References} headers.
13724 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13725 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13726 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13730 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13731 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13732 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13739 @subsection Duplicates
13741 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13742 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13743 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13744 @cindex duplicate mails
13745 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13746 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13747 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13748 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13749 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13750 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13751 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13752 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13753 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13754 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13755 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13756 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13757 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13759 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13760 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13761 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13762 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13764 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13767 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13768 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13772 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13773 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13774 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13775 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13776 (any mail "mail.misc")
13783 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13784 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13789 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13790 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13791 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13792 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13793 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13796 @node Not Reading Mail
13797 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13799 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13800 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13801 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13803 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13804 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13805 mail, which should help.
13807 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13808 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13809 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13810 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13811 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13812 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13813 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13814 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13815 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13816 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13817 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13819 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13820 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13824 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13825 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13827 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13828 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13829 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13831 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13832 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13833 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13834 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13835 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13836 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13837 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13840 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13841 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13842 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13843 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13844 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13845 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13849 @node Unix Mail Box
13850 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13852 @cindex unix mail box
13854 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13855 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13856 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13857 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13858 which group it belongs in.
13860 Virtual server settings:
13863 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13864 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13865 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13868 @item nnmbox-active-file
13869 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13870 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13871 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13873 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13874 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13875 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13876 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13881 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13885 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13886 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13887 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13888 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13889 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13891 Virtual server settings:
13894 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13895 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13896 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13898 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13899 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13900 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13901 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13903 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13904 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13905 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13911 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13913 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13915 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13916 format. It should be used with some caution.
13918 @vindex nnml-directory
13919 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13920 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13921 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13922 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13924 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13927 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13928 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13929 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13930 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13931 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13932 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13933 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13934 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13936 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13937 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13938 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
13939 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
13941 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13943 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13944 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13945 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13946 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13947 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13948 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13949 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13950 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13953 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13954 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13955 them next time it starts.
13957 Virtual server settings:
13960 @item nnml-directory
13961 @vindex nnml-directory
13962 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13963 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13966 @item nnml-active-file
13967 @vindex nnml-active-file
13968 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13969 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13971 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13972 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13973 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13974 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13976 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13977 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13978 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13981 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13982 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13983 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13984 default is @code{nil}.
13986 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13987 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13988 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13990 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13991 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13992 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13994 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13995 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13996 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13997 default is @code{nil}.
13999 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14000 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14001 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14003 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14004 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14005 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14010 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14011 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14012 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14013 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14014 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14015 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14016 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14021 @subsubsection MH Spool
14023 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14025 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14026 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14027 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14028 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14030 Virtual server settings:
14033 @item nnmh-directory
14034 @vindex nnmh-directory
14035 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14036 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14039 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14040 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14041 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14045 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14046 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14047 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14048 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14049 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14050 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14051 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14056 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14058 @cindex mbox folders
14059 @cindex mail folders
14061 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14062 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14063 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14066 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14068 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14069 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14070 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14071 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14072 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14073 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14074 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14075 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14076 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14077 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14079 Virtual server settings:
14082 @item nnfolder-directory
14083 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14084 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14085 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14088 @item nnfolder-active-file
14089 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14090 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14092 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14093 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14094 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14095 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14097 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14098 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14099 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14102 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14103 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14104 @cindex backup files
14105 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14106 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14107 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14108 your @file{.emacs} file:
14111 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14112 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14114 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14117 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14118 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14119 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14120 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14121 extract some information from it before removing it.
14123 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14124 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14125 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14126 default is @code{nil}.
14128 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14129 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14130 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14132 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14133 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14134 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14135 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14137 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14138 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14139 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14140 default is @code{nil}.
14142 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14143 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14144 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14146 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14147 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14148 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14149 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14154 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14155 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14156 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14157 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14158 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14159 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14162 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14163 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14165 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14166 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14167 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14168 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14169 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14171 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14172 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14173 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14174 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14175 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14176 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14177 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14178 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14181 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14182 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14183 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14184 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14189 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14190 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14191 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14192 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14193 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14194 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14195 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14196 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14197 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14198 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14199 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14200 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14201 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14206 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14207 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14208 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14209 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14210 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14211 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14212 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14213 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14214 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14215 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14216 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14217 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14218 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14219 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14221 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14222 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14227 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14228 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14229 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14230 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14231 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14232 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14233 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14234 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14235 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14236 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14237 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14238 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14239 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14240 provided by the active file and overviews.
14242 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14243 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14244 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14245 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14246 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14249 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14250 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14255 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14256 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14257 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14258 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14259 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14260 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14261 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14265 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14266 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14267 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14268 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14269 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14270 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14271 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14272 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14273 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14275 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14276 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14277 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14278 friendly mail back end all over.
14282 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14283 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14284 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14285 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14286 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14287 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14288 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14289 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14292 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14293 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14294 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14295 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14296 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14297 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14298 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14299 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14300 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14301 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14302 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14304 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14305 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14306 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14307 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14308 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14309 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14310 This will probably be changed in the future.
14312 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14313 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14314 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14315 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14316 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14319 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14320 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14322 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14323 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14324 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14325 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14326 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14327 would) to make it use less memory.
14329 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14330 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14331 depending in part on your filesystem.
14333 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14334 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14339 @node Browsing the Web
14340 @section Browsing the Web
14342 @cindex browsing the web
14346 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14347 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14348 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14349 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14350 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14351 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14352 even know what a news group is.
14354 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14355 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14356 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14357 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14358 you mad in the end.
14360 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14363 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14364 interfaces to these sources.
14368 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14369 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14370 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14371 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14372 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14373 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14376 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14378 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14379 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14380 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14381 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14382 though, you should be ok.
14384 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14385 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14386 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14387 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14388 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14390 @node Archiving Mail
14391 @subsection Archiving Mail
14392 @cindex archiving mail
14393 @cindex backup of mail
14395 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14396 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14397 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14398 marks is fairly simple.
14400 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14401 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14404 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14405 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14406 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14407 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14408 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14409 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14410 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14411 before you restore the data.
14413 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14414 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14415 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14416 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14417 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14418 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14419 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14420 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14421 is unnecessary in that case.
14424 @subsection Web Searches
14429 @cindex InReference
14430 @cindex Usenet searches
14431 @cindex searching the Usenet
14433 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14434 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14435 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14436 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14437 searches without having to use a browser.
14439 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14440 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14441 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14442 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14443 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14445 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14446 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14447 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14448 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14449 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14450 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14451 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14452 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14453 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14454 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14457 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14458 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14459 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14460 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14461 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14462 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14464 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14465 to use @code{nnweb}.
14467 Virtual server variables:
14472 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14473 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and
14477 @vindex nnweb-search
14478 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14480 @item nnweb-max-hits
14481 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14482 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14485 @item nnweb-type-definition
14486 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14487 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14488 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14493 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14497 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14500 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14503 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14507 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14514 @subsection Slashdot
14518 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14519 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14520 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14522 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14523 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14526 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14527 '((nnslashdot "")))
14530 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14531 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14532 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14533 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14534 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14537 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14538 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14540 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14541 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14542 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14543 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14544 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14545 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14548 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14551 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14552 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14553 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14554 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14555 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14556 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14557 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14559 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14560 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14561 The login name to use when posting.
14563 @item nnslashdot-password
14564 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14565 The password to use when posting.
14567 @item nnslashdot-directory
14568 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14569 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14570 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14572 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14573 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14574 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14575 news articles and comments. The default is
14576 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14578 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14579 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14580 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14582 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14584 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14585 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14586 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14588 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14590 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14591 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14592 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14594 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14595 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14596 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14597 updated. The default is 0.
14604 @subsection Ultimate
14606 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14608 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14609 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14610 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14611 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14613 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14614 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14615 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14616 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14617 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14618 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14619 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14621 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14624 @item nnultimate-directory
14625 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14626 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14627 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14632 @subsection Web Archive
14634 @cindex Web Archive
14636 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14637 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14638 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14639 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14642 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14643 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14644 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14645 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14646 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14647 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14648 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14650 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14653 @item nnwarchive-directory
14654 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14655 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14656 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14658 @item nnwarchive-login
14659 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14660 The account name on the web server.
14662 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14663 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14664 The password for your account on the web server.
14672 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14673 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14674 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14677 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14678 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14681 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14684 @item nnrss-directory
14685 @vindex nnrss-directory
14686 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14687 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14691 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14692 the summary buffer.
14695 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14696 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14698 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14700 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14701 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14704 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14707 (require 'browse-url)
14709 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14711 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14714 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14715 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14717 (browse-url (cdr url))
14718 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14720 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14721 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14722 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14723 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14726 @node Customizing w3
14727 @subsection Customizing w3
14733 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14734 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14735 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14737 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14738 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14739 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14742 (eval-after-load "w3"
14744 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14745 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14746 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14747 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14749 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14752 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14753 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14762 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14763 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14764 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14765 specify the network address of the server.
14767 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14768 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14769 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14770 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14771 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14773 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14774 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14775 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14776 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14778 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14779 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14780 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14781 usage explained in this section.
14783 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14784 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14785 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14788 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14789 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14790 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14792 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14793 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14794 ; a UW server running on localhost
14796 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14797 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14798 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14799 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14800 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14801 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14802 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14803 (nnimap-stream network))
14804 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14806 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14807 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14808 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14811 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14816 @item nnimap-address
14817 @vindex nnimap-address
14819 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14820 server name if not specified.
14822 @item nnimap-server-port
14823 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14824 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14826 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14829 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14830 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14833 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14834 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14835 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14836 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14837 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14838 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14839 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14841 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14842 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14843 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14846 Example server specification:
14849 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14850 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14851 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14854 @item nnimap-stream
14855 @vindex nnimap-stream
14856 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14857 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14858 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14859 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14861 Example server specification:
14864 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14865 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14868 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14872 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14873 @samp{imtest} program.
14875 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14877 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14878 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14881 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14882 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14883 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14885 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14887 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14890 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14891 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14892 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14893 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14894 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14895 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14896 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14897 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14898 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14901 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14902 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14903 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14904 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14905 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14906 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14907 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14908 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14909 distribution, for instance).
14911 @vindex imap-shell-program
14912 @vindex imap-shell-host
14913 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14914 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14916 @item nnimap-authenticator
14917 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14919 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14920 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14922 Example server specification:
14925 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14926 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14929 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14933 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14934 external program @code{imtest}.
14936 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14939 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14940 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14942 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14944 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14946 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14949 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14951 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14952 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14953 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14954 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14955 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14956 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14959 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14960 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14961 running in circles yet?
14963 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14964 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14967 The possible options are:
14972 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14975 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14976 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14977 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14978 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14980 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14985 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14986 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14988 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other
14989 @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still
14990 (only) be marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand
14991 out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap} clients. (In other
14992 words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap} has only one.)
14994 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14995 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14998 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14999 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15000 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15001 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15004 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15005 as ticked for other users.
15007 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15009 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15011 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15012 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15013 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15014 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15016 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15017 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15018 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15019 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15021 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15022 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15024 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15025 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15026 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15032 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15033 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15034 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15039 @node Splitting in IMAP
15040 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15041 @cindex splitting imap mail
15043 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15044 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15045 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15046 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15047 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15051 Here are the variables of interest:
15055 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15056 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15058 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15060 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15061 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15063 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15065 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15066 @cindex splitting, inbox
15068 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15070 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15071 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15075 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15076 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15079 No nnmail equivalent.
15081 @item nnimap-split-rule
15082 @cindex Splitting, rules
15083 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15085 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15088 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15089 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15090 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15091 Neither did I, we need examples.
15094 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15096 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15097 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15098 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15101 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15102 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15103 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15105 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15106 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15110 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15113 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15114 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15115 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15116 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15118 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15119 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15120 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15121 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15122 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15123 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15125 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15126 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15127 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15129 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15130 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15131 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15133 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15135 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15136 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15137 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15140 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15141 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15142 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15143 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15144 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15145 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15148 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15149 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15150 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15151 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15152 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15153 group/function elements.
15155 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15157 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15159 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15161 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15162 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15164 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15165 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15166 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15169 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15170 @cindex splitting, fancy
15171 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15172 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15174 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15175 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15176 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15178 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15179 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15180 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15181 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15186 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15187 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15190 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15194 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15195 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15196 @cindex editing imap acls
15197 @cindex Access Control Lists
15198 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15200 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15202 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15203 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15204 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15207 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15208 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15209 editing window with detailed instructions.
15211 Some possible uses:
15215 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15216 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15217 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15219 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15220 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15221 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15225 @node Expunging mailboxes
15226 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15230 @cindex Manual expunging
15232 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15234 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15235 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15236 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15238 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15243 @node Other Sources
15244 @section Other Sources
15246 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15247 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15251 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15252 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15253 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15254 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15255 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15259 @node Directory Groups
15260 @subsection Directory Groups
15262 @cindex directory groups
15264 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15265 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15268 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15269 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15270 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15271 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15273 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15274 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15275 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15276 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15277 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15279 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15281 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15282 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15283 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15284 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15287 @node Anything Groups
15288 @subsection Anything Groups
15291 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15292 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15293 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15296 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15297 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15298 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15299 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15300 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15301 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15302 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15303 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15304 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15305 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15308 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15309 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15310 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15311 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15313 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15314 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15315 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15316 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15318 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15319 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15320 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15321 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15322 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15323 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15324 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15325 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15330 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15331 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15332 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15333 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15335 @item nneething-exclude-files
15336 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15337 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15338 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15340 @item nneething-include-files
15341 @vindex nneething-include-files
15342 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15343 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15345 @item nneething-map-file
15346 @vindex nneething-map-file
15347 Name of the map files.
15351 @node Document Groups
15352 @subsection Document Groups
15354 @cindex documentation group
15357 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15358 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15365 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15370 The standard Unix mbox file.
15372 @cindex MMDF mail box
15374 The MMDF mail box format.
15377 Several news articles appended into a file.
15380 @cindex rnews batch files
15381 The rnews batch transport format.
15382 @cindex forwarded messages
15385 Forwarded articles.
15388 Netscape mail boxes.
15391 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15393 @item standard-digest
15394 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15397 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15399 @item lanl-gov-announce
15400 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15402 @item rfc822-forward
15403 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15406 The Outlook mail box.
15409 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15412 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15415 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15418 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15424 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15427 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15433 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15434 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15435 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15438 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15439 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15440 group. And that's it.
15442 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15443 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15444 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15445 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15446 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15447 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15448 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15449 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15450 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15451 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15453 Virtual server variables:
15456 @item nndoc-article-type
15457 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15458 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15459 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15460 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15461 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15462 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15464 @item nndoc-post-type
15465 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15466 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15467 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15472 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15476 @node Document Server Internals
15477 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15479 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15480 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15481 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15482 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15484 First, here's an example document type definition:
15488 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15489 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15492 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15493 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15494 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15495 types can be defined with very few settings:
15498 @item first-article
15499 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15500 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15503 @item article-begin
15504 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15505 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15507 @item head-begin-function
15508 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15511 @item nndoc-head-begin
15512 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15515 @item nndoc-head-end
15516 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15517 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15519 @item body-begin-function
15520 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15524 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15527 @item body-end-function
15528 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15532 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15535 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15536 regexp will be totally ignored.
15540 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15541 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15542 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15543 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15544 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15547 @item prepare-body-function
15548 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15549 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15550 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15552 @item article-transform-function
15553 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15554 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15555 body of the article.
15557 @item generate-head-function
15558 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15559 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15560 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15561 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15565 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15570 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15571 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15572 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15573 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15574 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15575 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15576 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15577 (subtype digest guess))
15580 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15581 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15582 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15583 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15584 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15586 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15587 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15588 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15589 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15590 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
15591 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15592 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15593 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15594 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15595 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15603 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15604 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15605 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15607 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15608 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15609 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15612 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15613 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15614 that interested in doing things properly.
15616 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15617 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15620 First some terminology:
15625 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15626 get news and/or mail from.
15629 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15630 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15633 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15637 @item message packets
15638 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15639 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15640 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15642 @item response packets
15643 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15644 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15645 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15655 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15656 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15657 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15658 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15661 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15664 You put the packet in your home directory.
15667 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15668 the native or secondary server.
15671 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15672 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15675 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15679 You transfer this packet to the server.
15682 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15685 You then repeat until you die.
15689 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15690 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15693 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15694 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15695 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15699 @node SOUP Commands
15700 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15702 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15706 @kindex G s b (Group)
15707 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15708 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15709 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15710 process/prefix convention.
15713 @kindex G s w (Group)
15714 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15715 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15718 @kindex G s s (Group)
15719 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15720 Send all replies from the replies packet
15721 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15724 @kindex G s p (Group)
15725 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15726 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15729 @kindex G s r (Group)
15730 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15731 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15734 @kindex O s (Summary)
15735 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15736 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15737 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15738 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15743 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15748 @item gnus-soup-directory
15749 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15750 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15751 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15753 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15754 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15755 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15756 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15758 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15759 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15760 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15761 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15763 @item gnus-soup-packer
15764 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15765 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15766 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15768 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15769 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15770 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15771 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15773 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15774 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15775 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15777 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15778 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15779 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15780 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15786 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
15789 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15790 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15791 you can read them at leisure.
15793 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15797 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15798 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15799 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15800 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15802 @item nnsoup-directory
15803 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15804 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15805 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15807 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15808 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15809 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15810 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15812 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15813 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15814 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15815 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15816 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15818 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15819 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15820 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15821 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15823 @item nnsoup-active-file
15824 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15825 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15826 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15827 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15828 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15830 @item nnsoup-packer
15831 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15832 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15833 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15835 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15836 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15837 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15838 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15840 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15841 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15842 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15845 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15846 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15847 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15850 @item nnsoup-always-save
15851 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15852 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15858 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15860 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15861 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15862 more for that to happen.
15864 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15865 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15866 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15869 In specific, this is what it does:
15872 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15873 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15876 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15877 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15878 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15881 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15882 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15883 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15886 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15887 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15888 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15890 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15896 @item nngateway-address
15897 @vindex nngateway-address
15898 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15900 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15901 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15902 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15903 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15904 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15905 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15906 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15909 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15910 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15911 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15914 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15917 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
15920 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15923 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15925 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15928 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15929 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15930 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15932 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15934 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15935 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15936 @code{nngateway-address}.
15941 (setq gnus-post-method
15943 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15944 (nngateway-header-transformation
15945 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15953 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15956 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15961 @node Combined Groups
15962 @section Combined Groups
15964 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15968 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15969 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15973 @node Virtual Groups
15974 @subsection Virtual Groups
15976 @cindex virtual groups
15977 @cindex merging groups
15979 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15982 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15983 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15984 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15986 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15987 regexp to match component groups.
15989 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15990 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15991 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15992 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15993 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15994 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15995 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15996 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15998 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15999 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16002 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16005 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16006 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16008 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16009 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16010 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16011 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16014 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16017 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16018 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16019 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16021 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16022 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16023 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16024 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16025 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16027 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16028 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16029 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16031 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16032 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16033 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16034 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16035 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16036 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16037 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16038 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16039 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16040 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16041 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16043 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16044 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16045 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16046 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16047 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16048 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16049 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16051 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16052 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16054 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16055 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16059 @node Kibozed Groups
16060 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16064 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16065 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16066 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16067 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16069 @kindex G k (Group)
16070 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16073 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16074 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16075 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16076 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16078 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16079 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16080 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16082 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16083 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16084 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16085 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16086 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16087 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16088 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16089 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16091 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16092 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16093 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16094 Stranger things have happened.
16096 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16097 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16099 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16100 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16101 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16102 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16103 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16104 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16106 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16107 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16110 @node Gnus Unplugged
16111 @section Gnus Unplugged
16116 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16118 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16119 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16120 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16121 read news. Believe it or not.
16123 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16124 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16125 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16126 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16127 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16129 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16130 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16131 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16132 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16133 reading news on a machine.
16135 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
16139 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
16140 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
16144 Then, put the following magical incantation in your @file{.gnus.el}
16148 (setq gnus-agent t)
16152 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
16154 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16157 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16158 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16159 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16160 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16161 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16162 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16163 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16164 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16165 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16166 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16171 @subsection Agent Basics
16173 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16175 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16176 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16177 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16178 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16180 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16181 connected to the net continuously.
16183 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16184 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16186 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16191 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16192 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16193 already fetched while in this mode.
16196 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16197 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16198 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16199 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16200 Source Specifiers}).
16203 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16204 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16205 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16206 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16207 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16210 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16211 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16212 then you read the news offline.
16215 And then you go to step 2.
16218 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16224 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16225 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16226 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16227 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16228 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
16229 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
16232 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16239 @node Agent Categories
16240 @subsection Agent Categories
16242 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16243 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16244 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16245 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16246 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16247 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16248 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16250 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16251 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16252 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16253 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16254 managing categories.
16257 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16258 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16259 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16263 @node Category Syntax
16264 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16266 A category consists of two things.
16270 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16271 are eligible for downloading; and
16274 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16275 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16276 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16279 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16280 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16281 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16282 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16284 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16285 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16286 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16288 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16289 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16290 operators sprinkled in between.
16292 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16294 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16295 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16301 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16302 short (for some value of ``short'').
16304 Here's a more complex predicate:
16313 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16314 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16317 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16318 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16319 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16321 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16322 you want to do, you can write your own.
16326 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16327 lines; default 100.
16330 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16331 lines; default 200.
16334 True iff the article has a download score less than
16335 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16338 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16339 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16342 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16343 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16344 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16353 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16354 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16355 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16358 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16359 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16360 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16361 something along the lines of the following:
16364 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16365 "Say whether an article is old."
16366 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16367 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16370 with the predicate then defined as:
16373 (not my-article-old-p)
16376 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16377 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16381 (require 'gnus-agent)
16382 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16383 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16384 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16387 and simply specify your predicate as:
16393 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16394 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16395 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16396 just don't give a damn.
16398 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16399 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16400 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16401 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16402 parameters like so:
16405 (agent-predicate . short)
16408 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16409 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16410 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16412 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16415 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16418 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16419 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16420 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16423 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16424 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16425 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16426 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16427 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16428 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16430 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16431 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16432 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16433 if it's to be specific to that group.
16435 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16442 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16443 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16449 Category specification
16453 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16459 Group Parameter specification
16462 (agent-score ("from"
16463 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16468 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16474 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16481 Category specification
16484 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16490 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16494 Group Parameter specification
16497 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16500 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16505 Use @code{normal} score files
16507 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16508 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16509 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16510 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16512 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16513 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16514 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16515 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16519 Category Specification
16526 Group Parameter specification
16529 (agent-score . file)
16534 @node Category Buffer
16535 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16537 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16538 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16539 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16541 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16545 @kindex q (Category)
16546 @findex gnus-category-exit
16547 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16550 @kindex k (Category)
16551 @findex gnus-category-kill
16552 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16555 @kindex c (Category)
16556 @findex gnus-category-copy
16557 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16560 @kindex a (Category)
16561 @findex gnus-category-add
16562 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16565 @kindex p (Category)
16566 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16567 Edit the predicate of the current category
16568 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16571 @kindex g (Category)
16572 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16573 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16574 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16577 @kindex s (Category)
16578 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16579 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16580 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16583 @kindex l (Category)
16584 @findex gnus-category-list
16585 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16589 @node Category Variables
16590 @subsubsection Category Variables
16593 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16594 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16595 Hook run in category buffers.
16597 @item gnus-category-line-format
16598 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16599 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16600 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16604 The name of the category.
16607 The number of groups in the category.
16610 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16611 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16612 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16614 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16615 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16616 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16618 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16619 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16620 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16622 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16623 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16624 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16627 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16628 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16629 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16635 @node Agent Commands
16636 @subsection Agent Commands
16638 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16639 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16640 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16644 * Group Agent Commands::
16645 * Summary Agent Commands::
16646 * Server Agent Commands::
16649 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16650 following incantation:
16652 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16654 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16659 @node Group Agent Commands
16660 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16664 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16665 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16666 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16667 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16670 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16671 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16672 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16675 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16676 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16677 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16678 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16681 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16682 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16683 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16684 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16687 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16688 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16689 Add the current group to an Agent category
16690 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16691 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16694 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16695 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16696 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16697 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16698 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16701 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16702 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16703 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16709 @node Summary Agent Commands
16710 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16714 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16715 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16716 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16719 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16720 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16721 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16722 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16725 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16726 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16727 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16730 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16731 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16732 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16735 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16736 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16737 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16738 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16743 @node Server Agent Commands
16744 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16748 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16749 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16750 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16751 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16754 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16755 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16756 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16757 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16763 @subsection Agent Expiry
16765 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16766 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16767 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16768 @cindex Agent expiry
16769 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16772 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16773 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16774 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16775 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16776 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16777 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16779 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16780 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16781 expiry in different groups.
16784 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16790 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16791 method---it must always match all groups.
16793 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16794 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16795 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16796 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16797 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16799 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
16800 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
16801 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
16802 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
16804 @node Agent and IMAP
16805 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16807 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16808 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16809 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16810 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16812 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16813 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16814 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16815 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16817 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16818 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16819 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16820 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16821 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16823 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16824 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16825 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16826 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16827 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16828 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16830 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16831 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16832 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16833 in the group buffer by default.
16835 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16836 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16841 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16844 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16848 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16849 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16850 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16851 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16852 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16853 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16854 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16855 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16858 @node Outgoing Messages
16859 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16861 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16862 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16863 after posting, and edit them at will.
16865 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16866 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16867 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16868 messages in the draft group.
16872 @node Agent Variables
16873 @subsection Agent Variables
16876 @item gnus-agent-directory
16877 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16878 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16879 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16881 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16882 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16883 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16884 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16885 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16888 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16889 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16890 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16892 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16893 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16894 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16896 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16897 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16898 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16900 @item gnus-agent-cache
16901 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16902 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and articles when
16905 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16906 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16907 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16908 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16909 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16910 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16911 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16917 @node Example Setup
16918 @subsection Example Setup
16920 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16921 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16922 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16925 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16926 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16927 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16929 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16930 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16931 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16933 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16934 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16936 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16937 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
16938 (setq gnus-agent t)
16941 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16942 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16945 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16946 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16947 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16948 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16949 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16952 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16953 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16954 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16955 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16956 back all the killed groups.)
16958 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16959 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16960 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16963 @node Batching Agents
16964 @subsection Batching Agents
16966 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16967 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16968 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16972 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16976 @node Agent Caveats
16977 @subsection Agent Caveats
16979 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16980 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16984 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16988 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16990 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16994 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16995 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16996 locally stored articles.
17003 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17004 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17005 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17008 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17009 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17010 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17011 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17012 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17014 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17015 before generating the summary buffer.
17017 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17018 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17019 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17021 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17022 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17023 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17024 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17027 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17028 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17029 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17030 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17031 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17032 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17033 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17034 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17035 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17036 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17037 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17038 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17039 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17040 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17041 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17042 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17043 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17047 @node Summary Score Commands
17048 @section Summary Score Commands
17049 @cindex score commands
17051 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17052 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17053 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17054 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17055 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17057 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17058 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17059 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17060 score file the current one.
17062 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17067 @kindex V s (Summary)
17068 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17069 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17072 @kindex V S (Summary)
17073 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17074 Display the score of the current article
17075 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17078 @kindex V t (Summary)
17079 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17080 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17081 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17084 @kindex V w (Summary)
17085 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17086 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17089 @kindex V R (Summary)
17090 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17091 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17092 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17093 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17094 effect you're having.
17097 @kindex V c (Summary)
17098 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17099 Make a different score file the current
17100 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17103 @kindex V e (Summary)
17104 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17105 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17106 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17110 @kindex V f (Summary)
17111 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17112 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17113 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17116 @kindex V F (Summary)
17117 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17118 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17119 after editing score files.
17122 @kindex V C (Summary)
17123 @findex gnus-score-customize
17124 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17125 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17129 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17134 @kindex V m (Summary)
17135 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17136 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17137 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17140 @kindex V x (Summary)
17141 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17142 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17143 expunge all articles below this score
17144 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17147 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17148 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17151 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17152 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17156 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17157 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17159 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17160 keys are available:
17164 Score on the author name.
17167 Score on the subject line.
17170 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17173 Score on the @code{References} line.
17179 Score on the number of lines.
17182 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17185 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17186 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17189 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17190 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17191 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17200 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17206 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17207 what headers you are scoring on.
17219 Substring matching.
17222 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17251 Greater than number.
17256 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17257 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17258 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17263 Temporary score entry.
17266 Permanent score entry.
17269 Immediately scoring.
17273 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17274 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17275 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17279 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17280 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17281 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17282 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17284 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17285 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17286 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17287 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17288 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17290 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17291 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17292 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17293 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17294 current score file.
17296 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17297 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17298 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17301 @node Group Score Commands
17302 @section Group Score Commands
17303 @cindex group score commands
17305 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17310 @kindex W f (Group)
17311 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17312 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17313 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17314 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17318 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17320 @findex gnus-batch-score
17321 @cindex batch scoring
17323 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17327 @node Score Variables
17328 @section Score Variables
17329 @cindex score variables
17333 @item gnus-use-scoring
17334 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17335 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17336 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17338 @item gnus-kill-killed
17339 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17340 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17341 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17342 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17343 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17344 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17345 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17347 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17348 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17349 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17350 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17351 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17353 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17354 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17355 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17356 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17358 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17359 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17360 @cindex score cache
17361 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17362 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17363 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
17364 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17365 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17366 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17369 @item gnus-save-score
17370 @vindex gnus-save-score
17371 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17372 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17373 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17375 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17376 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17377 across group visits.
17379 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17380 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17381 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17382 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17383 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17384 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17385 manually entered data.
17387 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17388 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17389 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17391 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17392 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17393 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17394 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17395 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17396 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17398 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17399 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17400 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17401 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17403 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17404 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17405 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17406 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17408 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17409 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17410 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17411 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17413 Predefined functions available are:
17416 @item gnus-score-find-single
17417 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17418 Only apply the group's own score file.
17420 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17421 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17422 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17423 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17424 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17425 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17426 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17427 then a regexp match is done.
17429 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17430 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17432 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17433 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17434 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17435 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17437 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17438 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17439 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17440 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17441 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17445 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17446 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17447 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17448 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17449 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17450 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17451 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17454 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17455 overall score file, you could use the value
17457 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17458 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17461 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17462 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17463 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17464 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17465 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17467 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17468 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17469 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17470 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17471 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17472 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17473 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17474 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17476 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17477 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17478 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17480 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17481 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17482 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17483 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17484 threading---according to the current value of
17485 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17486 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17487 simplified in this manner.
17492 @node Score File Format
17493 @section Score File Format
17494 @cindex score file format
17496 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17497 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17498 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17500 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17504 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17506 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17508 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17510 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17515 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17519 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17520 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17521 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17522 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17526 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17527 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17529 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17530 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17531 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17533 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17538 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17539 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17540 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17541 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17542 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17543 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17544 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17545 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17546 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17547 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17548 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17549 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17550 to articles that matches these score entries.
17552 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17553 score entry has one to four elements.
17557 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17558 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17562 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17563 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17564 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17565 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17566 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17567 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17570 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17571 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17572 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17573 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17574 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17577 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17578 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17579 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17580 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17583 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17584 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17585 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17586 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17587 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17588 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17589 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17590 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17591 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17592 instead, if you feel like.
17595 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17596 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17597 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17598 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17599 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17600 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17603 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17607 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17608 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17610 These predicates are true if
17613 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17616 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17617 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17624 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17625 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17626 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17627 it's not. I think.)
17629 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17630 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17631 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17632 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17635 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17636 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17637 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17638 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17639 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17640 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17641 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17645 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17646 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17647 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17648 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17649 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17650 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17651 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17652 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17655 @item Head, Body, All
17656 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17660 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17661 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17662 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17663 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17664 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17665 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17666 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17670 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17671 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17672 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17673 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17674 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17675 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17676 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17677 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17678 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17679 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17680 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17684 @cindex Score File Atoms
17686 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17687 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17690 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17691 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17693 @item mark-and-expunge
17694 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17695 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17698 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17699 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17700 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17701 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17702 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17705 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17706 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17709 @item exclude-files
17710 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17711 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17715 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17716 ignored when handling global score files.
17719 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17720 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17721 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17722 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17725 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17726 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17727 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17728 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17730 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17734 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17737 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17738 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17739 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17740 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17741 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17743 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17744 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17745 scoring rules exist.
17748 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17749 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17750 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17751 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17752 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17753 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17754 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17755 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17756 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17757 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17758 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17762 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17763 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17764 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17765 file for a number of groups.
17768 @cindex local variables
17769 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17770 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17771 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17772 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17773 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17777 @node Score File Editing
17778 @section Score File Editing
17780 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17781 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17782 with a mode for that.
17784 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17785 additional commands:
17790 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17791 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17792 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17793 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17796 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17797 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17798 Insert the current date in numerical format
17799 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17800 you were wondering.
17803 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17804 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17805 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17806 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17807 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17812 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17814 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17815 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17817 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17818 e} to begin editing score files.
17821 @node Adaptive Scoring
17822 @section Adaptive Scoring
17823 @cindex adaptive scoring
17825 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17826 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17827 stupidity, to be precise.
17829 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17830 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17831 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17832 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17833 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17834 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17835 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17836 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17837 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17839 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17840 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17841 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17842 might look something like this:
17845 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17846 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17847 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17848 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17849 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17850 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17851 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17852 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17853 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17854 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17855 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17856 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17859 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17860 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17861 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17862 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17863 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17864 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17867 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17868 will be applied to each article.
17870 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17871 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17872 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17873 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17875 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17876 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17877 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17878 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17880 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17881 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17882 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17883 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17885 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17886 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17887 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17888 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17889 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17890 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17892 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17893 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17894 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17895 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17896 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17897 aspirins afterwards.)
17899 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17900 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17901 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17903 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17904 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17905 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17907 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17908 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17909 let you use different rules in different groups.
17911 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17912 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17913 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17916 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17917 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17918 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17919 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17920 the length of the match is less than
17921 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17922 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17925 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17926 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17927 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17928 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17929 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17932 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17933 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17934 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17935 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17936 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17939 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17940 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17941 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17942 score with 30 points.
17944 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17945 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17946 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17947 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17948 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17950 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17951 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17952 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17953 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17954 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17956 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17957 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17958 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17959 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17961 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17962 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17963 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17964 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17966 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17967 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17968 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17969 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17970 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17972 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17973 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17974 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17976 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17977 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17978 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17979 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17982 @node Home Score File
17983 @section Home Score File
17985 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17986 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17987 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17988 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17990 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17991 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17992 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17994 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17995 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18000 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18004 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18005 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18009 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18013 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18014 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18017 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18018 the home score file.
18021 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18024 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18029 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18032 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18033 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18036 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18037 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18039 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18041 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18042 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18045 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18046 Other functions include
18049 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18050 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18051 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18052 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18056 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18057 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18058 their own home score files:
18061 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18062 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18063 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18064 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18065 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18068 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18069 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18070 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18071 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18072 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18074 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18075 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18076 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18077 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18078 precedence over this variable.
18081 @node Followups To Yourself
18082 @section Followups To Yourself
18084 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18085 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18086 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18087 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18088 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18089 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18093 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18094 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18095 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18098 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18099 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18100 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18104 @vindex message-sent-hook
18105 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18106 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18108 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18112 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18113 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18117 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18118 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18121 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18122 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18127 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18131 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18132 is system-dependent.
18135 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18136 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18137 @cindex scoring on other headers
18139 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18140 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18141 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18142 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18143 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18145 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18146 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18147 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18148 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18149 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18151 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18154 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18155 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18158 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18159 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18160 time if you have much mail.
18162 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18163 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18169 @section Scoring Tips
18170 @cindex scoring tips
18176 @cindex scoring crossposts
18177 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18178 the @code{Xref} header.
18180 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18183 @item Multiple crossposts
18184 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18185 more than, say, 3 groups:
18188 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18192 @item Matching on the body
18193 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18194 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18195 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18196 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18197 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18198 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18199 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18202 @item Marking as read
18203 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18204 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18205 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18209 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18211 @item Negated character classes
18212 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18213 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18214 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18218 @node Reverse Scoring
18219 @section Reverse Scoring
18220 @cindex reverse scoring
18222 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18223 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18224 like this in your score file:
18228 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18233 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18234 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18237 @node Global Score Files
18238 @section Global Score Files
18239 @cindex global score files
18241 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18242 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18243 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18245 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18246 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18247 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18249 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18250 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18251 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18252 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18253 files are applicable to which group.
18255 To use the score file
18256 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18257 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18261 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18262 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18263 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18266 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18268 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18269 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18270 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18271 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18273 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18274 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18276 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18277 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18278 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18279 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18280 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18281 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18283 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18289 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18291 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18293 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18295 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18296 lowered out of existence.
18298 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18299 articles completely.
18302 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18303 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18304 old articles for a long time.
18307 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18308 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18309 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18310 holding our breath yet?
18314 @section Kill Files
18317 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18318 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18319 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18321 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18322 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18323 files into score files.
18325 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18326 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18327 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18328 that isn't a very good idea.
18330 Normal kill files look like this:
18333 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18334 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18338 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18339 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18341 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18342 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18345 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18350 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18351 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18352 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18355 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18356 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18357 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18360 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18365 @kindex M-k (Group)
18366 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18367 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18370 @kindex M-K (Group)
18371 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18372 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18375 Kill file variables:
18378 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18379 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18380 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18381 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18382 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18383 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18384 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18386 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18387 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18388 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18389 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18392 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18393 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18394 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18395 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18396 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18397 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18398 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18399 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18400 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18402 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18403 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18404 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18409 @node Converting Kill Files
18410 @section Converting Kill Files
18412 @cindex converting kill files
18414 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18415 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18416 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18419 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18420 You can fetch it from
18421 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18423 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18424 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18425 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18433 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18434 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18435 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18436 news articles generated every day.
18438 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18439 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18440 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18441 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18442 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18443 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18444 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18445 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18448 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18449 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18452 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18453 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18454 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18455 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18459 @node Using GroupLens
18460 @subsection Using GroupLens
18462 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18464 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18465 better bit in town at the moment.
18467 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18471 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18472 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18473 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18474 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18476 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18477 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18478 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18479 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18481 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18482 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18483 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18487 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18488 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18489 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18490 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18491 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18492 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18495 @node Rating Articles
18496 @subsection Rating Articles
18498 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18499 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18500 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18501 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18504 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18509 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18510 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18511 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18514 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18515 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18516 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18517 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18518 threads in rec.humor.
18522 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18523 the score of the article you're reading.
18528 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18529 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18530 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18533 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18534 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18535 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18539 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18540 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18543 @node Displaying Predictions
18544 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18546 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18547 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18548 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18549 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18550 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18552 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18553 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18554 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18555 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18556 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18557 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18558 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18559 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18560 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18561 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18562 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18563 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18564 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18566 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18567 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18568 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18569 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18571 The following are valid values for that variable.
18574 @item prediction-spot
18575 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18578 @item confidence-interval
18579 A numeric confidence interval.
18581 @item prediction-bar
18582 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18584 @item confidence-bar
18585 Numerical confidence.
18587 @item confidence-spot
18588 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18590 @item prediction-num
18591 Plain-old numeric value.
18593 @item confidence-plus-minus
18594 Prediction +/- confidence.
18599 @node GroupLens Variables
18600 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18604 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18605 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18606 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18607 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18610 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18611 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18614 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18615 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18617 @item grouplens-score-offset
18618 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18619 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18622 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18623 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18624 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18629 @node Advanced Scoring
18630 @section Advanced Scoring
18632 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18633 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18634 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18635 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18636 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18638 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18642 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18643 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18644 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18648 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18649 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18651 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18652 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18653 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18654 non-@code{nil} value.
18656 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18657 operator, and various match operators.
18664 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18665 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18666 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18671 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18672 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18673 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18678 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18679 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18683 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18684 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18685 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18686 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18687 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18688 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18689 the ancestry you want to go.
18691 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18692 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18693 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18694 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18695 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18698 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18699 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18701 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18702 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18705 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18706 when he's talking about Gnus:
18710 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18711 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18717 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18721 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18728 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18729 really don't want to read what he's written:
18733 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18734 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18738 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18739 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18740 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18747 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18748 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18749 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18750 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18754 The possibilities are endless.
18757 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18758 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18760 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18761 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18762 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18763 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18764 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18765 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18766 @samp{subject}) first.
18768 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18769 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18780 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18781 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18787 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18794 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18795 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18800 @section Score Decays
18801 @cindex score decays
18804 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18805 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18806 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18807 use them in any sensible way.
18809 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18810 @findex gnus-decay-score
18811 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18812 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18813 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18814 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18815 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18816 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18817 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18818 definition of that function:
18821 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18823 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18824 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18827 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18829 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18831 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18834 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18835 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18836 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18837 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18841 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18844 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18847 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18851 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18852 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18853 the new score, which should be an integer.
18855 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18856 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18861 @include message.texi
18862 @chapter Emacs MIME
18863 @include emacs-mime.texi
18865 @include sieve.texi
18873 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18874 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18875 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18876 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18877 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18878 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18879 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18880 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18881 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18882 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18883 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18884 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18885 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18886 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18887 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18888 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18889 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18890 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18891 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18895 @node Process/Prefix
18896 @section Process/Prefix
18897 @cindex process/prefix convention
18899 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18900 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18902 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18903 command to be performed on.
18907 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18908 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18909 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18910 with the current one.
18912 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18913 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18914 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18916 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18917 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18920 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18921 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18923 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18926 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18927 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18928 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18929 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18931 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18932 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18933 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18934 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18935 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18936 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18937 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18938 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18940 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18941 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18942 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18943 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18944 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18948 @section Interactive
18949 @cindex interaction
18953 @item gnus-novice-user
18954 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18955 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18956 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18957 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18958 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18961 @item gnus-expert-user
18962 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18963 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18964 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18965 matter how strange.
18967 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18968 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18969 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18970 is @code{t} by default.
18972 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18973 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18974 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18979 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18980 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18981 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18983 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18984 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18985 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18986 rule of 900 to the current article.
18988 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18989 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18990 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18991 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18992 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18993 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18994 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18996 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18997 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18998 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18999 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19000 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19001 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19002 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19003 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19004 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19006 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19007 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19008 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19010 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19014 @node Formatting Variables
19015 @section Formatting Variables
19016 @cindex formatting variables
19018 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19019 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19020 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19021 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19022 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19025 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19026 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19027 lots of percentages everywhere.
19030 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19031 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19032 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19033 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19034 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19035 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19036 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19037 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19040 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19041 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19042 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19043 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19044 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19045 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19046 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19047 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19049 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19050 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19052 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19053 @findex gnus-update-format
19054 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19055 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19056 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19057 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19061 @node Formatting Basics
19062 @subsection Formatting Basics
19064 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19065 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19066 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19068 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19069 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19070 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19071 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19072 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19075 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19076 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19077 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19078 less than 4 characters wide.
19080 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19081 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19084 @node Mode Line Formatting
19085 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19087 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19088 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19089 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19090 with the following two differences:
19095 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19098 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19099 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19100 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19101 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19102 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19103 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19104 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19109 @node Advanced Formatting
19110 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19112 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19113 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19114 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19115 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19117 These are the valid modifiers:
19122 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19126 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19131 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19134 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19139 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19142 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19145 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19148 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19154 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19159 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19160 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19161 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19162 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19163 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19164 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19165 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19167 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19168 last operation, padding.
19170 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19171 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19172 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19173 @xref{Compilation}.
19176 @node User-Defined Specs
19177 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19179 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19180 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19181 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19182 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19183 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19184 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19185 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19186 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19187 should protect against that.
19189 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19190 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19192 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19193 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19194 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19195 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19199 @node Formatting Fonts
19200 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19202 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19203 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19204 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19205 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19208 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19209 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19210 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19211 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19212 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19213 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19215 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
19216 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
19217 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
19218 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
19219 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
19220 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
19221 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
19222 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
19224 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19227 ;; Create three face types.
19228 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19229 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19231 ;; We want the article count to be in
19232 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19233 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19234 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19236 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19237 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19239 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19240 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19241 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19244 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19245 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19247 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19248 mode-line variables.
19250 @node Positioning Point
19251 @subsection Positioning Point
19253 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19254 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19255 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19257 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19259 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19260 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19261 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19263 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19264 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19265 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19270 @subsection Tabulation
19272 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19273 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19274 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19275 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19277 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19278 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19280 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19281 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19282 This is the soft tabulator.
19284 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19285 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19286 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19289 @node Wide Characters
19290 @subsection Wide Characters
19292 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19293 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19294 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19296 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19297 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19298 these coutries, that's not true.
19300 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19301 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19302 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19303 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
19307 @node Window Layout
19308 @section Window Layout
19309 @cindex window layout
19311 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19313 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19314 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19315 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19316 @code{t} by default.
19318 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19319 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19321 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19322 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19323 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19326 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19327 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19328 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19332 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19333 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19334 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19335 possible names is listed below.
19337 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19338 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19341 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19345 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19346 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19347 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19348 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19349 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19350 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19351 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19352 size spec per split.
19354 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19355 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19356 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19357 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19358 present) gets focus.
19360 Here's a more complicated example:
19363 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19364 (summary 0.25 point)
19365 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19369 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19370 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19371 occupy, not a percentage.
19373 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19374 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19375 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19376 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19377 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19380 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19383 (article (horizontal 1.0
19388 (summary 0.25 point)
19393 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19394 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19396 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19397 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19398 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19399 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19400 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19402 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19403 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19404 lines from the splits.
19406 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19410 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19411 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19412 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19413 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19414 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19415 size = number | frame-params
19416 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19419 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19420 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19421 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19422 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19424 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19425 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19426 @cindex window height
19427 @cindex window width
19428 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19429 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19430 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19431 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19432 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19433 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19435 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19436 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19437 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19438 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19440 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19441 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19442 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19443 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19444 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19445 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19446 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19447 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19448 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19449 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19450 configuration list.
19453 (gnus-configure-frame
19457 (article 0.3 point))
19465 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19466 @code{frame} split:
19469 (gnus-configure-frame
19472 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19474 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19475 (user-position . t)
19476 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19481 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19482 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19483 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19484 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19485 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19486 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19487 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19488 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19490 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19491 be found in its default value.
19493 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19494 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19495 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19499 (message (horizontal 1.0
19500 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19502 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19507 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19508 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19509 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19514 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19515 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19516 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19517 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19518 (name . "Message"))
19519 (message 1.0 point))))
19522 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19523 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19524 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19525 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19526 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19529 (gnus-add-configuration
19530 '(article (vertical 1.0
19532 (summary .25 point)
19536 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19537 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19538 Gnus has been loaded.
19540 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19541 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19542 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19543 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19544 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19546 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19547 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19548 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19551 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19555 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19556 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19571 (gnus-add-configuration
19574 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19576 (summary 0.16 point)
19579 (gnus-add-configuration
19582 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19583 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19589 @node Faces and Fonts
19590 @section Faces and Fonts
19595 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19596 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19597 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19602 @section Compilation
19603 @cindex compilation
19604 @cindex byte-compilation
19606 @findex gnus-compile
19608 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19609 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19610 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19611 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19612 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19613 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19616 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19617 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19618 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19619 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19620 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19621 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19622 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19626 @section Mode Lines
19629 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19630 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19631 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19632 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19633 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19634 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19635 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19638 @cindex display-time
19640 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19641 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19642 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19643 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19644 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19645 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19646 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19647 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19650 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19652 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19653 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19655 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19656 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19657 (length display-time-string)))))
19660 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19661 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19662 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19663 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19664 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19667 @node Highlighting and Menus
19668 @section Highlighting and Menus
19670 @cindex highlighting
19673 @vindex gnus-visual
19674 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19675 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19676 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19679 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19680 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19683 @item group-highlight
19684 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19685 @item summary-highlight
19686 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19687 @item article-highlight
19688 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19690 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19692 Create menus in the group buffer.
19694 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19696 Create menus in the article buffer.
19698 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19700 Create menus in the server buffer.
19702 Create menus in the score buffers.
19704 Create menus in all buffers.
19707 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19708 buffers, you could say something like:
19711 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19714 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19717 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19720 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19721 in all Gnus buffers.
19723 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19726 @item gnus-mouse-face
19727 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19728 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19729 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19733 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19737 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19738 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19739 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19741 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19742 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19743 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19745 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19746 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19747 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19749 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19750 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19751 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19753 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19754 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19755 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19757 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19758 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19759 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19770 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19771 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19772 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19773 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19774 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19778 @vindex gnus-carpal
19779 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19780 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19781 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19786 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19787 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19788 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19790 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19791 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19792 Face used on buttons.
19794 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19795 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19796 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19798 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19799 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19800 Buttons in the group buffer.
19802 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19803 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19804 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19806 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19807 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19808 Buttons in the server buffer.
19810 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19811 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19812 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19815 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19816 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19817 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19825 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19826 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19827 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19828 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19829 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19831 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19832 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19833 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19835 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19836 been idle for thirty minutes:
19839 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19842 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19846 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19849 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19850 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19851 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19853 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19854 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19855 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19856 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19858 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19859 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19860 @var{idle} minutes.
19862 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19863 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19866 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19867 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19868 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19870 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19871 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19872 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19873 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19875 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19876 your @file{.gnus} file:
19878 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19880 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19883 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19884 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19885 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19886 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19887 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19888 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19889 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19890 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19891 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19892 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19893 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19895 @findex gnus-demon-init
19896 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19897 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19898 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19899 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19900 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19902 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19903 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19904 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19913 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19914 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19916 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19917 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19918 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19919 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19922 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19923 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19924 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19925 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19927 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19928 this will make spam disappear.
19930 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19933 @item gnus-use-nocem
19934 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19935 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19938 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19939 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19940 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19941 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19942 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19944 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19945 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19946 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19947 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19948 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19949 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19951 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19952 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19954 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19955 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19956 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19957 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19958 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19959 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19960 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19961 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19962 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19963 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19965 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19966 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19969 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19972 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19973 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19976 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19979 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19982 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19983 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19985 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19986 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19987 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19988 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19990 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19991 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19994 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19996 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20004 This might be dangerous, though.
20006 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20007 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20008 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20009 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20011 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20012 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20013 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20014 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20015 might then see old spam.
20017 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20018 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20019 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20020 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20021 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20024 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20025 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20026 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20027 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20031 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20032 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20033 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20034 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20041 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20042 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20043 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20045 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20046 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20047 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20048 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20049 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20050 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20051 @code{undo} function.
20053 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20054 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20055 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20056 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20057 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20058 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20059 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20060 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20061 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20062 never be totally undoable.
20064 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20065 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20067 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20068 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20069 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20070 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20074 @node Predicate Specifiers
20075 @section Predicate Specifiers
20076 @cindex predicate specifiers
20078 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20079 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20080 to type all that much.
20082 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20087 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20088 gnus-article-unread-p)
20091 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20092 functions all take one parameter.
20094 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20095 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20096 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20097 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20102 @section Moderation
20105 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20106 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20107 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20110 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20114 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20117 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20119 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20124 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20125 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20126 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20129 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20130 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20133 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20134 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20138 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20141 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20142 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20146 @node Image Enhancements
20147 @section Image Enhancements
20149 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20150 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20153 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20154 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20155 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20156 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20157 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20170 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20171 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20172 over your shoulder as you read news.
20175 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20176 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20177 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20178 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20179 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20184 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20186 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20195 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20196 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20197 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20198 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20199 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20200 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20201 @code{GIF} formats.
20204 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20205 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20206 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20207 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20208 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20210 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20211 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20212 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20213 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20214 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20215 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20217 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20218 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20221 @node Picon Requirements
20222 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20224 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20225 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20226 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20227 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20229 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20230 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20231 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20232 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20233 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20234 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20237 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20239 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20240 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20243 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20244 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20247 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20248 containing the Picons databases.
20250 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20253 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20254 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20259 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20267 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20268 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20269 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20270 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20271 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20276 @item gnus-picons-database
20277 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20278 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20279 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20280 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20281 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20282 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20284 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20285 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20286 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20287 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20288 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20289 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20290 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20292 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20293 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20294 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20295 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20296 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20297 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20298 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20299 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20301 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20302 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20303 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20308 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20309 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20311 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20312 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20315 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20317 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20318 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20319 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20320 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20322 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20323 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20324 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20325 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20331 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20332 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20340 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20341 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20342 don't need to worry about.
20346 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20347 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20348 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20349 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20351 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20352 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20353 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20354 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20356 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20357 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20358 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20359 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20360 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20362 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20363 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20364 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20365 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20366 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20367 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20368 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20369 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20371 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20372 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20373 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20374 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20375 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20377 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20378 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20379 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20380 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20381 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20382 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20383 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20385 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20386 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20387 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20388 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20390 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20391 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20392 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20393 Defaults to @code{t}.
20395 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20396 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20397 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20398 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20400 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20401 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20402 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20404 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20405 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20406 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20407 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20409 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20410 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20412 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20413 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20414 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20415 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20416 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20417 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20418 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20419 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20430 @subsection Smileys
20435 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20440 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20441 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20443 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20444 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20447 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20450 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20451 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20452 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20453 text and maps that to file names.
20455 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20456 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20457 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20458 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20459 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20460 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20462 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20463 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20465 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20466 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20467 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20469 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20470 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20474 @item smiley-data-directory
20475 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20476 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20478 @item smiley-flesh-color
20479 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20480 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20482 @item smiley-features-color
20483 @vindex smiley-features-color
20484 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20486 @item smiley-tongue-color
20487 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20488 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20490 @item smiley-circle-color
20491 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20492 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20494 @item smiley-mouse-face
20495 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20496 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20505 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20506 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20507 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20511 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20512 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20513 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20514 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20522 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20523 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20524 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20525 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20527 The variable that controls this is the
20528 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20529 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20530 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20531 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20532 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20534 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20535 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20536 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20537 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20540 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20541 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20542 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20543 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20544 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20545 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20546 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20547 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20549 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20552 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20553 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20555 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20556 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20557 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20558 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20559 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20560 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20562 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20563 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20564 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20566 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20567 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20570 (setq message-required-news-headers
20571 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20572 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20575 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20578 (setq message-required-news-headers
20579 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20580 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20581 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20582 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20587 @subsection Toolbar
20597 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20598 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20599 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20600 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20601 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20603 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20604 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20605 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20607 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20608 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20609 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20611 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20612 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20613 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20619 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20622 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20623 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20624 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20625 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20626 unusual directory structure.
20628 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20629 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20630 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20631 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20633 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20634 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20635 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20636 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20637 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20638 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20640 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20641 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20642 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20656 @node Fuzzy Matching
20657 @section Fuzzy Matching
20658 @cindex fuzzy matching
20660 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20661 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20663 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20664 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20665 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20667 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20668 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20669 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20670 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20671 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20674 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20675 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20679 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20681 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20682 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20683 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20684 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20685 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20686 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20687 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20688 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20691 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20692 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20693 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20694 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20695 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20696 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20701 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
20702 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
20703 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
20706 @node Anti-Spam Basics
20707 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
20711 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20713 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20714 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20716 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20717 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20718 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20719 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20720 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20721 part of the mail address.)
20724 (setq message-default-news-headers
20725 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20728 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20729 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20734 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20735 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20736 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20742 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20743 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20744 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20745 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20747 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
20748 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20749 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20750 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20751 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20752 your fancy split rule in this way:
20757 (to "larsi" "misc")
20761 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20762 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20763 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20764 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20765 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20767 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20768 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20769 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20770 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20771 cosmic balance somewhat.
20773 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20774 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20775 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20776 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20781 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
20782 @cindex SpamAssassin
20783 @cindex Vipul's Razor
20786 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
20787 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
20788 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
20789 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
20790 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
20791 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
20792 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
20794 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
20795 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
20796 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
20797 Specifiers}) follows.
20801 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
20804 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
20807 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
20808 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
20809 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
20812 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
20816 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20819 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
20820 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
20824 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
20825 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
20826 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
20827 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
20830 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
20832 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
20834 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
20835 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
20837 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
20839 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
20840 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
20844 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
20845 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
20846 spam. And here is the nifty function:
20849 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
20850 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
20852 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
20853 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
20854 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
20858 @subsection Hashcash
20861 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
20862 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
20863 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
20864 since it is not part of the internet standards, but it may be useful
20865 in smaller communities.
20867 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
20868 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
20869 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
20870 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
20871 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
20872 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
20873 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
20874 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
20875 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
20876 one of them separately.
20879 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
20880 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
20881 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
20882 header. For more details, and for the external application
20883 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
20884 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
20885 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
20887 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
20891 (require 'hashcash)
20892 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
20895 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
20896 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
20897 development contrib directory.
20899 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
20903 @item hashcash-default-payment
20904 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
20905 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
20906 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
20907 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
20909 @item hashcash-payment-alist
20910 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
20911 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
20912 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
20913 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
20914 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
20915 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
20916 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
20920 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
20924 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
20925 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
20926 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
20927 a useful contribution, however.
20929 @node Various Various
20930 @section Various Various
20936 @item gnus-home-directory
20937 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20938 defaults to @file{~/}.
20940 @item gnus-directory
20941 @vindex gnus-directory
20942 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20943 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20944 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20946 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20947 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20948 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20949 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20951 @item gnus-default-directory
20952 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20953 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20954 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20955 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20956 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20957 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20958 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20961 @vindex gnus-verbose
20962 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20963 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20964 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20965 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20966 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20968 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20969 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20970 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20971 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20973 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20974 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20975 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20976 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20977 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20978 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20979 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20980 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20981 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20982 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20984 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20985 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20986 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20987 read when doing the operation described above.
20989 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20990 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20992 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20993 @cindex characters in file names
20994 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20995 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20996 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20999 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21003 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
21004 Windows (phooey) systems.
21006 @item gnus-hidden-properties
21007 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
21008 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
21009 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
21010 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
21012 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
21013 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
21014 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
21015 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
21016 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
21018 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
21019 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
21020 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
21022 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21023 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21025 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
21026 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
21027 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
21028 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
21031 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
21039 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
21040 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
21042 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
21044 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
21050 Not because of victories @*
21053 but for the common sunshine,@*
21055 the largess of the spring.
21059 but for the day's work done@*
21060 as well as I was able;@*
21061 not for a seat upon the dais@*
21062 but at the common table.@*
21067 @chapter Appendices
21070 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
21071 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
21072 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
21073 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
21074 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
21075 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
21076 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
21077 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
21078 * Frequently Asked Questions::
21085 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
21087 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
21088 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
21089 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
21090 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
21091 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
21098 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
21099 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
21101 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
21102 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
21103 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
21104 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
21105 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
21107 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
21108 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
21109 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
21110 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
21111 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
21112 appropriate name, don't you think?)
21114 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
21115 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
21116 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
21117 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
21120 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
21121 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
21122 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
21123 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
21124 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
21125 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
21126 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
21127 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
21128 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
21132 @node Gnus Versions
21133 @subsection Gnus Versions
21135 @cindex September Gnus
21137 @cindex Quassia Gnus
21138 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
21142 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
21143 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
21144 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
21146 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
21147 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
21149 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
21150 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
21152 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
21153 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
21155 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
21156 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
21159 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
21161 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
21162 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
21163 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
21164 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
21165 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
21166 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
21169 @node Other Gnus Versions
21170 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
21173 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
21174 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
21175 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
21176 @sc{mime} capabilities.
21178 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
21179 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
21180 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
21181 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
21188 What's the point of Gnus?
21190 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
21191 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
21192 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
21193 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
21194 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
21195 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
21196 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
21197 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
21198 keep track of millions of people who post?
21200 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
21201 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
21202 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
21203 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
21204 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
21205 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
21206 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
21207 every one of you to explore and invent.
21209 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
21210 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
21213 @node Compatibility
21214 @subsection Compatibility
21216 @cindex compatibility
21217 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
21218 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
21219 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
21224 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
21228 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
21231 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
21234 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
21235 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
21236 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
21237 important variables have their values copied into their global
21238 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
21239 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
21241 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
21242 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
21243 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
21244 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
21245 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
21249 @cindex highlighting
21250 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
21251 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
21252 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
21253 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
21254 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
21255 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
21258 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
21259 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
21260 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
21261 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
21263 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
21264 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
21265 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
21266 to stop doing it the old way.
21268 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
21270 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21272 @cindex reporting bugs
21274 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
21275 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
21276 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
21278 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
21279 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
21280 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
21281 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
21286 @subsection Conformity
21288 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
21289 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
21297 There are no known breaches of this standard.
21301 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
21303 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
21304 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
21305 We do have some breaches to this one.
21311 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
21312 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
21313 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
21314 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
21315 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
21320 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
21321 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
21322 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
21323 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
21325 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
21327 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
21329 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
21330 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
21332 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
21335 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
21336 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
21337 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
21338 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
21339 decoding (verification and decryption).
21341 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
21342 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
21343 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
21344 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
21346 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
21347 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
21349 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
21350 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
21351 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
21352 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
21353 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
21354 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
21355 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
21359 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
21360 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
21365 @subsection Emacsen
21371 Gnus should work on :
21379 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
21383 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
21384 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
21387 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
21388 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
21389 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
21393 @node Gnus Development
21394 @subsection Gnus Development
21396 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
21397 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
21398 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
21399 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
21400 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
21401 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
21402 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
21403 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
21405 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
21406 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
21407 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
21408 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
21409 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
21412 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
21413 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
21414 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
21415 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
21416 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
21418 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
21419 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
21420 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
21421 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
21422 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
21423 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
21424 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
21425 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
21426 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
21427 can't be assumed to do so.
21432 @subsection Contributors
21433 @cindex contributors
21435 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
21436 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
21437 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
21438 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
21439 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
21440 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
21441 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
21442 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
21443 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
21444 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
21446 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
21452 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
21455 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
21456 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
21457 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
21458 functionality and stuff.
21461 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
21462 well as numerous other things).
21465 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
21468 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
21471 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
21474 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
21477 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
21478 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
21481 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
21484 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
21485 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21488 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
21491 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
21494 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
21497 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
21500 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
21501 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
21504 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
21507 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
21510 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
21513 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
21517 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
21520 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
21523 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21526 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21527 well as autoconf support.
21531 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21532 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21534 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21543 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21547 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21557 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21572 Massimo Campostrini,
21577 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21578 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21582 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21585 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21591 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21596 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21600 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21608 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21610 Michelangelo Grigni,
21614 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21616 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21618 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21625 François Felix Ingrand,
21626 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21627 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21629 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21640 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21641 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21643 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21644 Thor Kristoffersen,
21647 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21665 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21666 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21673 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21678 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21682 John McClary Prevost,
21688 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21693 Christian von Roques,
21696 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21703 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21705 Randal L. Schwartz,
21719 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21724 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21740 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21745 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21746 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21747 (550kB and counting).
21749 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21752 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21753 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21757 @subsection New Features
21758 @cindex new features
21761 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21762 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21763 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21764 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21765 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21768 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21769 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21770 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21773 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21775 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21780 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21781 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21784 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21785 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21788 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21791 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21792 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21793 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21796 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21797 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21798 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21799 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21802 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21803 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21806 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21807 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21808 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21811 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21812 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21815 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21816 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21817 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21820 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21821 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21822 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21825 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21826 the @file{.emacs} file.
21829 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21830 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21833 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21834 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21837 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21838 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21841 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21842 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21845 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21846 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21849 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21852 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21853 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21856 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21857 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21860 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21861 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21864 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21867 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21868 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21871 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21875 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21879 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21880 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21883 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21889 @node September Gnus
21890 @subsubsection September Gnus
21894 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21898 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21903 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21904 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21908 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21909 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21913 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21917 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21918 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21921 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21925 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21928 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21931 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21934 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21938 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21939 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21942 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21946 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21950 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21954 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21958 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21961 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21962 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21965 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21969 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21970 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21973 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21976 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21977 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21978 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21981 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21985 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21988 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21992 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21993 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21996 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21997 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
22000 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
22001 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22004 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
22005 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
22006 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
22009 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
22010 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
22013 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
22016 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22019 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
22022 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
22025 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
22026 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
22029 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
22033 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
22036 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
22041 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
22044 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
22048 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22051 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
22055 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
22058 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
22061 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
22062 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22065 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
22066 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
22070 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
22071 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
22074 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
22078 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
22079 buffer to allow easier treatment.
22082 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
22085 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
22089 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
22093 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
22094 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
22097 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
22101 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
22102 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22105 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
22106 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
22109 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
22113 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
22116 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
22119 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
22125 @subsubsection Red Gnus
22127 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
22131 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
22138 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
22141 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
22142 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22145 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
22146 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
22150 Article washing status can be displayed in the
22151 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
22154 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
22157 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
22158 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
22161 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
22165 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
22166 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
22170 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
22171 Server Internals}).
22174 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
22178 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
22181 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
22182 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
22185 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
22186 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
22187 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
22190 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
22191 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
22194 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
22195 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
22198 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
22202 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
22203 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22206 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
22207 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22210 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
22214 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
22217 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
22221 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
22222 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22225 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
22226 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
22229 A new command for reading collections of documents
22230 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
22231 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
22234 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
22238 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
22239 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
22242 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
22243 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
22244 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
22247 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
22248 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
22252 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
22256 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
22260 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
22265 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
22269 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
22273 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
22274 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
22277 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
22283 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
22285 New features in Gnus 5.6:
22290 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
22291 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
22292 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
22295 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
22296 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
22297 group, which is created automatically.
22300 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
22304 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
22307 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
22308 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
22311 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
22315 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
22318 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
22319 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
22322 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
22325 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
22326 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
22329 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
22330 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
22333 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
22334 control over simplification.
22337 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
22340 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
22344 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
22347 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
22350 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
22351 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
22352 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
22355 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
22356 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
22359 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
22363 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
22364 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
22367 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
22368 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
22371 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
22375 A history of where mails have been split is available.
22378 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
22381 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
22382 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
22385 A new function for citing in Message has been
22386 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
22389 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
22392 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
22396 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
22397 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
22400 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
22401 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
22404 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
22407 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
22411 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
22412 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
22414 New features in Gnus 5.8:
22419 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
22420 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
22422 If you used procmail like in
22425 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
22426 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
22427 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
22428 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
22431 this now has changed to
22435 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
22439 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
22440 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
22443 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
22444 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
22447 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
22448 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
22451 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
22452 called to position point.
22455 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
22456 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
22459 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
22460 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
22463 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
22464 subtly different manner.
22467 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
22468 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
22469 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
22472 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
22480 @section The Manual
22484 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
22485 either @code{texi2dvi}
22487 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
22488 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
22490 to get what you hold in your hands now.
22492 The following conventions have been used:
22497 This is a @samp{string}
22500 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
22503 This is a @file{file}
22506 This is a @code{symbol}
22510 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
22514 (setq flargnoze "yes")
22517 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
22520 (setq flumphel 'yes)
22523 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
22524 ever get them confused.
22528 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22529 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22530 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22531 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22532 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22533 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22534 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22540 @node On Writing Manuals
22541 @section On Writing Manuals
22543 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22544 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22545 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22546 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22547 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22548 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22551 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22552 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22553 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22556 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22557 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22562 @section Terminology
22564 @cindex terminology
22569 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22570 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22571 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22572 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22573 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22577 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22578 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22579 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22580 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22584 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22588 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22593 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22594 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22595 is all done by the back ends.
22599 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22600 default, way of getting news.
22604 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22605 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22610 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22611 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22615 A message that has been posted as news.
22618 @cindex mail message
22619 A message that has been mailed.
22623 A mail message or news article
22627 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22632 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22637 A line from the head of an article.
22641 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22642 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22646 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22647 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22648 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22649 normal @sc{head} format.
22653 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22654 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22655 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22656 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22657 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22658 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22660 @item killed groups
22661 @cindex killed groups
22662 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22663 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22665 @item zombie groups
22666 @cindex zombie groups
22667 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22670 @cindex active file
22671 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22672 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22673 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22676 @cindex bogus groups
22677 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22678 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22679 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22682 @cindex activating groups
22683 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22684 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22685 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22689 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22691 @item select method
22692 @cindex select method
22693 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22696 @item virtual server
22697 @cindex virtual server
22698 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22699 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22700 whole is a virtual server.
22704 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22705 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22708 @item ephemeral groups
22709 @cindex ephemeral groups
22710 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22711 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22712 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22715 @cindex solid groups
22716 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22717 group buffer are solid groups.
22719 @item sparse articles
22720 @cindex sparse articles
22721 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22722 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22726 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22727 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22731 @cindex thread root
22732 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22733 articles in the thread.
22737 An article that has responses.
22741 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22745 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22746 specified by RFC 1153.
22752 @node Customization
22753 @section Customization
22754 @cindex general customization
22756 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22757 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22758 for some quite common situations.
22761 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22762 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22763 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22764 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22768 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22769 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
22771 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22772 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22773 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22777 @item gnus-read-active-file
22778 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22779 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22780 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22781 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22782 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22784 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22785 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22786 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22787 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22791 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22792 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22794 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22795 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22796 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22800 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22801 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22802 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22803 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22804 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22806 @item gnus-visible-headers
22807 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22808 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22809 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22810 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22812 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22814 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22815 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22816 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22819 @item gnus-use-full-window
22820 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22821 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22822 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22823 want to read them anyway.
22825 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22826 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22830 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22831 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22832 lines, which might save some time.
22836 @node Little Disk Space
22837 @subsection Little Disk Space
22840 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22841 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22845 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22846 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22847 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22848 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22851 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22852 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22853 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22854 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22857 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22858 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22859 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22860 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22861 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22867 @subsection Slow Machine
22868 @cindex slow machine
22870 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22871 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22873 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22874 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22876 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22877 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22878 summary buffer faster.
22882 @node Troubleshooting
22883 @section Troubleshooting
22884 @cindex troubleshooting
22886 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22894 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22897 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22898 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22902 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22903 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
22904 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
22905 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22908 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22912 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22913 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22914 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22915 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22916 something like that.
22919 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22922 @cindex reporting bugs
22924 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22926 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22927 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22928 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22929 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22931 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22932 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22933 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22934 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22937 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22938 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22939 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22940 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22941 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22942 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22944 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22945 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22946 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22950 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22951 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22953 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22954 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22956 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22957 @cindex ding mailing list
22958 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22959 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22963 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22964 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22966 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22967 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22968 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22969 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22972 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22973 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22974 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22975 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22976 and general methods of operation.
22979 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22980 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22981 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22982 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22983 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22984 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22985 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22986 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22987 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22991 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22992 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22993 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22994 @cindex utility functions
22996 @cindex internal variables
22998 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22999 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
23000 Below is a list of the most common ones.
23004 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
23005 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
23006 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
23008 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
23009 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
23010 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
23012 @item gnus-group-real-name
23013 @findex gnus-group-real-name
23014 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
23017 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
23018 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
23019 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
23020 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
23022 @item gnus-get-info
23023 @findex gnus-get-info
23024 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
23026 @item gnus-group-unread
23027 @findex gnus-group-unread
23028 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
23032 @findex gnus-active
23033 The active entry for @var{group}.
23035 @item gnus-set-active
23036 @findex gnus-set-active
23037 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
23039 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23040 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
23041 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
23044 @item gnus-continuum-version
23045 @findex gnus-continuum-version
23046 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
23047 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
23050 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
23051 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
23052 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
23054 @item gnus-news-group-p
23055 @findex gnus-news-group-p
23056 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
23058 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
23059 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
23060 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
23062 @item gnus-server-to-method
23063 @findex gnus-server-to-method
23064 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
23066 @item gnus-server-equal
23067 @findex gnus-server-equal
23068 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
23070 @item gnus-group-native-p
23071 @findex gnus-group-native-p
23072 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
23074 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
23075 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
23076 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
23078 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
23079 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
23080 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
23082 @item group-group-find-parameter
23083 @findex group-group-find-parameter
23084 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
23085 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
23087 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
23088 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
23089 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
23091 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
23092 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
23093 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
23095 @item gnus-check-backend-function
23096 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
23097 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
23098 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
23101 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
23105 @item gnus-read-method
23106 @findex gnus-read-method
23107 Prompts the user for a select method.
23112 @node Back End Interface
23113 @subsection Back End Interface
23115 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
23116 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
23117 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
23118 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
23119 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
23120 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
23122 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
23123 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
23124 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
23125 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
23126 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
23127 been opened, the function should fail.
23129 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
23130 name. Take this example:
23134 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
23135 (nntp-port-number 4324))
23138 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
23139 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
23141 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
23142 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
23143 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
23145 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
23146 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
23147 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
23149 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
23150 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
23151 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
23152 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
23153 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
23154 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
23157 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
23158 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
23159 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
23160 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
23163 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
23164 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
23165 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
23166 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
23167 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
23168 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
23169 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
23170 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
23171 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
23172 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
23174 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
23175 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
23176 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
23177 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
23178 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
23179 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
23180 of numbers as long as possible.
23182 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
23185 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
23188 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
23189 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
23190 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
23191 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
23192 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
23193 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
23197 @node Required Back End Functions
23198 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
23202 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
23204 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
23205 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
23206 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
23207 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
23209 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
23210 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
23211 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
23212 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
23214 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
23215 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
23216 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
23217 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
23218 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
23219 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
23220 number, do maximum fetches.
23222 Here's an example HEAD:
23225 221 1056 Article retrieved.
23226 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
23227 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
23228 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
23229 Subject: Re: Something very droll
23230 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
23231 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
23233 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
23234 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
23235 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
23239 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
23240 these in the data buffer.
23242 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
23246 head = error / valid-head
23247 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
23248 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
23249 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
23250 header = <text> eol
23253 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
23254 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
23258 nov-buffer = *nov-line
23259 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
23260 field = <text except TAB>
23263 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
23267 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
23269 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
23270 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
23272 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
23273 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
23274 server. In fact, it should do so.
23276 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
23277 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
23280 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
23282 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
23283 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
23286 There should be no data returned.
23289 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
23291 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
23292 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
23293 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
23294 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
23296 There should be no data returned.
23299 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
23301 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
23302 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
23303 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
23304 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
23306 There should be no data returned.
23309 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
23311 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
23313 There should be no data returned.
23316 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
23318 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
23319 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
23320 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
23321 it would be nice if that were possible.
23323 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
23324 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
23325 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
23326 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
23327 into its article buffer.
23329 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
23330 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
23331 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
23332 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
23333 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
23334 on successful article retrieval.
23337 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
23339 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
23340 making @var{group} the current group.
23342 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
23345 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
23348 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
23351 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
23352 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
23353 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
23354 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
23355 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
23356 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
23357 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
23358 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
23359 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
23363 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
23364 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
23365 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
23369 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23371 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
23372 a no-op on most back ends.
23374 There should be no data returned.
23377 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
23379 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
23382 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
23385 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
23386 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
23389 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
23390 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
23391 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
23392 and the highest as 0.
23395 active-file = *active-line
23396 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
23398 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
23401 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
23402 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
23403 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
23406 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
23408 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
23409 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
23410 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
23411 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
23412 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
23413 clear if the posting could not be completed.
23415 There should be no result data from this function.
23420 @node Optional Back End Functions
23421 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
23425 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
23427 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
23428 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
23429 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
23431 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
23432 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
23433 former is in the same format as the data from
23434 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
23435 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
23438 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
23442 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
23444 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
23445 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
23446 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
23447 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
23448 should return the (altered) group info.
23450 There should be no result data from this function.
23453 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
23455 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
23456 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
23457 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
23458 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
23459 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
23460 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
23461 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
23462 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
23464 There should be no result data from this function.
23467 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
23469 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
23470 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
23471 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
23472 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
23473 propagate the mark information to the server.
23475 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
23478 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
23481 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
23482 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
23483 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
23484 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
23485 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
23486 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
23487 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
23488 possible, not limit itself to these.
23490 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
23491 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
23492 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
23493 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
23495 An example action list:
23498 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
23499 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
23500 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
23503 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
23504 mark on (currently not used for anything).
23506 There should be no result data from this function.
23508 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
23510 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
23511 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
23512 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23513 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23514 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23516 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23517 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23518 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23521 There should be no result data from this function.
23524 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23526 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23527 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23528 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23529 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23530 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23531 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23532 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23534 There should be no result data from this function.
23537 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23539 The result data from this function should be a description of
23543 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23545 description = <text>
23548 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23550 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23551 groups available on the server.
23554 description-buffer = *description-line
23558 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23560 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23561 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23562 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23563 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23564 in the active buffer format.
23566 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23567 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23568 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23569 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23570 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
23571 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
23572 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
23575 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23577 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23579 There should be no return data.
23582 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23584 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23585 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23586 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23587 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23588 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23591 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23594 There should be no result data returned.
23597 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23600 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23601 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23603 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23604 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23605 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23606 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23607 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23608 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23610 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23611 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23614 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23615 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23617 There should be no data returned.
23620 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23622 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23623 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23624 this function in short order.
23626 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23627 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23629 There should be no data returned.
23632 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23634 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23635 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23637 There should be no data returned.
23640 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23642 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23643 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23644 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23646 There should be no data returned.
23649 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23651 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23652 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23654 There should be no data returned.
23659 @node Error Messaging
23660 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23662 @findex nnheader-report
23663 @findex nnheader-get-report
23664 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23665 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23666 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23667 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23668 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23669 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23672 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23674 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23677 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23678 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23679 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23680 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23682 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23683 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23684 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23687 @node Writing New Back Ends
23688 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23690 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23691 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23692 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23693 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23694 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23697 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23698 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23699 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23701 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23702 package called @code{nnoo}.
23704 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23705 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23711 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23712 parameters. For instance:
23715 (nnoo-declare nndir
23719 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23720 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23723 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23724 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23725 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23727 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23728 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23729 a function in those back ends.
23732 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23733 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23734 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23737 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23738 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23739 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23741 @item nnoo-define-basics
23742 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23746 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23750 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23751 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23752 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23754 @item nnoo-map-functions
23755 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23756 functions from the parent back ends.
23759 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23760 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23761 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23764 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23765 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23766 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23767 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23770 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23771 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23772 haven't already been defined.
23778 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23782 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23783 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23784 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23789 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23792 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23793 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23797 (require 'nnheader)
23801 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23803 (nnoo-declare nndir
23806 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23807 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23808 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23810 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23811 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23814 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23816 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23817 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23818 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23820 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23821 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23823 ;;; Interface functions.
23825 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23827 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23828 (setq nndir-directory
23829 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23831 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23832 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23833 (push `(nndir-current-group
23834 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23835 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23837 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23838 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23840 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23842 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23843 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23844 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23845 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23846 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23850 nnmh-status-message
23852 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23858 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23859 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23861 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23862 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23863 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23864 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23865 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23867 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23868 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23873 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23876 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23878 The abilities can be:
23882 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23884 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23886 This back end supports both mail and news.
23888 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23891 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23892 articles and groups.
23894 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23895 true for almost all back ends.
23896 @item prompt-address
23897 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23898 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23899 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23903 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23904 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23906 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23907 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
23908 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
23909 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23912 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23913 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23914 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23917 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23918 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23921 This function takes four parameters.
23925 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23928 @item exit-function
23929 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23931 @item temp-directory
23932 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23935 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23936 performed for one group only.
23939 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23940 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23941 find the article number assigned to this article.
23943 The function also uses the following variables:
23944 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23945 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23946 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23947 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23951 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23952 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23956 @node Score File Syntax
23957 @subsection Score File Syntax
23959 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23960 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23961 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23963 Here's a typical score file:
23967 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23974 BNF definition of a score file:
23977 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23978 element = rule / atom
23979 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23980 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23981 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23982 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23984 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23985 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23986 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23987 date-header = "date"
23988 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23989 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23990 score = "nil" / <integer>
23991 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23992 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23993 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23994 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23995 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23996 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23997 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23998 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23999 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24000 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
24001 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
24002 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
24003 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
24004 exclude-files / read-only / touched
24005 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
24006 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
24007 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
24008 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
24009 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
24010 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
24011 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
24012 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
24013 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
24014 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
24015 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
24016 eval = "eval" space <form>
24017 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
24020 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
24023 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
24024 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
24025 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
24026 one looong line, then that's ok.
24028 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
24029 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24033 @subsection Headers
24035 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
24036 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
24037 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
24038 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
24040 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
24041 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
24042 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
24043 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
24044 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
24045 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
24046 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
24048 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
24049 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
24050 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
24051 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
24052 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
24054 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
24055 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
24061 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
24062 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
24064 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
24065 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
24066 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
24067 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
24069 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
24073 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
24076 is transformed into
24079 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
24082 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
24083 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
24086 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
24089 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
24090 is slightly tricky:
24093 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
24099 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
24102 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
24108 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
24115 and is equal to the previous range.
24117 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
24118 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
24119 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
24123 range = simple-range / normal-range
24124 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
24125 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
24126 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
24127 number *[ " " contents ]
24130 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
24131 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
24132 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
24133 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
24134 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
24139 @subsection Group Info
24141 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
24142 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
24143 describes the group.
24145 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
24146 second is a more complex one:
24149 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
24151 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
24152 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
24154 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
24157 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
24158 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
24159 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
24160 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
24161 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
24162 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
24163 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
24164 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
24165 this section is about.
24167 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
24168 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
24169 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
24171 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
24174 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
24175 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
24176 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24177 group = quote <string> quote
24178 ralevel = rank / level
24179 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
24180 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
24181 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
24183 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
24184 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
24185 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
24186 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
24189 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
24190 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
24193 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
24194 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
24197 @item gnus-info-group
24198 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
24199 @findex gnus-info-group
24200 @findex gnus-info-set-group
24201 Get/set the group name.
24203 @item gnus-info-rank
24204 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
24205 @findex gnus-info-rank
24206 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
24207 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
24209 @item gnus-info-level
24210 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
24211 @findex gnus-info-level
24212 @findex gnus-info-set-level
24213 Get/set the group level.
24215 @item gnus-info-score
24216 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
24217 @findex gnus-info-score
24218 @findex gnus-info-set-score
24219 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
24221 @item gnus-info-read
24222 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
24223 @findex gnus-info-read
24224 @findex gnus-info-set-read
24225 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
24227 @item gnus-info-marks
24228 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
24229 @findex gnus-info-marks
24230 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
24231 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
24233 @item gnus-info-method
24234 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
24235 @findex gnus-info-method
24236 @findex gnus-info-set-method
24237 Get/set the group select method.
24239 @item gnus-info-params
24240 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
24241 @findex gnus-info-params
24242 @findex gnus-info-set-params
24243 Get/set the group parameters.
24246 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
24247 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
24249 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
24250 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
24251 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
24252 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
24255 @node Extended Interactive
24256 @subsection Extended Interactive
24257 @cindex interactive
24258 @findex gnus-interactive
24260 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
24261 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
24262 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
24265 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
24266 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
24271 The best thing to do would have been to implement
24272 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
24273 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
24274 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
24275 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
24276 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
24277 @code{interactive}.
24279 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
24284 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
24285 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
24289 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
24290 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
24291 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
24294 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
24298 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
24302 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
24308 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
24309 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
24313 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
24314 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
24315 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
24317 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
24318 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
24319 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
24320 Gnus, that's very useful.
24322 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
24323 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
24324 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
24325 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
24326 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
24327 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
24328 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
24329 following function:
24332 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
24336 (,function ,@@args))
24340 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
24341 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
24342 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
24345 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
24346 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
24347 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
24349 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
24350 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
24351 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
24354 @node Various File Formats
24355 @subsection Various File Formats
24358 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
24359 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
24363 @node Active File Format
24364 @subsubsection Active File Format
24366 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
24367 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
24370 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
24373 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
24374 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
24375 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
24376 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
24377 no.general 1000 900 y
24380 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
24383 active = *group-line
24384 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
24385 group = <non-white-space string>
24387 high-number = <non-negative integer>
24388 low-number = <positive integer>
24389 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
24392 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
24393 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
24396 @node Newsgroups File Format
24397 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
24399 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
24400 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
24401 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
24404 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
24405 Here's the definition:
24409 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
24410 group = <non-white-space string>
24412 description = <string>
24417 @node Emacs for Heathens
24418 @section Emacs for Heathens
24420 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
24421 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
24422 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
24423 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
24424 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
24425 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
24426 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
24430 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
24431 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
24436 @subsection Keystrokes
24440 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
24443 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
24446 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
24447 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
24448 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
24449 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
24450 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
24451 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
24453 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
24454 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
24455 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
24456 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
24457 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
24458 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
24459 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
24461 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
24462 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
24463 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
24464 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
24465 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
24466 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
24467 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
24469 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
24470 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
24471 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
24472 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
24473 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
24479 @subsection Emacs Lisp
24481 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
24482 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
24483 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
24484 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
24486 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
24487 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
24488 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
24489 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
24490 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
24491 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
24492 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
24495 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
24496 write the following:
24499 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
24502 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
24503 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
24504 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
24507 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
24508 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
24509 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
24510 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
24511 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24513 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24514 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24515 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24519 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24523 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24526 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24527 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24530 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24533 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24534 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24537 @include gnus-faq.texi
24557 @c Local Variables:
24559 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24561 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24562 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24563 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24564 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24565 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref