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4 @settitle Gnus 5.2 Manual
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176 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
183 \thispagestyle{empty}
185 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
187 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
188 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
189 are preserved on all copies.
191 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
192 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
193 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
194 permission notice identical to this one.
196 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
197 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
206 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
208 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
210 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
211 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
212 are preserved on all copies.
215 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
216 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
217 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
218 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
221 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
222 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
223 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
224 permission notice identical to this one.
226 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
227 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
235 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
238 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
239 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
241 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
242 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
243 are preserved on all copies.
245 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
246 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
247 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
248 permission notice identical to this one.
250 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
251 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
260 @top The Gnus Newsreader
264 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
265 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
266 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
274 \thispagestyle{empty}
277 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
278 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
280 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
281 being accused of plagiarism:
283 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
284 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
285 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
286 even read news with it!
288 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
289 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
290 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
291 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
292 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
299 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
300 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
301 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
302 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
303 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
304 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
305 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
306 * Various:: General purpose settings.
307 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
308 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
309 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
310 * Key Index:: Key Index.
315 @chapter Starting Gnus
320 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
321 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
324 @findex gnus-other-frame
325 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
326 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
327 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
329 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
333 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
334 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
335 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
336 * Slave Gnusii:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
337 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
338 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
339 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
340 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
341 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
342 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
346 @node Finding the News
347 @section Finding the News
349 @vindex gnus-select-method
351 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
352 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
353 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
354 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
357 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
358 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
361 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
364 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
367 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
370 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
371 certainly be much faster.
373 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
375 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
376 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
377 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
378 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
379 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
380 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
381 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long-shot, though.
383 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
384 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
385 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
386 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
388 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
389 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
390 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
391 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
392 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
393 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
395 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
397 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
398 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
399 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
400 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
401 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
402 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
404 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
406 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
407 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
408 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
409 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
410 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
411 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
414 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
415 would typically set this variable to
418 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
423 @section The First Time
424 @cindex first time usage
426 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
427 be subscribed by default.
429 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
430 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
431 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
432 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
435 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
436 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
437 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
439 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
440 help you with most common problems.
442 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
443 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
447 @node The Server is Down
448 @section The Server is Down
449 @cindex server errors
451 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
452 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
453 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
455 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
456 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
457 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
458 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
459 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
460 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
461 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
463 @findex gnus-no-server
465 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
466 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
467 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
468 if you're in a hurry as well.
472 @section Slave Gnusiï
475 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
476 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (eg., if you
477 are using the two different Gnusiï to read from two different servers),
478 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
480 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusiï that use the same
483 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
484 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
485 @dfn{servants}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
486 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
487 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
488 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
489 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
491 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
492 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusiï should be started with
493 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
494 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contains information only
495 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
496 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
497 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
498 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
500 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
501 information in the normal (i. e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
504 @node Fetching a Group
505 @section Fetching a Group
507 @findex gnus-fetch-group
508 It it sometime convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
509 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
510 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
511 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
512 It takes the group name as a parameter.
519 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
520 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
521 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
523 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
528 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
529 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
530 Make all new groups zombies. You can browse the zombies later (with
531 @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly, or subscribe to them.
534 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
535 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
536 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
538 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
539 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
540 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
542 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
543 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
544 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically.
546 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
547 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
548 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
549 you about @strong{all} new groups.
551 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
552 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
557 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
558 A closely related variable is
559 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
560 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
561 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
562 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
565 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
566 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
567 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
569 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
570 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
571 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
574 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
577 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
578 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
579 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
580 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
581 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
582 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
583 subscribing these groups.
584 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
585 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
587 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
588 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
589 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
590 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
591 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
592 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
593 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
594 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
596 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
597 Yet another variable that meddles here is
598 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
599 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
600 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
601 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
602 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
603 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
604 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
605 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
607 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
608 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
609 you could set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
610 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
611 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
612 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
613 is @code{t} by default.
615 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
616 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
617 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
618 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
619 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster &
620 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
621 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
622 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
623 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
624 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
626 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
627 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
628 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
629 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
630 few days. If any do, then it works. If any don't, then it doesn't
631 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
632 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
633 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
634 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
635 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
636 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
638 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
639 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
640 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
641 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
642 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
643 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
647 @section Startup Files
648 @cindex startup files
651 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
652 information is traditionally stored in this file.
654 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
655 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
656 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
657 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
658 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
659 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
660 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
662 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
663 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
664 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
665 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
667 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
668 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
669 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
670 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
671 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
672 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
674 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
675 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
676 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
677 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
678 will also means that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
679 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
680 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
681 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
684 @vindex gnus-startup-file
685 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
686 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
687 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
689 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
690 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
691 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
692 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
693 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
694 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
695 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
696 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
697 control on or off. Version control is off by default when saving the
706 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
707 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
708 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
709 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
710 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
713 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
714 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
717 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
718 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
719 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
721 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
722 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
723 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
724 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
725 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
726 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
729 @node The Active File
730 @section The Active File
732 @cindex ignored groups
734 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
735 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
736 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
738 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
739 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
740 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
741 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
742 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
743 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
744 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
747 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
748 @c if you set it to anything else.
750 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
752 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
753 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
754 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
756 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
757 you actually subscribe to.
759 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
760 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
761 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
762 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
764 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
765 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
766 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
767 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
768 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
769 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
771 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
772 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
773 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
774 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
775 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
776 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
778 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
779 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
782 @node Startup Variables
783 @section Startup Variables
788 @vindex gnus-load-hook
789 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
790 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
791 times you start Gnus.
793 @item gnus-startup-hook
794 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
795 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
797 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
798 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
799 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
800 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
801 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
802 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
803 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
804 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
806 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
807 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
808 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
809 your boss might not notice that you are reading news instead of doing
812 @item gnus-no-groups-message
813 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
814 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
818 @node The Group Buffer
819 @chapter The Group Buffer
822 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
823 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
824 long as Gnus is active.
827 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
828 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
829 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
830 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
831 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
832 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
833 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
834 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
835 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
836 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
837 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
838 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
839 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
840 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
841 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
842 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
846 @node Group Buffer Format
847 @section Group Buffer Format
848 @cindex group buffer format
851 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
852 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
853 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
857 @node Group Line Specification
858 @subsection Group Line Specification
860 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
861 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
863 Here's a couple of example group lines:
866 25: news.announce.newusers
867 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
872 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
873 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
874 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
875 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
877 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
878 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
879 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
880 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
881 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
882 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
884 The default value that produced those lines above is
885 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n}.
887 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
888 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
889 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
890 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
893 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
894 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
895 instead of wasting time reading news.)
897 Here's a list of all available format characters:
902 Only marked articles.
905 Whether the group is subscribed.
908 Level of subscribedness.
911 Number of unread articles.
914 Number of dormant articles.
917 Number of ticked articles.
920 Number of read articles.
923 Total number of articles.
926 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
929 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
938 Newsgroup description.
941 @samp{m} if moderated.
944 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
953 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
957 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
960 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
961 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
962 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
963 The default is @code{1}.
966 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
967 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
968 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
969 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current headers as
970 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
971 into the buffer just like information from any other specifier.
975 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
976 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
977 group, or a bogus (or semi-bogus) native group.
980 @node Group Modeline Specification
981 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
983 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
984 The mode line can be changed by setting
985 (@code{gnus-group-mode-line-format}). It doesn't understand that many
990 The native news server.
992 The native select method.
996 @node Group Highlighting
997 @subsection Group Highlighting
999 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1000 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1001 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1002 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1003 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1005 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1009 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1011 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1012 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1013 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1015 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1017 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1019 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1023 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1030 The number of unread articles in the group.
1034 Whether the group is a mail group.
1036 The level of the group.
1038 The score of the group.
1040 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1042 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1043 topic being inserted.
1046 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1047 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1048 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1050 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1051 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1052 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1053 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1054 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1057 @node Group Maneuvering
1058 @section Group Maneuvering
1059 @cindex group movement
1061 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1062 expected, hopefully.
1068 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1069 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1070 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1077 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1078 Go to the previous group group that has unread articles
1079 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1083 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1084 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1088 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1089 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1093 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1094 Go to the next unread group on the same level (or lower)
1095 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1099 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1100 Go to the previous unread group on the same level (or lower)
1101 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1104 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1110 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1111 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1112 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1117 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1118 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1119 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1123 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1124 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1125 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1128 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1129 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1130 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1131 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1135 @node Selecting a Group
1136 @section Selecting a Group
1137 @cindex group selection
1142 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1143 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1144 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1145 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1146 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1147 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1148 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, Gnus
1149 will fetch @var{N} number of articles. If @var{N} is positive, fetch
1150 the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is negative, fetch the
1151 @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1155 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1156 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1157 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1158 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1159 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1163 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1164 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1165 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1166 minimum amount off fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1167 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1168 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1169 enter some humongous group.
1172 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1173 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1174 This is yet one more command that does the same as the one above, but
1175 this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1176 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1180 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1181 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1182 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1183 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1184 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is when catching up a group from
1189 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1190 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1191 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1194 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1195 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1196 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1197 unread articles than this, Gnus will query the user before entering the
1198 group. The user can then specify how many articles should be fetched
1199 from the server. If the user specifies a negative number (@code{-n}),
1200 the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it is positive, the
1201 @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will be fetched.
1203 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1204 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1205 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1206 automatically when entering a group.
1211 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1212 full summary buffer.
1215 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1218 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1222 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1223 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1224 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1228 @node Subscription Commands
1229 @section Subscription Commands
1238 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1239 Toggle subscription to the current group
1240 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1246 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1247 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1248 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1249 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1255 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1256 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1262 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1263 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1266 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1267 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1268 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1269 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1270 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1276 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1277 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1281 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1282 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1285 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1286 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1287 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1288 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1289 be used with some caution. The only thing where this command comes in
1290 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1291 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level @code{7} will
1292 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1293 @file{.newsrc} file.
1297 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1301 @section Group Levels
1304 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1305 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1306 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1307 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1308 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1310 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1316 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1317 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1318 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1319 prompted for a level.
1322 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1323 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1324 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1325 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1326 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1327 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1328 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1329 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1330 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1331 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1332 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1333 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1334 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1335 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1336 for reasons of efficiency.
1338 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1339 low levels (eg. 1 or 2).
1341 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1342 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1343 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1345 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1346 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1347 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1348 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1349 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1350 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1351 relevant legal ranges.
1353 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1354 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1355 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1356 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1357 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1358 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1361 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1362 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1363 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1366 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1367 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1368 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1369 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1372 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1373 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1374 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1375 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1377 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1378 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1379 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1380 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1385 @section Group Score
1388 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1389 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1390 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1393 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1394 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1395 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1396 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1397 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1398 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1399 part and the score is the least significant part.)
1401 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1402 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1403 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1404 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1405 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1406 action after each summary exit, you can add
1407 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1408 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1409 slow things down somewhat.
1412 @node Marking Groups
1413 @section Marking Groups
1414 @cindex marking groups
1416 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1417 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1418 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1419 bidding on those groups.
1421 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1422 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1423 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1431 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1432 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1438 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1439 Remove the mark from the current group
1440 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1444 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1445 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1449 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1450 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1454 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1455 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1459 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1460 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1461 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1464 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1466 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1467 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1468 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1469 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1470 the command to be executed.
1473 @node Foreign Groups
1474 @section Foreign Groups
1476 Here are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1477 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1478 special-purpose groups:
1484 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1485 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1486 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1487 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1491 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1492 Rename the current group to something else
1493 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some groups --
1494 mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow on some
1499 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1500 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1501 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1505 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1506 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1507 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1511 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1512 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1513 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1517 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1518 Make a directory group. You will be prompted for a directory name
1519 (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1523 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1524 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1528 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1529 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1530 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1531 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1532 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1533 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1534 group will be created from from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1538 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1539 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1540 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1541 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1545 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1546 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1547 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1551 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1552 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1553 Make a group based on some file or other
1554 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1555 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1556 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1557 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1558 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1559 guess at the file type.
1562 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1563 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1564 This function will delete the current group
1565 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1566 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1567 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1568 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1572 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1573 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1574 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}).
1578 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1579 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1580 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1583 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1586 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1587 If the @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1588 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1589 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1590 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1593 @node Group Parameters
1594 @section Group Parameters
1595 @cindex group parameters
1597 Gnus stores all information on a group in a list that is usually known
1598 as the @dfn{group info}. This list has from three to six elements.
1599 Here's an example info.
1602 ("nnml:mail.ding" 3 ((1 . 232) 244 (256 . 270)) ((tick 246 249))
1603 (nnml "private") ((to-address . "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
1606 The first element is the @dfn{group name}, as Gnus knows the group,
1607 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
1608 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
1609 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
1610 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
1611 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
1612 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
1614 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
1615 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
1616 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
1618 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1623 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1624 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1625 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1626 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1627 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1628 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1629 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1630 copies of your followups.
1632 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1633 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1634 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1635 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1636 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1637 list address instead.
1641 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1642 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1643 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1644 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1645 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1647 @item broken-reply-to
1648 @cindex broken-reply-to
1649 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1650 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1651 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1652 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1653 broken behavior. So there!
1657 If the group parameter list contains an element like @code{(to-group
1658 . "some.group.name")}, all posts will be sent to that group.
1662 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1663 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1664 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1667 @cindex total-expire
1668 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1669 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1674 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1675 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1676 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1677 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1678 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1679 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1682 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1683 @samp{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1684 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1687 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1688 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1689 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1690 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1693 This parameter allows you to enter a arbitrary comment on the group.
1695 @item @var{(variable form)}
1696 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1697 are entering. Say you want to turn threading off in
1698 @samp{news.answers}. You'd then put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in
1699 the group parameters of that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be
1700 made into a local variable in the summary buffer you enter, and the form
1701 @code{nil} will be @code{eval}ed there.
1703 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1704 If you want to hear a beep when you enter the group
1705 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, you could put something like
1706 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
1707 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the @code{(ding)}
1708 form, but who cares?
1712 If you want to change the group info you can use the @kbd{G E} command
1713 to enter a buffer where you can edit it.
1715 You usually don't want to edit the entire group info, so you'd be better
1716 off using the @kbd{G p} command to just edit the group parameters.
1719 @node Listing Groups
1720 @section Listing Groups
1721 @cindex group listing
1723 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
1731 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
1732 List all groups that have unread articles
1733 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
1734 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
1735 only lists groups of level five or lower (i.e., just subscribed groups).
1741 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
1742 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
1743 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
1744 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
1745 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
1746 unsubscribed groups).
1750 @findex gnus-group-list-level
1751 List all unread groups on a specific level
1752 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
1753 with no unread articles.
1757 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
1758 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
1759 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
1760 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
1765 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
1766 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
1770 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
1771 List all subscribed groups with unread articles that match a regexp
1772 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
1776 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
1777 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
1781 @findex gnus-group-list-active
1782 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
1783 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
1784 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
1785 to do a @kbd{A m} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
1790 @findex gnus-group-apropos
1791 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
1792 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
1796 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
1797 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
1798 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
1802 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
1803 @cindex visible group parameter
1804 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
1805 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
1806 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
1807 get the same effect.
1809 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
1810 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
1811 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
1812 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
1813 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
1816 @node Sorting Groups
1817 @section Sorting Groups
1818 @cindex sorting groups
1820 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
1821 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
1822 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
1823 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
1824 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
1825 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
1830 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1831 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1832 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
1834 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
1835 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
1836 Sort by group level.
1838 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
1839 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
1840 Sort by group score.
1842 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1843 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1844 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
1845 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
1847 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1848 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1849 Sort by number of unread articles.
1851 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
1852 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
1853 Sort by alphabetically on the select method.
1858 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
1859 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
1863 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
1864 some sorting criteria:
1868 @kindex G S a (Group)
1869 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
1870 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
1871 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
1874 @kindex G S u (Group)
1875 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
1876 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
1877 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
1880 @kindex G S l (Group)
1881 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
1882 Sort the group buffer by group level
1883 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
1886 @kindex G S v (Group)
1887 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
1888 Sort the group buffer by group score
1889 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
1892 @kindex G S r (Group)
1893 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
1894 Sort the group buffer by group level
1895 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
1898 @kindex G S m (Group)
1899 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
1900 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
1901 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
1905 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
1908 @node Group Maintenance
1909 @section Group Maintenance
1910 @cindex bogus groups
1915 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
1916 Find bogus groups and delete them
1917 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
1921 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
1922 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
1923 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
1927 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
1928 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
1929 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
1930 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
1933 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
1934 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
1935 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
1936 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
1941 @node Browse Foreign Server
1942 @section Browse Foreign Server
1943 @cindex foreign servers
1944 @cindex browsing servers
1949 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1950 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
1951 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
1952 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
1955 @findex gnus-browse-mode
1956 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
1957 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit
1958 (well, a lot) like a normal group buffer, but with one major difference
1959 - you can't enter any of the groups. If you want to read any of the
1960 news available on that server, you have to subscribe to the groups you
1961 think may be interesting, and then you have to exit this buffer. The
1962 new groups will be added to the group buffer, and then you can read them
1963 as you would any other group.
1965 Future versions of Gnus may possibly permit reading groups straight from
1968 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
1973 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1974 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1978 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1979 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1982 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
1983 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
1984 Enter the current group and display the first article
1985 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
1988 @kindex RET (Browse)
1989 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
1990 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
1994 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
1995 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
1996 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2002 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2003 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2007 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2008 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2009 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2014 @section Exiting Gnus
2015 @cindex exiting Gnus
2017 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2022 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2023 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2024 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2025 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2029 @findex gnus-group-exit
2030 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-quit
2035 Quit Gnus without saving any startup files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2038 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2039 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2040 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2041 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2042 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2047 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2048 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2049 trying to customize meta-variables.
2054 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, feels her feet go
2055 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2056 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2062 @section Group Topics
2065 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2066 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2067 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2068 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2069 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2070 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2072 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2074 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2075 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2076 is a toggling command.)
2078 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2079 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2080 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2081 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2084 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2085 the hook for the group mode:
2088 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2092 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2093 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2094 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2098 @node Topic Variables
2099 @subsection Topic Variables
2100 @cindex topic variables
2102 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2103 really neat, I think.
2105 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2106 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2107 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
2108 Elements allowed are:
2120 Number of groups in the topic.
2122 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2124 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2127 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2128 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2129 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2130 The default is @code{2}.
2132 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2133 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2136 @node Topic Commands
2137 @subsection Topic Commands
2138 @cindex topic commands
2140 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2141 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2142 definitions slightly.
2148 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2149 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2150 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2154 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2155 Move the current group to some other topic
2156 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command understands the
2157 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2161 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2162 Copy the current group to some other topic
2163 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command understands the
2164 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2168 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2169 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2170 This command understands the process/prefix convention
2171 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2175 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2176 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2177 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2181 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2182 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2183 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2187 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2188 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2189 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2192 @kindex T M-# (Group)
2193 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2194 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2195 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2199 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2201 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2202 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2203 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2204 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2205 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2206 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2209 @kindex T TAB (Group)
2210 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2211 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2212 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2213 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2217 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2218 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}).
2222 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2223 Yank the previously killed group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}).
2224 Note that all topics will be yanked before all groups.
2228 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2229 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2232 @kindex T DEL (Group)
2233 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2234 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2238 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2239 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2240 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2245 @node Topic Topology
2246 @subsection Topic Topology
2247 @cindex topic topology
2250 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2256 2: alt.religion.emacs
2259 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2261 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2262 13: comp.sources.unix
2265 So, here we have one top-level topic, two topics under that, and one
2266 sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always just one (1)
2267 top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as follows:
2271 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2272 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2276 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2277 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2278 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2279 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2280 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2281 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2283 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2284 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2285 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2288 @node Misc Group Stuff
2289 @section Misc Group Stuff
2292 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2293 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2294 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2301 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2302 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}). @xref{The
2307 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2308 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2309 group name will be used as the default.
2313 @findex gnus-group-mail
2314 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2318 Variables for the group buffer:
2322 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2323 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2324 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2327 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2328 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2329 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2330 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2333 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2334 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2335 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2336 whether they are empty or not.
2341 @node Scanning New Messages
2342 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2343 @cindex new messages
2344 @cindex scanning new news
2350 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2351 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2352 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2353 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2354 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2359 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2360 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2361 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2362 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}). The
2363 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} variable controls whether
2364 this command is to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t}
2367 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2368 @cindex activating groups
2370 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2371 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2376 @findex gnus-group-restart
2377 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}).
2381 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2382 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2384 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2385 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2389 @node Group Information
2390 @subsection Group Information
2391 @cindex group information
2392 @cindex information on groups
2398 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2401 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2402 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2403 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2404 remote machine. @code{ange-ftp} will be used for fetching the file.
2408 @cindex describing groups
2409 @cindex group description
2410 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2411 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2412 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2416 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2417 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2418 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2423 @findex gnus-version
2424 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2428 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2429 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2432 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2435 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2436 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2441 @subsection File Commands
2442 @cindex file commands
2448 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2449 @vindex gnus-init-file
2450 @cindex reading init file
2451 Read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2452 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2456 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2457 @cindex saving .newsrc
2458 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2459 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2460 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2464 @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2465 Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2470 @node The Summary Buffer
2471 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2472 @cindex summary buffer
2474 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2475 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2478 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2479 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2480 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2481 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2482 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2483 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2484 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2485 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2486 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2487 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
2488 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
2489 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
2490 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
2491 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
2492 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
2493 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
2494 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
2495 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
2496 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
2497 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
2498 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
2499 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
2500 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
2501 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
2505 @node Summary Buffer Format
2506 @section Summary Buffer Format
2507 @cindex summary buffer format
2510 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
2511 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
2512 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
2515 @findex mail-extract-address-components
2516 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
2517 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
2518 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
2519 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
2520 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
2521 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
2522 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
2523 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
2524 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
2525 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
2527 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
2528 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
2529 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
2530 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
2533 @node Summary Buffer Lines
2534 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
2536 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
2537 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
2538 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
2539 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions.
2541 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
2543 The following format specification characters are understood:
2551 Subject if the article is the root, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject}
2554 Full @code{From} line.
2556 The name (from the @code{From} header).
2558 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
2559 spec in that it uses @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is
2560 slower, but may be more thorough.
2562 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
2565 Number of lines in the article.
2567 Number of characters in the article.
2569 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2571 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
2572 pushes everything after it off the screen).
2574 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{\[}, but can also be @samp{<}
2575 for adopted articles.
2577 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{\]}, but can also be @samp{>}
2578 for adopted articles.
2580 One space for each thread level.
2582 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
2590 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
2591 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
2592 default level. If the difference between
2593 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
2594 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
2606 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
2607 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
2609 A single character will be displayed if the article has any children.
2611 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
2612 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
2613 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
2614 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
2615 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
2616 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
2619 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
2620 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
2621 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
2622 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
2623 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
2624 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
2626 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
2627 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
2629 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
2632 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
2633 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
2635 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
2636 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
2637 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. Here are the
2638 elements you can play with:
2644 Unprefixed group name.
2646 Current article number.
2650 Number of unread articles in this group.
2652 Number of unselected articles in this group.
2654 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
2655 either as @samp{<%U(+%u) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
2656 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
2657 and no unselected ones.
2659 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
2660 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
2662 Subject of the current article.
2666 Name of the current score file.
2668 Number of dormant articles.
2670 Number of ticked articles.
2672 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
2674 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
2678 @node Summary Highlighting
2679 @subsection Summary Highlighting
2683 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
2684 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
2685 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
2686 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
2687 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
2689 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
2690 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
2691 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
2692 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
2694 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
2695 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
2696 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
2697 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
2699 @item gnus-summary-highlight
2700 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
2701 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
2702 list where the elements are on the format @code{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
2703 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
2704 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
2706 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
2707 ((> score default) . bold))
2709 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
2710 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
2714 @node Summary Maneuvering
2715 @section Summary Maneuvering
2716 @cindex summary movement
2718 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
2719 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
2721 None of these commands select articles.
2726 @kindex M-n (Summary)
2727 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
2728 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
2729 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
2730 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
2734 @kindex M-p (Summary)
2735 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
2736 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
2737 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
2738 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
2743 @kindex G j (Summary)
2744 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
2745 Ask for an article number and then go that article
2746 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
2749 @kindex G g (Summary)
2750 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
2751 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
2752 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
2755 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
2756 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
2757 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
2758 to the group buffer.
2760 Variables related to summary movement:
2764 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
2765 @item gnus-auto-select-next
2766 If you are at the end of the group and issue one of the movement
2767 commands, Gnus will offer to go to the next group. If this variable is
2768 @code{t} and the next group is empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and
2769 return to the group buffer. If this variable is neither @code{t} nor
2770 @code{nil}, Gnus will select the next group, no matter whether it has
2771 any unread articles or not. As a special case, if this variable is
2772 @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
2773 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same will
2774 happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
2775 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
2776 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
2777 @pxref{Group Levels}.
2779 @item gnus-auto-select-same
2780 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
2781 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
2782 article with the same subject as the current. This variable is not
2783 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
2785 @item gnus-summary-check-current
2786 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
2787 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
2788 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
2789 Instead, they will choose the current article.
2791 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
2792 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
2793 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
2794 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
2795 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
2796 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
2797 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
2798 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
2804 @node Choosing Articles
2805 @section Choosing Articles
2806 @cindex selecting articles
2808 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
2809 and they all select and display an article.
2813 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
2814 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
2815 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
2816 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
2821 @kindex G n (Summary)
2822 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
2823 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
2828 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
2829 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
2834 @kindex G N (Summary)
2835 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
2836 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
2841 @kindex G P (Summary)
2842 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
2843 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
2846 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
2847 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
2848 Go to the next article with the same subject
2849 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
2852 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
2853 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
2854 Go to the previous article with the same subject
2855 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
2859 @kindex G f (Summary)
2861 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2862 Go to the first unread article
2863 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
2867 @kindex G b (Summary)
2869 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2870 Go to the article with the highest score
2871 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
2876 @kindex G l (Summary)
2877 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
2878 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
2881 @kindex G p (Summary)
2882 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
2883 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
2884 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
2885 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
2886 history as you like.
2889 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
2892 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
2893 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
2894 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
2895 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
2896 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
2897 the server and display it in the article buffer.
2899 @item gnus-select-article-hook
2900 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
2901 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
2902 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
2904 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
2905 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
2906 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
2907 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
2908 @findex gnus-unread-mark
2909 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
2910 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
2911 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
2912 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
2913 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
2914 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
2915 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
2916 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
2917 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
2922 @node Paging the Article
2923 @section Scrolling the Article
2924 @cindex article scrolling
2929 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
2930 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
2931 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
2932 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
2933 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
2936 @kindex DEL (Summary)
2937 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
2938 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
2941 @kindex RET (Summary)
2942 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
2943 Scroll the current article one line forward
2944 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
2948 @kindex A g (Summary)
2950 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
2951 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
2952 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
2953 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
2954 the way it came from the server.
2959 @kindex A < (Summary)
2960 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
2961 Scroll to the beginning of the article
2962 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
2967 @kindex A > (Summary)
2968 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
2969 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
2972 @kindex A s (Summary)
2973 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
2974 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
2975 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
2980 @node Reply Followup and Post
2981 @section Reply, Followup and Post
2984 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
2985 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
2989 @node Summary Mail Commands
2990 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
2992 @cindex composing mail
2994 Commands for composing a mail message:
3000 @kindex S r (Summary)
3002 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3003 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3004 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3009 @kindex S R (Summary)
3010 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3011 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3012 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3013 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3016 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3017 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3018 Forward the current article to some other person
3019 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}).
3022 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3023 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3024 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3025 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
3030 @kindex S m (Summary)
3031 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3032 Send a mail to some other person
3033 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3036 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3037 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3038 @cindex bouncing mail
3039 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3040 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3041 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3042 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3043 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3044 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3045 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3046 very well fail, though.
3049 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3050 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3051 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3052 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3053 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3054 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3055 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3056 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3057 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3058 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3060 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3061 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3062 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3063 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3064 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
3067 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3068 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3069 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3070 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3071 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3074 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3075 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3076 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3077 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3081 @node Summary Post Commands
3082 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3084 @cindex composing news
3086 Commands for posting an article:
3092 @kindex S p (Summary)
3093 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3094 Post an article to the current group
3095 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3100 @kindex S f (Summary)
3101 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3102 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3106 @kindex S F (Summary)
3108 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3109 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3110 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3111 process/prefix convention.
3114 @kindex S u (Summary)
3115 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3116 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3117 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3121 @node Canceling and Superseding
3122 @section Canceling Articles
3123 @cindex canceling articles
3124 @cindex superseding articles
3126 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3127 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3129 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3131 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3133 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3134 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3135 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3136 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3138 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3139 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3142 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3143 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3144 your original article.
3146 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3148 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3149 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3150 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3153 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3154 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3155 have posted almost the same article twice.
3157 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3158 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3159 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3160 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
3161 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3162 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3163 header by substituting one of those words for @code{Message-ID}. Then
3164 just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as you would do normally.
3165 The previous article will be canceled/superseded.
3167 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3170 @node Marking Articles
3171 @section Marking Articles
3172 @cindex article marking
3173 @cindex article ticking
3176 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3178 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3179 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3180 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3182 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3185 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3186 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3187 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3191 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3195 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3196 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3200 @node Unread Articles
3201 @subsection Unread Articles
3203 The following marks mark articles as unread, in one form or other.
3205 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3206 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3209 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3210 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3211 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3212 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3213 article forever, you'll have to save it. Ticked articles have a
3214 @samp{!} (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}) in the first column.
3217 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3218 A @dfn{dormant} article is marked with a @samp{?}
3219 (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}), and will only appear in the summary buffer
3220 if there are followups to it.
3223 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3224 An @dfn{unread} article is marked with a @samp{SPACE}
3225 (@code{gnus-unread-mark}). These are articles that haven't been read at
3231 @subsection Read Articles
3232 @cindex expirable mark
3234 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3239 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3240 Articles that are marked as read. They have a @samp{r}
3241 (@code{gnus-del-mark}) in the first column. These are articles that the
3242 user has marked as read more or less manually.
3245 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3246 Articles that are actually read are marked with @samp{R}
3247 (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3250 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3251 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions are now
3252 @dfn{old} and marked with @samp{O} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3255 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3256 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3259 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3260 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3263 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3264 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3267 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3268 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3271 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3272 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3275 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3276 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}).
3279 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3280 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}).
3283 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3284 They are interpreted differently by the adaptive scoring scheme,
3287 One more special mark, though:
3291 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3292 You can also mark articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as
3293 such automatically). That doesn't make much sense in normal groups,
3294 because a user does not control the expiring of news articles, but in
3295 mail groups, for instance, articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable}
3296 can be deleted by Gnus at any time. Expirable articles are marked with
3297 @samp{E} (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3302 @subsection Other Marks
3303 @cindex process mark
3306 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3312 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3313 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3314 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3315 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3316 encounters the article.
3319 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3320 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3321 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3322 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3325 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3326 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3327 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3330 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3331 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3332 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3333 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3336 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3337 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3338 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3339 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3340 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3343 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3344 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3345 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3346 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3347 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3348 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3352 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3353 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3354 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3356 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3357 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3358 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3362 @subsection Setting Marks
3363 @cindex setting marks
3365 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3371 @kindex M t (Summary)
3372 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3373 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3378 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3379 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3380 Mark the current article as dormant
3381 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3385 @kindex M d (Summary)
3387 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3388 Mark the current article as read
3389 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3394 @kindex M k (Summary)
3395 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3396 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3397 and then select the next unread article
3398 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3402 @kindex M K (Summary)
3403 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3404 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3405 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3406 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3409 @kindex M C (Summary)
3410 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
3411 Mark all unread articles in the group as read
3412 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
3415 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
3416 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
3417 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
3418 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
3421 @kindex M H (Summary)
3422 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
3423 Catchup the current group to point
3424 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
3427 @kindex C-w (Summary)
3428 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
3429 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
3430 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
3433 @kindex M V k (Summary)
3434 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
3435 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
3436 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
3440 @kindex M c (Summary)
3441 @kindex M-u (Summary)
3442 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
3443 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
3444 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
3448 @kindex M e (Summary)
3450 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
3451 Mark the current article as expirable
3452 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
3455 @kindex M b (Summary)
3456 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
3457 Set a bookmark in the current article
3458 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
3461 @kindex M B (Summary)
3462 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
3463 Remove the bookmark from the current article
3464 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
3467 @kindex M V c (Summary)
3468 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
3469 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
3470 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3473 @kindex M V u (Summary)
3474 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
3475 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
3476 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
3479 @kindex M V m (Summary)
3480 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
3481 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
3482 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
3483 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3486 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
3487 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
3488 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
3489 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
3490 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
3491 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
3492 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
3493 The default is @code{t}.
3496 @node Setting Process Marks
3497 @subsection Setting Process Marks
3498 @cindex setting process marks
3505 @kindex M P p (Summary)
3506 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
3507 Mark the current article with the process mark
3508 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
3509 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
3513 @kindex M P u (Summary)
3514 @kindex M-# (Summary)
3515 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
3516 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
3519 @kindex M P U (Summary)
3520 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
3521 Remove the process mark from all articles
3522 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
3525 @kindex M P R (Summary)
3526 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
3527 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
3530 @kindex M P r (Summary)
3531 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
3532 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
3535 @kindex M P t (Summary)
3536 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
3537 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3538 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
3541 @kindex M P T (Summary)
3542 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
3543 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3544 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
3547 @kindex M P v (Summary)
3548 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
3549 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
3550 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
3553 @kindex M P s (Summary)
3554 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
3555 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3558 @kindex M P S (Summary)
3559 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
3560 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
3561 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
3564 @kindex M P a (Summary)
3565 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
3566 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3569 @kindex M P b (Summary)
3570 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
3571 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
3572 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
3580 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
3581 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
3582 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
3589 @kindex / / (Summary)
3590 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
3591 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
3592 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
3595 @kindex / a (Summary)
3596 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
3597 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
3598 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
3602 @kindex / u (Summary)
3604 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
3605 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
3606 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
3607 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
3608 dormant articles will also be excluded.
3611 @kindex / m (Summary)
3612 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
3613 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
3614 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
3617 @kindex / n (Summary)
3618 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
3619 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
3620 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
3621 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3624 @kindex / w (Summary)
3625 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
3626 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
3627 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
3631 @kindex / v (Summary)
3632 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
3633 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
3634 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
3638 @kindex M S (Summary)
3639 @kindex / E (Summary)
3640 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
3641 Display all expunged articles
3642 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
3645 @kindex / D (Summary)
3646 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
3647 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
3650 @kindex / d (Summary)
3651 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
3652 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
3655 @kindex / c (Summary)
3656 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
3657 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
3658 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
3661 @kindex / C (Summary)
3662 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
3663 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
3664 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
3665 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
3673 @cindex article threading
3675 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
3676 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
3680 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
3681 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
3685 @node Customizing Threading
3686 @subsection Customizing Threading
3687 @cindex customizing threading
3693 @item gnus-show-threads
3694 @vindex gnus-show-threads
3695 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
3696 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
3697 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
3698 slower and more awkward.
3700 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
3701 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
3702 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
3703 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
3704 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
3705 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
3706 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
3707 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
3708 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
3709 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
3710 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
3711 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
3713 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
3714 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
3715 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
3716 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
3717 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
3718 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
3719 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
3720 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
3721 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
3722 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
3723 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
3724 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
3725 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
3726 @code{nil} by default.
3728 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
3729 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
3730 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
3731 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
3732 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
3733 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
3734 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
3735 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
3736 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
3737 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
3738 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
3740 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
3741 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
3742 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
3744 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
3745 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
3746 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
3747 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
3748 simplification is used.
3750 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3751 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3752 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
3753 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
3755 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
3757 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3760 (mapconcat 'identity
3762 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
3763 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
3764 "answer" "reference" "announce"
3765 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
3770 (mapconcat 'identity
3771 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
3773 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
3776 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
3779 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
3780 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
3781 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
3782 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
3783 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
3784 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
3785 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
3786 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
3788 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3789 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3790 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
3791 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
3792 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
3793 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
3794 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
3795 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
3796 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
3800 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
3801 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
3802 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
3803 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
3805 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
3806 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
3807 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
3810 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
3814 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3815 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
3818 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
3819 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
3820 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
3821 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
3822 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
3823 read or killed the root in a previous session.
3825 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
3826 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
3827 There are four possible values:
3829 @cindex adopting articles
3834 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
3835 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
3836 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
3837 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
3840 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
3841 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
3842 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
3843 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
3844 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
3845 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
3846 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
3849 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
3850 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
3851 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
3855 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
3856 display them after one another.
3859 Don't gather loose threads.
3862 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
3863 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
3864 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
3867 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
3868 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
3869 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
3872 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
3873 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
3874 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
3875 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
3876 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
3879 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
3880 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
3881 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
3882 The default is @code{4}.
3886 @node Thread Commands
3887 @subsection Thread Commands
3888 @cindex thread commands
3894 @kindex T k (Summary)
3895 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
3896 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
3897 Mark all articles in the current sub-thread as read
3898 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
3899 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
3904 @kindex T l (Summary)
3905 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
3906 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
3907 Lower the score of the current thread
3908 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
3911 @kindex T i (Summary)
3912 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
3913 Increase the score of the current thread
3914 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
3917 @kindex T # (Summary)
3918 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
3919 Set the process mark on the current thread
3920 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
3923 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
3924 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
3925 Remove the process mark from the current thread
3926 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
3929 @kindex T T (Summary)
3930 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
3931 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
3934 @kindex T s (Summary)
3935 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
3936 Expose the thread hidden under the current article, if any
3937 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
3940 @kindex T h (Summary)
3941 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
3942 Hide the current (sub)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
3945 @kindex T S (Summary)
3946 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
3947 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
3950 @kindex T H (Summary)
3951 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
3952 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
3955 @kindex T t (Summary)
3956 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
3957 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
3958 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
3959 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
3962 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
3963 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
3964 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
3965 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
3969 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
3970 understand the numeric prefix.
3975 @kindex T n (Summary)
3976 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
3977 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
3980 @kindex T p (Summary)
3981 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
3982 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
3985 @kindex T d (Summary)
3986 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
3987 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
3990 @kindex T u (Summary)
3991 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
3992 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
3995 @kindex T o (Summary)
3996 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
3997 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4000 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4001 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4002 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4003 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4004 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4005 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4006 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4007 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4008 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4009 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4010 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4011 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4017 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4018 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4019 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4020 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4021 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4022 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4023 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4024 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4025 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4026 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4027 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4028 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4029 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4030 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4032 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4033 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4034 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4035 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4036 in the list. You should probably always include
4037 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4038 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4039 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4040 ascending article order.
4042 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4043 number, you could do something like:
4046 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4047 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4048 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4049 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4052 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4053 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4054 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4055 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4056 which the articles arrived.
4058 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4062 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4064 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4065 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4068 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4069 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4070 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4071 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4074 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4075 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4076 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4077 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4078 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4079 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4080 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4081 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4082 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4083 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4084 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4085 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4086 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4088 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4092 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4093 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4094 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4099 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4100 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4101 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4103 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4104 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4105 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4106 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4107 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4109 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4110 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4112 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4113 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4114 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4115 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4116 connection is blocked.
4118 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4119 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4120 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4121 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4123 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4124 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4125 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4126 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4129 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4132 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4133 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4134 happen automatically.
4136 @vindex nntp-async-number
4137 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4138 @code{nntp-async-number}. This is five by default, which means that when
4139 you read an article in the group, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch the next
4140 five articles. If this variable is @code{t}, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch
4141 all the articles that it can without bound. If it is @code{nil}, no
4142 pre-fetching will be made.
4144 @vindex gnus-asynchronous-article-function
4145 You may wish to create some sort of scheme for choosing which articles
4146 that @code{nntp} should consider as candidates for pre-fetching. For
4147 instance, you may wish to pre-fetch all articles with high scores, and
4148 not pre-fetch low-scored articles. You can do that by setting the
4149 @code{gnus-asynchronous-article-function}, which will be called with an
4150 alist where the keys are the article numbers. Your function should
4151 return an alist where the articles you are not interested in have been
4152 removed. You could also do sorting on article score and the like.
4155 @node Article Caching
4156 @section Article Caching
4157 @cindex article caching
4160 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4161 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4162 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4163 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4164 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4166 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4168 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4169 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4170 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4171 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4172 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4173 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4174 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4175 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4177 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4178 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4179 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4180 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4181 as dormant, and don't worry.
4183 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4185 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4186 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4187 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4188 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4189 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4190 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4191 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4192 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4193 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4194 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4196 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4197 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4198 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4199 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4200 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4201 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4202 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4204 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4205 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4206 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4207 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4208 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4209 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4210 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4213 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4214 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4215 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4216 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4217 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4218 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4219 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4220 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4221 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4225 @node Persistent Articles
4226 @section Persistent Articles
4227 @cindex persistent articles
4229 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4230 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4231 useful in my opinion.
4233 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4234 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4235 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4236 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4237 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4238 the expiry going on at the news server.
4240 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4241 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4242 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4248 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4249 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4252 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4253 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4254 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4255 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4259 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4261 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4262 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4263 interested in persistent articles:
4266 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4270 @node Article Backlog
4271 @section Article Backlog
4273 @cindex article backlog
4275 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4276 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4277 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4278 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4279 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4280 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4281 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4282 increase memory usage some.
4284 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4285 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4286 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4287 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4288 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4289 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4290 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4292 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4295 @node Saving Articles
4296 @section Saving Articles
4297 @cindex saving articles
4299 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4300 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4301 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4302 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4303 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4305 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4306 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4307 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4309 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4310 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4311 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4312 deleted before saving.
4318 @kindex O o (Summary)
4320 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4321 Save the current article using the default article saver
4322 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4325 @kindex O m (Summary)
4326 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4327 Save the current article in mail format
4328 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4331 @kindex O r (Summary)
4332 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4333 Save the current article in rmail format
4334 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4337 @kindex O f (Summary)
4338 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4339 Save the current article in plain file format
4340 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4343 @kindex O b (Summary)
4344 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
4345 Save the current article body in plain file format
4346 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
4349 @kindex O h (Summary)
4350 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
4351 Save the current article in mh folder format
4352 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
4355 @kindex O v (Summary)
4356 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
4357 Save the current article in a VM folder
4358 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
4361 @kindex O p (Summary)
4362 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
4363 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
4364 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
4367 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
4368 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
4369 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
4370 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
4371 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
4372 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
4373 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
4374 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
4375 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
4376 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
4377 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
4378 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
4382 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
4383 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
4384 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
4385 functions below, or you can create your own.
4389 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4390 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4391 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
4392 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4393 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
4394 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4395 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4397 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4398 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4399 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
4400 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
4401 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4402 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4404 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
4405 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
4406 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
4407 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4408 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
4409 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4410 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4412 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4413 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4414 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
4415 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4416 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4418 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4419 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4420 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
4421 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
4422 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
4425 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
4426 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
4427 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
4428 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
4429 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
4430 the latter does not.
4432 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4433 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4434 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
4435 reader to use this setting.
4438 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
4439 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
4440 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
4441 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
4444 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
4445 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
4446 available functions that generate names:
4450 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
4451 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
4452 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4454 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
4455 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4456 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4458 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
4459 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
4460 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4462 @item gnus-plain-save-name
4463 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4464 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4467 @vindex gnus-split-methods
4468 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
4469 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
4470 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
4471 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
4475 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
4476 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
4477 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
4478 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
4481 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
4482 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
4483 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
4484 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
4485 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
4486 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
4487 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
4488 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
4489 called returns a string or a list of strings.
4491 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
4492 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
4493 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
4494 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
4496 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
4497 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
4498 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
4501 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4502 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
4503 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
4504 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
4505 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
4506 all the files in the toplevel directory
4507 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
4508 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
4509 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
4510 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
4512 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
4513 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
4514 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
4515 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
4516 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
4519 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
4523 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
4524 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
4527 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
4528 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
4529 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
4530 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
4533 @node Decoding Articles
4534 @section Decoding Articles
4535 @cindex decoding articles
4537 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
4538 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
4541 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
4542 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
4543 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
4544 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
4545 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
4548 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
4549 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
4550 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
4551 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
4552 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
4554 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
4555 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
4556 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
4558 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
4559 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
4560 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
4562 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
4563 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
4564 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
4567 @node Uuencoded Articles
4568 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
4570 @cindex uuencoded articles
4575 @kindex X u (Summary)
4576 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
4577 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
4580 @kindex X U (Summary)
4581 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
4582 Uudecodes and saves the current series
4583 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4586 @kindex X v u (Summary)
4587 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
4588 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
4591 @kindex X v U (Summary)
4592 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
4593 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
4594 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
4597 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
4598 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
4599 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
4600 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
4601 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4603 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
4604 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
4605 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
4606 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
4609 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
4610 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
4611 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
4612 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
4613 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
4614 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
4618 @node Shared Articles
4619 @subsection Shared Articles
4621 @cindex shared articles
4626 @kindex X s (Summary)
4627 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
4628 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
4631 @kindex X S (Summary)
4632 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
4633 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
4636 @kindex X v s (Summary)
4637 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
4638 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
4641 @kindex X v S (Summary)
4642 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
4643 Unshars, views and saves the current series
4644 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
4648 @node PostScript Files
4649 @subsection PostScript Files
4655 @kindex X p (Summary)
4656 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
4657 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
4660 @kindex X P (Summary)
4661 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
4662 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
4663 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
4666 @kindex X v p (Summary)
4667 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
4668 View the current PostScript series
4669 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
4672 @kindex X v P (Summary)
4673 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
4674 View and save the current PostScript series
4675 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
4679 @node Decoding Variables
4680 @subsection Decoding Variables
4682 Adjective, not verb.
4685 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
4686 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
4687 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
4691 @node Rule Variables
4692 @subsubsection Rule Variables
4693 @cindex rule variables
4695 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
4696 variables are on the form
4699 (list '(regexp1 command2)
4706 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4707 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4709 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
4710 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
4713 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4714 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
4717 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
4718 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
4719 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
4720 user and default view rules.
4722 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
4723 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
4724 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
4729 @node Other Decode Variables
4730 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
4733 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
4735 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
4736 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
4737 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
4738 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
4739 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
4743 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
4744 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
4747 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
4748 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
4749 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
4752 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
4753 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
4754 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
4756 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
4757 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
4758 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
4759 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
4760 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
4763 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
4764 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
4765 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
4767 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
4768 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
4769 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
4770 looking for files to display.
4772 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
4773 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
4774 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
4777 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
4778 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
4779 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
4782 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
4783 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
4784 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
4787 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
4788 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
4789 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
4792 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
4793 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
4794 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
4795 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
4797 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
4798 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
4799 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
4800 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
4802 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
4803 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
4805 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
4806 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
4807 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
4808 @code{metamail} for viewing.
4810 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
4811 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
4812 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
4813 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
4814 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
4815 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
4816 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
4817 simply dropped them.
4822 @node Uuencoding and Posting
4823 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
4827 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
4828 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
4829 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
4830 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
4831 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
4832 for you when you post the article.
4834 @item gnus-uu-post-length
4835 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
4836 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
4837 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
4839 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
4840 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
4841 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
4842 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
4843 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
4844 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
4845 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
4847 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
4848 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
4849 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
4850 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
4851 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
4852 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
4853 Default is @code{t}.
4859 @subsection Viewing Files
4860 @cindex viewing files
4861 @cindex pseudo-articles
4863 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
4864 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
4865 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
4866 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
4867 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
4868 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
4869 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
4871 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
4872 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
4873 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
4874 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
4876 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
4877 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
4878 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
4880 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
4881 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
4882 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
4883 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
4884 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
4886 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
4887 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
4888 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
4889 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
4890 a list of parameters to that command.
4892 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
4893 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
4894 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
4896 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
4897 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
4898 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
4901 @node Article Treatment
4902 @section Article Treatment
4904 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
4905 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
4906 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
4907 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
4908 these articles easier.
4911 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
4912 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
4913 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
4914 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
4915 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
4919 @node Article Highlighting
4920 @subsection Article Highlighting
4923 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
4924 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
4929 @kindex W H a (Summary)
4930 @findex gnus-article-highlight
4931 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
4934 @kindex W H h (Summary)
4935 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
4936 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
4937 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
4938 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
4939 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
4940 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
4941 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
4942 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
4943 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
4944 prepended---Gnus will add one.
4947 @kindex W H c (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
4949 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
4951 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
4954 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
4956 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
4957 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
4958 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
4960 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
4961 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
4962 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
4964 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
4965 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
4966 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
4968 @item gnus-cite-face-list
4969 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
4970 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
4971 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
4972 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
4975 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
4976 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
4977 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
4979 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
4980 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
4981 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
4983 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
4984 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
4985 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
4986 that it's a citation.
4988 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
4989 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
4990 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
4992 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
4993 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
4994 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
4996 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
4997 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
4998 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
4999 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5005 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5006 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5007 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5008 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5009 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5010 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} in an article will be
5011 considered a signature and will be highlighted with
5012 @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by default.
5017 @node Article Hiding
5018 @subsection Article Hiding
5019 @cindex article hiding
5021 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5022 too much cruft in most articles.
5027 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-article-hide
5029 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5032 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5033 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5034 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5038 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5039 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5040 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5041 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5044 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5046 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}).
5049 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5050 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5051 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5054 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5055 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5056 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5057 customizing the hiding:
5061 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5062 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5063 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5064 50), hide the cited text.
5066 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5067 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5068 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5071 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5072 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5073 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5074 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5075 by this format-like variable. These specs are legal:
5079 Start point of the hidden text.
5081 End point of the hidden text.
5083 Length of the hidden text.
5086 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5087 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5088 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5093 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5094 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5095 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5096 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5097 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5098 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5102 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5103 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5104 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5106 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5107 citation customization.
5109 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
5110 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
5111 signature. If it is a number, no signature may not be longer (in
5112 characters) than that number. If it is a function, the function will be
5113 called without any parameters, and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no
5114 signature in the buffer. If it is a string, it will be used as a
5115 regexp. If it matches, the text in question is not a signature.
5118 @node Article Washing
5119 @subsection Article Washing
5121 @cindex article washing
5123 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5124 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5126 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5127 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5133 @kindex W l (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5135 Remove page breaks from the current article
5136 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5139 @kindex W r (Summary)
5140 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5141 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5142 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5145 @kindex W t (Summary)
5146 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5147 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5148 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5151 @kindex W v (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5153 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5154 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5157 @kindex W m (Summary)
5158 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5159 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5160 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5163 @kindex W o (Summary)
5164 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5165 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5168 @kindex W w (Summary)
5169 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5170 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
5173 @kindex W c (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5175 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5178 @kindex W L (Summary)
5179 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5180 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5181 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5184 @kindex W q (Summary)
5185 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5186 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5189 @kindex W f (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5192 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5193 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5194 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5195 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5196 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5197 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If
5198 this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell.
5199 If it is a function, this function will be called with the face as the
5200 argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp)
5201 matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown. The default
5202 action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the face; under
5203 XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the @code{From}
5204 header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face support --
5205 that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native X-Face
5206 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5207 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5208 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5212 @kindex W b (Summary)
5213 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5214 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5217 @kindex W B (Summary)
5218 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5219 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5220 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5225 @node Article Buttons
5226 @subsection Article Buttons
5229 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5230 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5231 with the minimum of fuzz.
5233 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5234 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5235 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5240 @item gnus-button-alist
5241 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5242 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5245 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5251 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5252 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5253 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5256 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5257 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
5258 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use @code{0} here.
5261 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
5262 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
5263 avoid false matches.
5266 This function will be called when you click on this button.
5269 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
5270 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
5274 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
5277 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
5280 @item gnus-header-button-alist
5281 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
5282 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
5283 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
5284 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
5287 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5290 @var{header} is a regular expression.
5292 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
5293 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
5294 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
5295 default values of the variables above.
5297 @item gnus-article-button-face
5298 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
5299 Face used on bottons.
5301 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
5302 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
5303 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
5309 @subsection Article Date
5311 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
5312 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
5313 when the article was sent.
5318 @kindex W T u (Summary)
5319 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
5320 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
5321 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
5324 @kindex W T l (Summary)
5325 @findex gnus-article-date-local
5326 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
5329 @kindex W T e (Summary)
5330 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
5331 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
5332 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
5335 @kindex W T o (Summary)
5336 @findex gnus-article-date-original
5337 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
5338 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
5339 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
5340 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
5341 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
5346 @node Summary Sorting
5347 @section Summary Sorting
5348 @cindex summary sorting
5350 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
5351 can't really see why you'd want that.
5356 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
5357 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
5358 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
5361 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
5362 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
5363 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
5366 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
5367 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
5368 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
5371 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
5372 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
5373 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
5376 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
5377 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
5378 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
5381 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
5382 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
5383 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
5384 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
5385 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
5389 @node Finding the Parent
5390 @section Finding the Parent
5391 @cindex parent articles
5392 @cindex referring articles
5394 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
5396 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
5397 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
5398 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
5399 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
5400 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
5401 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
5402 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
5403 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
5405 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
5406 @kindex A R (Summary)
5407 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
5408 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
5409 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
5411 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
5412 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
5413 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
5414 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
5415 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
5416 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long thingies that look
5417 something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You have to get
5418 it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
5420 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
5421 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
5422 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
5423 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
5424 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
5425 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
5426 not really necessary.
5428 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
5429 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
5430 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
5431 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
5432 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
5433 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
5436 @node Alternative Approaches
5437 @section Alternative Approaches
5439 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
5440 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
5443 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
5444 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
5449 @subsection Pick and Read
5450 @cindex pick and read
5452 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
5453 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
5454 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
5455 an article buffer displayed.
5457 @findex gnus-pick-mode
5458 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
5459 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
5460 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
5461 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
5462 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
5465 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
5469 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
5470 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5471 Pick the article (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5475 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5476 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5480 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5481 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5485 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5486 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5490 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5491 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5495 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5496 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5500 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5501 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5505 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5506 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5510 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5511 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5515 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5516 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5520 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
5521 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
5525 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
5526 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
5527 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
5528 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
5529 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
5530 will still be visible when you are reading.
5534 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
5537 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
5540 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
5541 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
5545 @subsection Binary Groups
5546 @cindex binary groups
5548 @findex gnus-binary-mode
5549 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
5550 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
5551 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
5552 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
5553 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
5554 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
5557 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
5558 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
5559 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
5561 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
5562 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
5566 @section Tree Display
5569 @vindex gnus-use-trees
5570 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
5571 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
5572 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
5575 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
5578 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
5579 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
5580 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
5582 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
5583 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
5584 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
5585 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
5588 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
5589 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
5590 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
5591 default is @code{modeline}.
5593 @item gnus-tree-line-format
5594 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
5595 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
5596 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
5597 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
5598 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
5599 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
5605 The name of the poster.
5607 The @code{From} header.
5609 The number of the article.
5611 The opening bracket.
5613 The closing bracket.
5618 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5620 Variables related to the display are:
5623 @item gnus-tree-brackets
5624 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
5625 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
5626 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
5627 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
5628 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
5630 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
5631 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
5632 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
5633 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
5637 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
5638 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
5639 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
5640 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
5641 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
5642 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
5644 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
5645 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
5646 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
5647 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
5648 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
5649 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
5650 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
5654 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
5657 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
5667 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
5671 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
5672 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
5674 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
5676 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
5682 @node Mail Group Commands
5683 @section Mail Group Commands
5684 @cindex mail group commands
5686 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
5687 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
5689 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
5690 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5695 @kindex B e (Summary)
5696 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
5697 Expire all expirable articles in the group
5698 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
5701 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
5703 Expunge all the expirable articles in the group
5704 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
5705 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
5706 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
5709 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
5710 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
5711 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
5712 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
5713 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
5716 @kindex B m (Summary)
5718 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
5719 Move the article from one mail group to another
5720 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
5723 @kindex B c (Summary)
5725 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
5726 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
5727 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
5730 @kindex B C (Summary)
5731 @cindex crosspost mail
5732 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
5733 Crosspost the current article to some other group
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
5735 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
5736 be properly updated.
5739 @kindex B i (Summary)
5740 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
5741 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
5742 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
5743 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
5746 @kindex B r (Summary)
5747 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
5748 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
5752 @kindex B w (Summary)
5754 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
5755 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
5756 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
5757 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
5758 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
5761 @kindex B q (Summary)
5762 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
5763 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
5764 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
5765 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
5768 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
5769 @cindex moving articles
5770 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
5771 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
5772 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
5773 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
5774 suggestions you find reasonable.
5777 @node Various Summary Stuff
5778 @section Various Summary Stuff
5781 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
5782 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
5783 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
5787 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
5788 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
5789 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
5791 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
5792 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
5793 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
5794 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
5795 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
5796 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
5799 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
5800 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
5801 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
5802 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
5803 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
5808 @node Summary Group Information
5809 @subsection Summary Group Information
5814 @kindex H f (Summary)
5815 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
5816 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5817 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
5818 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
5819 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
5820 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5821 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5822 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
5826 @kindex H d (Summary)
5827 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
5828 Give a brief description of the current group
5829 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
5830 rereading the description from the server.
5833 @kindex H h (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
5835 Give a very brief description of the most important summary keystrokes
5836 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
5839 @kindex H i (Summary)
5840 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5841 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5845 @node Searching for Articles
5846 @subsection Searching for Articles
5851 @kindex M-s (Summary)
5852 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
5853 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
5854 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
5857 @kindex M-r (Summary)
5858 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
5859 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
5860 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
5864 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
5865 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
5866 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
5867 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
5870 @kindex M-& (Summary)
5871 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
5872 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
5873 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
5877 @node Really Various Summary Commands
5878 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
5883 @kindex A D (Summary)
5884 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
5885 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
5886 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
5887 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
5888 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
5889 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
5890 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
5891 some format, you @kbd{A D} and read these messages in a more convenient
5895 @kindex C-t (Summary)
5896 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
5897 Toggle truncation of summary lines (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}).
5901 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
5902 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
5903 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
5907 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
5908 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
5909 @cindex summary exit
5910 @cindex exiting groups
5912 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
5913 group and return you to the group buffer.
5919 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-exit
5922 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
5923 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
5924 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
5925 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
5926 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
5927 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
5928 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
5933 @kindex Z E (Summary)
5935 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
5936 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
5937 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
5941 @kindex Z c (Summary)
5943 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
5944 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
5945 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
5948 @kindex Z C (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
5950 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
5951 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
5954 @kindex Z n (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
5956 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
5957 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
5960 @kindex Z R (Summary)
5961 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
5962 Exit this group, and then enter it again
5963 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
5964 all articles, both read and unread.
5968 @kindex Z G (Summary)
5969 @kindex M-g (Summary)
5970 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
5971 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
5972 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
5973 articles, both read and unread.
5976 @kindex Z N (Summary)
5977 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
5978 Exit the group and go to the next group
5979 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
5982 @kindex Z P (Summary)
5983 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
5984 Exit the group and go to the previous group
5985 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
5988 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
5989 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
5992 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
5993 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
5994 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
5995 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
5996 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
5997 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
5998 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
5999 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6000 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6001 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6002 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6003 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6005 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6007 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6008 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6009 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6010 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6011 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6012 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6013 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6014 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6015 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups.
6019 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6020 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6021 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6022 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6023 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6026 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6027 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6028 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided.
6030 @cindex cross-posting
6033 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6034 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6035 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6036 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6037 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6038 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6039 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6040 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6041 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6042 the cross reference mechanism.
6044 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6045 @cindex overview.fmt
6046 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6047 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6048 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6049 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6050 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6051 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6054 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6055 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6056 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6062 @node The Article Buffer
6063 @chapter The Article Buffer
6064 @cindex article buffer
6066 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
6067 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
6068 tell Gnus otherwise.
6071 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
6072 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
6073 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
6074 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer
6075 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
6079 @node Hiding Headers
6080 @section Hiding Headers
6081 @cindex hiding headers
6082 @cindex deleting headers
6084 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
6085 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
6087 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
6088 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
6089 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
6090 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
6091 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
6092 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
6093 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
6094 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
6095 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
6097 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
6101 @item gnus-visible-headers
6102 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
6103 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
6104 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
6105 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
6107 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
6108 the article and the subject, you'd say:
6111 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
6114 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6117 @item gnus-ignored-headers
6118 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
6119 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
6120 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
6121 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
6122 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
6124 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
6125 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
6128 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
6131 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6134 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
6135 variable will have no effect.
6139 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
6140 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
6141 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
6142 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
6143 the headers are to be displayed.
6145 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
6146 and then the subject, you might say something like:
6149 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
6152 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
6153 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
6154 are listed in this variable.
6156 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6157 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6158 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
6159 You can hide further boring headers by entering
6160 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
6161 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
6162 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
6163 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
6164 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
6166 These conditions are:
6169 Remove all empty headers.
6171 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
6174 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
6175 @code{Newsgroups} header.
6177 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
6180 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
6184 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
6187 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
6188 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
6191 This is also the default value for this variable.
6195 @section Using @sc{mime}
6198 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
6199 while people stand around yawning.
6201 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
6202 while all newsreaders die of fear.
6204 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
6205 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
6206 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
6208 @vindex gnus-show-mime
6209 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
6210 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
6211 @findex metamail-buffer
6212 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by shoving the articles through
6213 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
6214 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
6215 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
6216 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
6217 @sc{mime} headers in the article.
6219 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
6220 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
6221 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
6222 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
6223 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
6224 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
6225 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
6226 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
6227 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
6229 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
6232 @node Customizing Articles
6233 @section Customizing Articles
6234 @cindex article customization
6236 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6237 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
6238 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
6239 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
6241 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6242 By default it contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
6243 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
6244 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
6245 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
6246 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
6247 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
6250 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
6251 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
6252 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
6253 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
6254 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
6257 @node Article Keymap
6258 @section Article Keymap
6260 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
6261 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
6262 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
6263 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
6266 A few additional keystrokes are available:
6271 @kindex SPACE (Article)
6272 @findex gnus-article-next-page
6273 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
6276 @kindex DEL (Article)
6277 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
6278 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
6281 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
6282 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
6283 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
6284 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
6285 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
6288 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
6289 @findex gnus-article-mail
6290 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
6291 given a prefix, include the mail.
6295 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
6296 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
6297 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
6301 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
6302 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
6303 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
6306 @kindex TAB (Article)
6307 @findex gnus-article-next-button
6308 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
6309 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
6312 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
6313 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
6314 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
6320 @section Misc Article
6324 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
6325 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
6326 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
6327 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
6330 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
6331 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
6332 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
6333 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
6334 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
6335 the contents of the article buffer.
6337 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6338 @item gnus-article-display-hook
6339 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
6340 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
6341 hiding headers, and the like.
6343 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
6344 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
6345 Hook called in article mode buffers.
6347 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
6348 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
6349 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
6350 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts exactly the same
6351 format specifications as that variable.
6352 @vindex gnus-break-pages
6354 @item gnus-break-pages
6355 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
6356 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
6357 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
6358 paging will not be done.
6360 @item gnus-page-delimiter
6361 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
6362 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
6367 @node Composing Messages
6368 @chapter Composing Messages
6373 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
6374 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
6375 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
6376 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
6377 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
6378 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
6379 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
6382 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
6383 * Post:: Posting and following up.
6384 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
6385 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
6386 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
6387 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
6388 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
6389 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
6392 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
6393 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
6399 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
6402 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
6403 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
6404 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
6405 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
6413 Variables for composing news articles:
6416 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
6417 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
6418 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
6419 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
6420 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
6421 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
6422 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
6423 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
6424 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
6427 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
6428 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
6429 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
6430 file. It is 1000 by default.
6435 @node Posting Server
6436 @section Posting Server
6438 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
6439 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
6441 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
6443 @vindex gnus-post-method
6445 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
6446 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
6447 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
6448 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
6449 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
6452 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
6455 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
6456 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
6457 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
6458 the ``current'' server for posting.
6460 If you give a zero prefix (i. e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
6461 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
6463 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
6464 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
6469 @section Mail and Post
6471 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
6475 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
6476 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
6477 @cindex mailing lists
6479 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
6480 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
6481 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
6482 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
6483 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
6484 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
6485 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
6486 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
6487 still a pain, though.
6491 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
6492 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
6493 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
6496 @findex ispell-message
6498 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
6502 @node Archived Messages
6503 @section Archived Messages
6504 @cindex archived messages
6505 @cindex sent messages
6507 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
6508 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
6509 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
6510 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
6512 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
6513 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
6514 use to store sent messages. It is @code{(nnfolder "archive"
6515 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))} by default, but you can use any
6516 mail select method (@code{nnml}, @code{nnmbox}, etc.). However,
6517 @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method for doing this sort of
6518 thing. If you don't like the default directory chosen, you could say
6522 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
6523 '(nnfolder "archive"
6524 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
6525 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
6526 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
6529 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
6531 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
6532 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
6533 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
6535 This variable can be:
6539 Messages will be saved in that group.
6540 @item a list of strings
6541 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
6542 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
6543 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
6548 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
6550 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
6553 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
6555 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
6558 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
6560 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
6561 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
6562 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
6563 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
6568 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
6569 '((if (message-news-p)
6574 This is the default.
6576 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
6577 messages in one file per month:
6580 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
6581 '((if (message-news-p)
6583 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
6584 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
6587 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
6588 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
6589 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
6590 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
6591 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
6592 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
6593 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
6594 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something nice --
6595 @samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
6596 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
6598 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also offers two
6599 other variables for the people who don't like the default method. In
6600 that case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to
6601 @code{nil}; this will disable archiving.
6603 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
6604 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
6608 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
6609 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
6610 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
6611 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
6612 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
6615 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
6616 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
6617 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
6622 @c @node Posting Styles
6623 @c @section Posting Styles
6624 @c @cindex posting styles
6627 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
6629 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
6630 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
6631 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
6634 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
6635 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
6636 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
6637 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
6638 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
6643 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
6644 @c (organization . "What me?"))
6646 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
6647 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
6648 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
6651 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
6652 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
6653 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
6654 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
6655 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
6656 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
6657 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
6658 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
6660 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
6661 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
6662 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
6663 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
6664 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
6665 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
6668 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
6669 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
6670 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
6671 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
6672 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
6675 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
6676 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
6677 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
6679 @c So here's a new example:
6682 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
6684 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
6685 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
6686 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
6687 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
6689 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
6690 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
6691 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
6692 @c (posting-from-work-p
6693 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
6694 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
6695 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
6697 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
6704 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
6705 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
6706 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
6707 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
6708 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
6710 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
6711 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
6712 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
6713 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
6714 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
6718 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
6719 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
6720 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
6721 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
6722 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
6723 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
6724 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
6725 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
6727 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
6730 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
6731 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
6732 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
6733 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
6734 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
6735 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
6736 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
6737 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
6738 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
6739 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
6740 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
6741 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
6742 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
6743 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
6745 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
6746 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
6747 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
6749 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
6750 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
6751 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
6752 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
6753 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
6755 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
6758 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
6759 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
6760 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
6761 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
6762 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6765 @c @node Rejected Articles
6766 @c @section Rejected Articles
6767 @c @cindex rejected articles
6769 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
6770 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
6771 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
6772 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
6774 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
6775 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
6776 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
6777 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
6778 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
6780 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
6781 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
6782 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
6785 @node Select Methods
6786 @chapter Select Methods
6787 @cindex foreign groups
6788 @cindex select methods
6790 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
6791 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
6792 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
6793 personal mail group.
6795 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
6796 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
6797 list where the first element says what backend to use (eg. @code{nntp},
6798 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
6799 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
6800 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
6802 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
6803 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
6805 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
6808 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
6809 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
6810 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group, in
6811 all circumstances, @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the
6812 @code{nntp} backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
6814 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
6817 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
6818 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
6819 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
6820 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
6821 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
6825 @node The Server Buffer
6826 @section The Server Buffer
6828 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
6829 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
6830 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
6831 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
6832 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
6833 backend represents a virtual server.
6835 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
6836 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
6837 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
6838 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
6840 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
6841 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
6842 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number @code{13}, which
6843 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
6844 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
6845 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
6846 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
6848 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
6849 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
6852 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
6853 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
6854 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
6855 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
6856 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
6857 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
6860 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
6861 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
6864 @node Server Buffer Format
6865 @subsection Server Buffer Format
6866 @cindex server buffer format
6868 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
6869 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
6870 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
6871 variable, with some simple extensions:
6876 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
6879 The name of this server.
6882 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
6885 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
6888 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
6889 The mode line can also be customized by using the
6890 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
6901 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
6904 @node Server Commands
6905 @subsection Server Commands
6906 @cindex server commands
6912 @findex gnus-server-add-server
6913 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
6917 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
6918 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
6921 @kindex SPACE (Server)
6922 @findex gnus-server-read-server
6923 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
6927 @findex gnus-server-exit
6928 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
6932 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
6933 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
6937 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
6938 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
6942 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
6943 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
6947 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
6948 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
6953 @node Example Methods
6954 @subsection Example Methods
6956 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
6959 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
6962 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
6968 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
6969 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
6972 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
6973 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
6975 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
6976 port @code{15} from that machine. This is what the select method should
6980 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
6983 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
6984 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
6986 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
6987 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
6988 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
6992 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
6995 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
6998 Here's the method for a public spool:
7002 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
7003 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
7007 @node Creating a Virtual Server
7008 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
7010 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
7011 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
7013 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
7014 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
7015 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
7017 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
7019 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
7020 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
7021 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
7022 will contain the following:
7032 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
7033 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
7034 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
7037 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
7038 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
7039 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
7042 @node Servers and Methods
7043 @subsection Servers and Methods
7045 Wherever you would normally use a select method
7046 (eg. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
7047 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
7048 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
7052 @node Unavailable Servers
7053 @subsection Unavailable Servers
7055 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
7056 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
7057 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
7058 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
7059 actually the case or not.
7061 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
7062 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
7063 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
7064 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
7065 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
7066 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
7067 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
7068 regard that server as ``down''.
7070 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
7071 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
7073 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
7074 with the following commands:
7080 @findex gnus-server-open-server
7081 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
7082 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
7086 @findex gnus-server-close-server
7087 Close the connection (if any) to the server
7088 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
7092 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
7093 Mark the current server as unreachable
7094 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
7098 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
7099 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
7100 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
7106 @section Getting News
7107 @cindex reading news
7108 @cindex news backends
7110 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
7111 only two methods of getting news -- it can read from an @sc{nntp}
7112 server, or it can read from a local spool.
7115 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
7116 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
7121 @subsection @sc{nntp}
7124 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
7125 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
7126 server as the, uhm, address.
7128 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
7129 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
7130 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
7131 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7133 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
7134 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
7135 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
7137 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
7142 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
7143 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
7144 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
7146 @cindex authentification
7147 @cindex nntp authentification
7148 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7149 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
7150 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
7151 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
7152 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
7153 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. Another
7154 popular function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which will prompt you for
7155 an @sc{nntp} password and stuff.
7157 @item nntp-server-action-alist
7158 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
7159 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
7160 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
7161 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
7164 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
7168 You probably don't want to do that, though.
7170 The default value is
7173 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
7174 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
7177 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
7178 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
7180 @item nntp-maximum-request
7181 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
7182 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
7183 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
7184 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
7185 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
7186 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
7187 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
7189 @item nntp-connection-timeout
7190 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
7191 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
7192 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
7193 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
7194 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
7195 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
7196 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
7197 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
7198 no timeouts are done.
7200 @item nntp-command-timeout
7201 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
7202 @cindex PPP connections
7203 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
7204 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
7205 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
7206 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
7207 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
7208 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
7209 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
7210 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
7211 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
7212 likely number is 30 seconds.
7214 @item nntp-retry-on-break
7215 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
7216 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
7217 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
7220 @item nntp-server-hook
7221 @vindex nntp-server-hook
7222 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
7225 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
7226 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
7227 @item nntp-open-server-function
7228 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
7229 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
7230 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
7231 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
7232 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
7233 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
7235 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
7236 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
7237 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
7238 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
7239 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
7241 @item nntp-end-of-line
7242 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
7243 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
7244 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
7245 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
7247 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
7248 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
7249 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
7253 @vindex nntp-address
7254 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
7256 @item nntp-port-number
7257 @vindex nntp-port-number
7258 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
7261 @item nntp-buggy-select
7262 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
7263 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
7265 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
7266 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
7267 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
7268 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
7269 can be used automatically.
7271 @item nntp-xover-commands
7272 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
7275 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
7276 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
7280 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
7281 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
7282 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
7283 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
7284 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
7285 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
7286 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
7287 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
7288 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
7289 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
7290 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
7292 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
7293 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
7294 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
7296 @item nntp-async-number
7297 @vindex nntp-async-number
7298 How many articles should be pre-fetched when in asynchronous mode. If
7299 this variable is @code{t}, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch all the articles
7300 that it can without bound. If it is @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be
7303 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7304 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7305 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
7306 server closes connection.
7312 @subsection News Spool
7316 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
7317 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups like
7318 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}.
7320 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
7321 anything else) as the address.
7323 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
7324 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
7325 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
7326 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
7330 @item nnspool-inews-program
7331 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
7332 Program used to post an article.
7334 @item nnspool-inews-switches
7335 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
7336 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
7338 @item nnspool-spool-directory
7339 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
7340 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
7341 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
7343 @item nnspool-nov-directory
7344 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
7345 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
7346 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
7348 @item nnspool-lib-dir
7349 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
7350 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
7352 @item nnspool-active-file
7353 @vindex nnspool-active-file
7354 The path of the active file.
7356 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
7357 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
7358 The path of the group descriptions file.
7360 @item nnspool-history-file
7361 @vindex nnspool-history-file
7362 The path of the news history file.
7364 @item nnspool-active-times-file
7365 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
7366 The path of the active date file.
7368 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
7369 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
7370 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
7373 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
7374 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
7376 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
7377 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
7378 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
7384 @section Getting Mail
7385 @cindex reading mail
7388 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
7392 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
7393 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
7394 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
7395 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
7396 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
7397 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
7398 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
7399 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
7400 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
7401 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
7405 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
7406 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
7408 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
7409 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
7410 and things will happen automatically.
7412 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
7413 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
7416 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
7417 '((nnml "private")))
7420 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
7421 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
7422 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
7423 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
7424 like any other group.
7426 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
7429 (setq nnmail-split-methods
7430 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
7431 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
7435 This will result in three new mail groups being created:
7436 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
7437 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
7440 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
7441 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
7442 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
7445 @node Splitting Mail
7446 @subsection Splitting Mail
7447 @cindex splitting mail
7448 @cindex mail splitting
7450 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
7451 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
7452 to be split into groups.
7455 (setq nnmail-split-methods
7456 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
7457 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
7461 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
7462 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
7463 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
7464 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
7465 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
7467 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
7468 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
7469 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
7470 mail belongs in that group.
7472 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
7473 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
7474 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
7476 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
7477 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
7478 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
7479 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
7480 thinks should carry this mail message.
7482 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
7483 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
7484 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
7485 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
7487 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
7488 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
7489 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
7490 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
7491 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
7493 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
7496 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
7497 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
7498 links. If that's the case for you, set
7499 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
7500 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
7502 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
7503 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
7504 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
7505 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
7506 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
7507 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
7508 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
7509 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
7513 @node Mail Backend Variables
7514 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
7516 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
7520 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
7521 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
7522 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
7523 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
7525 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
7526 @item nnmail-spool-file
7530 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
7531 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
7532 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
7533 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
7534 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
7535 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
7536 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
7537 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
7538 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
7539 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
7540 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
7541 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
7542 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
7543 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
7544 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
7546 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
7547 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
7548 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
7549 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
7550 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
7551 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
7553 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
7554 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
7555 @item nnmail-use-procmail
7556 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
7557 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
7558 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
7559 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
7562 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
7563 @item nnmail-crash-box
7564 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
7565 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
7566 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
7569 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
7570 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
7571 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
7572 used for, well, anything, really.
7574 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
7575 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
7576 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
7577 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
7578 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
7579 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
7580 starting to handle the new mail) and
7581 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
7582 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
7583 default file modes the new mail files get:
7586 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
7587 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
7589 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
7590 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
7593 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
7594 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
7595 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
7596 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
7597 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
7598 it will be used instead.
7600 @item nnmail-movemail-program
7601 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
7602 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
7603 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
7605 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
7606 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
7607 @cindex incoming mail files
7608 @cindex deleting incoming files
7609 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
7610 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
7611 default for reasons of security.
7613 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
7614 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
7615 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
7616 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
7617 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
7620 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
7621 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
7623 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
7628 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
7629 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
7630 @cindex mail splitting
7631 @cindex fancy mail splitting
7633 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
7634 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
7635 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
7636 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
7637 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
7638 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
7640 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
7643 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
7644 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
7645 ;; from real errors.
7646 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
7648 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
7649 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
7650 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
7651 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
7652 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
7653 ;; Other mailing lists...
7654 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
7655 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
7657 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
7658 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
7662 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
7663 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
7664 the four possible split syntaxes:
7669 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
7671 @item (FIELD VALUE SPLIT)
7672 If the split is a list, and the first element is a string, then that
7673 means that if header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp),
7674 then store the message as specified by SPLIT.
7677 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
7678 bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them matches. A SPLIT is
7679 said to match if it will cause the mail message to be stored in one or
7683 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then process
7684 all SPLITs in the list.
7687 In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
7688 match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
7689 You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
7692 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
7693 FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
7694 as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
7695 an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
7696 the cdr contains a string.
7698 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
7699 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
7700 when all this splitting is performed.
7703 @node Mail and Procmail
7704 @subsection Mail and Procmail
7709 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
7710 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
7711 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
7712 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
7713 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
7715 This also means that you probably don't want to set
7716 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
7719 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
7720 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
7721 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
7722 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
7723 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
7724 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
7726 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
7729 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
7731 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
7732 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
7734 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
7735 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
7736 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
7737 to include all your mail groups.
7739 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
7740 method will be created automatically.
7742 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
7743 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
7744 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
7745 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
7746 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
7747 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
7748 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
7749 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
7751 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
7752 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
7753 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
7754 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
7755 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
7757 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
7758 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
7759 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
7760 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
7761 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
7765 @node Incorporating Old Mail
7766 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
7768 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
7769 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
7770 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
7773 Doing so can be quite easy.
7775 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
7776 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
7777 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
7778 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
7779 your @code{nnml} groups.
7785 Go to the group buffer.
7788 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
7789 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7792 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
7795 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
7799 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
7800 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7803 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
7804 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
7805 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
7806 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
7807 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
7809 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
7810 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
7811 using the new mail backend.
7815 @subsection Expiring Mail
7816 @cindex article expiry
7818 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
7819 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
7820 different approach to mail reading.
7822 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
7823 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
7824 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
7825 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
7826 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
7827 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
7830 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
7831 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
7832 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
7833 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
7834 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
7835 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
7836 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
7837 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
7839 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
7840 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
7841 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
7842 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
7843 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
7844 column in the summary buffer.
7846 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
7847 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
7850 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
7851 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
7854 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
7855 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
7857 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
7858 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
7859 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
7861 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
7862 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
7863 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
7864 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
7867 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
7869 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
7871 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
7873 ((string= group "mail.junk")
7875 ((string= group "important")
7881 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
7882 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
7884 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
7885 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
7886 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
7889 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
7890 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7892 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
7893 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
7894 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
7895 easier for procmail users.
7897 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
7898 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
7899 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
7900 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
7901 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
7902 caution. Even more dangerous is the
7903 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
7904 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
7905 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
7906 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
7907 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
7908 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
7909 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
7914 @subsection Duplicates
7916 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
7917 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
7918 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
7919 @cindex duplicate mails
7920 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
7921 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
7922 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
7923 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s -
7924 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
7925 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
7926 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
7927 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
7928 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
7929 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
7930 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
7931 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
7932 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
7933 duplicate of a different message.
7935 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
7936 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
7937 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
7938 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
7940 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
7943 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
7944 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
7948 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
7949 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
7950 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
7951 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
7952 (any mail "mail.misc")
7959 (setq nnmail-split-methods
7960 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
7965 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
7966 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
7967 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
7968 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
7969 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
7972 @node Not Reading Mail
7973 @subsection Not Reading Mail
7975 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
7976 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
7977 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
7979 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
7980 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
7982 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
7983 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
7984 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
7985 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
7986 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
7987 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
7988 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
7989 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
7990 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
7991 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
7992 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
7994 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
7995 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
7999 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
8000 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
8002 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
8003 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
8004 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
8007 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
8008 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
8009 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
8010 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
8011 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
8016 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
8018 @cindex unix mail box
8020 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8021 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8022 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
8023 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
8024 which group it belongs in.
8026 Virtual server settings:
8029 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
8030 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8031 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
8033 @item nnmbox-active-file
8034 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8035 The name of the active file for the mail box.
8037 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
8038 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8039 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
8045 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
8049 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8050 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8051 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
8052 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
8053 article to say which group it belongs in.
8055 Virtual server settings:
8058 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
8059 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8060 The name of the rmail mbox file.
8062 @item nnbabyl-active-file
8063 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8064 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
8066 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8067 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8068 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
8073 @subsubsection Mail Spool
8075 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
8077 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
8078 format. It should be used with some caution.
8080 @vindex nnml-directory
8081 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
8082 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
8083 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
8084 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
8086 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
8089 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
8090 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
8091 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
8092 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
8093 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
8094 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
8095 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
8096 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
8098 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
8099 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
8100 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
8101 backend when it comes to reading mail.
8103 Virtual server settings:
8106 @item nnml-directory
8107 @vindex nnml-directory
8108 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
8110 @item nnml-active-file
8111 @vindex nnml-active-file
8112 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
8114 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
8115 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
8116 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
8119 @item nnml-get-new-mail
8120 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8121 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
8123 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
8124 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
8125 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
8127 @item nnml-nov-file-name
8128 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
8129 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
8131 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8132 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8133 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
8137 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
8138 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
8139 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
8140 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
8141 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
8142 might take a while to complete.
8146 @subsubsection MH Spool
8148 @cindex mh-e mail spool
8150 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
8151 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
8152 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
8153 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
8155 Virtual server settings:
8158 @item nnmh-directory
8159 @vindex nnmh-directory
8160 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
8162 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
8163 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8164 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
8167 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
8168 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
8169 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
8170 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
8171 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
8172 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
8173 to set this variable to @code{t}.
8178 @subsubsection Mail Folders
8180 @cindex mbox folders
8181 @cindex mail folders
8183 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
8184 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
8185 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
8188 Virtual server settings:
8191 @item nnfolder-directory
8192 @vindex nnfolder-directory
8193 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
8195 @item nnfolder-active-file
8196 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
8197 The name of the active file.
8199 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8200 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8201 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
8203 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
8204 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8205 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
8208 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
8209 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
8210 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
8211 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
8212 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
8213 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
8217 @section Other Sources
8219 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
8220 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
8224 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
8225 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
8226 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
8227 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
8231 @node Directory Groups
8232 @subsection Directory Groups
8234 @cindex directory groups
8236 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
8237 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
8240 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
8241 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
8242 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
8244 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
8245 enter @file{"/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/"} as the the
8246 directory name, ange-ftp will actually allow you to read this directory
8247 over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
8249 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
8251 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
8252 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
8253 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
8254 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
8257 @node Anything Groups
8258 @subsection Anything Groups
8261 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
8262 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
8263 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
8266 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
8267 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
8268 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
8269 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
8270 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
8271 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
8272 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
8273 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (eg. a C source
8274 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
8275 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
8278 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
8279 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
8280 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
8281 in the article buffer, just as usual.
8283 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
8284 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
8285 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
8286 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
8288 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
8289 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
8290 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
8291 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
8292 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
8293 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
8294 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
8295 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
8300 @item nneething-map-file-directory
8301 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
8302 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
8303 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
8305 @item nneething-exclude-files
8306 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
8307 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
8308 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
8310 @item nneething-map-file
8311 @vindex nneething-map-file
8312 Name of the map files.
8316 @node Document Groups
8317 @subsection Document Groups
8319 @cindex documentation group
8322 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
8323 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
8330 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
8335 The standard Unix mbox file.
8337 @cindex MMDF mail box
8339 The MMDF mail box format.
8342 Several news articles appended into a file.
8345 @cindex rnews batch files
8346 The rnews batch transport format.
8347 @cindex forwarded messages
8356 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
8357 @cindex RFC 341 digest
8358 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
8360 @item standard-digest
8361 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
8364 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
8367 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
8368 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
8369 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
8372 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
8373 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
8374 group. And that's it.
8376 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
8377 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
8378 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
8379 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
8380 @code{nndoc}, set the process mark on all the articles in the buffer
8381 (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r}) using
8382 @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL} file is
8383 now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can delete
8384 that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
8386 Virtual server variables:
8389 @item nndoc-article-type
8390 @vindex nndoc-article-type
8391 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
8392 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
8393 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
8395 @item nndoc-post-type
8396 @vindex nndoc-post-type
8397 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
8398 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
8408 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
8409 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
8410 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
8412 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
8413 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
8414 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
8417 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
8418 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
8419 that interested in doing things properly.
8421 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
8422 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
8428 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
8429 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
8430 packet with the @kbd{O s} command.
8433 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
8436 You put the packet in your home directory.
8439 You fire up Gnus using the @code{nnsoup} backend as the native server.
8442 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
8446 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
8450 You transfer this packet to the server.
8453 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
8456 You then repeat until you die.
8460 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
8461 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
8464 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
8465 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
8466 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
8471 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
8475 @kindex G s b (Group)
8476 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
8477 Pack all unread articles in the current group
8478 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
8479 process/prefix convention.
8482 @kindex G s w (Group)
8483 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
8484 Save all data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
8487 @kindex G s s (Group)
8488 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
8489 Send all replies from the replies packet
8490 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
8493 @kindex G s p (Group)
8494 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
8495 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
8498 @kindex G s r (Group)
8499 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
8500 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
8503 @kindex O s (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
8505 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
8506 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
8512 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
8517 @item gnus-soup-directory
8518 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
8519 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
8520 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
8522 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
8523 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
8524 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
8525 reply packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/}.
8527 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
8528 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
8529 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
8532 @item gnus-soup-packer
8533 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
8534 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
8535 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
8537 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
8538 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
8539 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
8540 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
8542 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
8543 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
8544 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
8546 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
8547 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
8548 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
8549 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
8555 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
8558 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
8559 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
8560 you can read them at leisure.
8562 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
8566 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
8567 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
8568 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
8569 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
8571 @item nnsoup-directory
8572 @vindex nnsoup-directory
8573 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
8574 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
8576 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
8577 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
8578 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
8579 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
8581 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
8582 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
8583 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
8584 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
8585 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
8587 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
8588 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
8589 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
8590 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
8592 @item nnsoup-active-file
8593 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
8594 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
8595 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
8596 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
8597 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
8600 @vindex nnsoup-packer
8601 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
8602 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
8604 @item nnsoup-unpacker
8605 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
8606 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
8607 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
8609 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
8610 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
8611 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
8614 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
8615 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
8616 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
8623 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
8625 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
8626 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
8627 more for that to happen.
8629 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
8630 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
8631 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
8634 In specific, this is what it does:
8637 (setq gnus-inews-article-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
8638 (setq send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
8641 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
8642 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
8643 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
8646 @node Combined Groups
8647 @section Combined Groups
8649 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
8653 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
8654 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
8658 @node Virtual Groups
8659 @subsection Virtual Groups
8661 @cindex virtual groups
8663 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
8666 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
8667 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
8668 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
8670 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
8671 regexp to match component groups.
8673 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
8674 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
8675 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
8676 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
8679 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
8680 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
8683 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
8686 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
8687 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
8689 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
8690 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
8691 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
8692 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
8695 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
8698 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
8699 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
8700 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
8701 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
8702 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
8704 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
8705 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
8706 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
8708 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
8709 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
8710 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
8711 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
8712 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
8713 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
8714 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
8715 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
8716 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
8717 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
8718 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
8721 @node Kibozed Groups
8722 @subsection Kibozed Groups
8726 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
8727 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
8728 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
8729 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
8731 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
8732 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
8733 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
8734 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
8736 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
8737 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
8738 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
8740 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
8741 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
8742 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
8743 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
8744 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
8745 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
8746 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
8747 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
8749 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
8750 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
8751 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
8752 Stranger things have happened.
8754 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
8755 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
8757 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
8758 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
8759 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
8760 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
8761 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
8762 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
8765 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
8766 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
8773 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
8774 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
8775 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
8778 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
8779 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
8780 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
8781 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
8782 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
8784 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
8785 before generating the summary buffer.
8787 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
8788 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
8789 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
8791 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
8792 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
8793 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
8794 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
8797 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
8798 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
8799 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
8800 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
8801 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
8802 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus *knows* what you read.
8803 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
8804 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
8805 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
8806 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
8807 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
8808 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
8812 @node Summary Score Commands
8813 @section Summary Score Commands
8814 @cindex score commands
8816 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
8817 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
8818 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
8819 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
8820 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
8822 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
8823 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
8824 some other score file (eg. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
8825 score file the current one.
8827 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
8832 @kindex V s (Summary)
8833 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
8834 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
8837 @kindex V S (Summary)
8838 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
8839 Display the score of the current article
8840 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
8843 @kindex V t (Summary)
8844 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
8845 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
8846 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
8849 @cindex V R (Summary)
8850 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
8851 Run the current summary through the scoring process
8852 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
8853 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
8854 effect you're having.
8857 @kindex V a (Summary)
8858 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
8859 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
8860 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
8863 @kindex V c (Summary)
8864 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
8865 Make a different score file the current
8866 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
8869 @kindex V e (Summary)
8870 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
8871 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
8872 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
8876 @kindex V f (Summary)
8877 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
8878 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
8879 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
8882 @kindex V F (Summary)
8883 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
8884 Flush the score cahe (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
8885 after editing score files.
8888 @kindex V C (Summary)
8889 @findex gnus-score-customize
8890 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
8891 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
8894 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
8895 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
8896 Increase the score of the current article
8897 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
8900 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
8901 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
8902 Lower the score of the current article
8903 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
8906 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
8911 @kindex V m (Summary)
8912 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
8913 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
8914 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
8917 @kindex V E (Summary)
8918 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
8919 Expunge all articles with a score below the default score (or the
8920 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
8923 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
8924 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
8929 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
8930 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
8932 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
8937 Score on the author name.
8940 Score on the subject line.
8943 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
8946 Score on thread---the References line.
8952 Score on the number of lines.
8955 Score on the Message-ID.
8968 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
8969 what headers you are scoring on.
9013 Greater than number.
9018 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
9019 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
9020 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
9024 Temporary score entry.
9027 Permanent score entry.
9030 Immediately scoring.
9035 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
9036 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
9037 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
9038 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
9040 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
9041 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
9042 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
9043 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
9044 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
9046 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
9047 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
9048 pretend they are keymaps or not.
9051 @node Group Score Commands
9052 @section Group Score Commands
9053 @cindex group score commands
9055 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
9061 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
9062 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
9063 all the time. This command will flush the cache
9064 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
9069 @node Score Variables
9070 @section Score Variables
9071 @cindex score variables
9075 @item gnus-use-scoring
9076 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
9077 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
9078 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
9080 @item gnus-kill-killed
9081 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
9082 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
9083 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
9084 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
9085 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
9086 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
9087 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
9089 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
9090 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
9091 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
9092 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
9093 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
9095 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
9096 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
9097 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
9098 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
9100 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
9101 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
9103 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
9104 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
9105 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
9106 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
9107 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
9108 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
9109 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
9112 @item gnus-save-score
9113 @vindex gnus-save-score
9114 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
9115 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
9116 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
9118 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
9119 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
9120 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
9121 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
9122 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
9123 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
9124 manually entered data.
9126 @item gnus-summary-default-score
9127 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
9128 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
9130 @item gnus-score-over-mark
9131 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
9132 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
9133 default. Default is @samp{+}.
9135 @item gnus-score-below-mark
9136 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
9137 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
9138 default. Default is @samp{-}.
9140 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
9141 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
9142 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
9143 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
9145 Predefined functions available are:
9148 @item gnus-score-find-single
9149 @findex gnus-score-find-single
9150 Only apply the group's own score file.
9152 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
9153 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
9154 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
9155 default. For instance, if the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus},
9156 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
9157 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
9158 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
9159 then a regexp match is done.
9161 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
9162 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
9164 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
9165 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
9166 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
9167 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE} or @file{all.emacs.SCORE},
9168 but you can have @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and
9169 @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
9172 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
9173 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
9174 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
9175 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
9176 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
9177 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
9180 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
9181 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
9182 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
9183 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
9184 are expired. It's 7 by default.
9186 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
9187 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
9188 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
9189 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
9190 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
9191 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
9192 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
9195 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
9196 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
9197 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
9202 @node Score File Format
9203 @section Score File Format
9204 @cindex score file format
9206 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
9207 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
9208 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
9210 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
9214 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
9216 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
9218 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
9220 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
9225 (mark-and-expunge -10)
9229 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
9230 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
9231 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
9232 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
9236 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
9238 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
9239 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
9240 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
9242 Six keys are supported by this alist:
9247 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
9248 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
9249 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
9250 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
9251 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
9252 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
9253 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
9254 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
9255 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
9256 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
9257 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
9258 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
9259 to articles that matches these score entries.
9261 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
9262 score entry has one to four elements.
9266 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
9267 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
9271 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
9272 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
9273 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
9274 is successful. If this element is not present, the
9275 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
9276 instead. This is 1000 by default.
9279 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
9280 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
9281 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
9282 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
9283 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
9286 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
9287 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
9288 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
9289 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
9292 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
9293 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp) as
9294 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types and @code{e} and
9295 @code{E} (exact match) types. If this element is not present, Gnus will
9296 assume that substring matching should be used. @code{R} and @code{S}
9297 differ from the other two in that the matches will be done in a
9298 case-sensitive manner. All these one-letter types are really just
9299 abbreviations for the @code{regexp}, @code{string} and @code{exact}
9300 types, which you can use instead, if you feel like.
9303 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
9304 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
9307 For the Date header we have three match types: @code{before}, @code{at}
9308 and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this ever being useful, but,
9309 like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide this function. Just in
9310 case. You never know. Better safe than sorry. Once burnt, twice shy.
9311 Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have sex on a first date.
9313 @item Head, Body, All
9314 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
9318 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that followup to
9319 some author. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header uses.
9322 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that are part of
9323 a thread. Uses the same match types as the @code{References} header
9329 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9330 lower than this number will be marked as read.
9333 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9334 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
9336 @item mark-and-expunge
9337 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9338 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
9341 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
9342 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
9343 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
9344 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
9345 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
9348 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
9349 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
9353 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. This files will
9354 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
9358 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
9359 ignored when handling global score files.
9362 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
9363 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
9366 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
9367 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
9368 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
9369 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
9371 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
9375 (mark-and-expunge -100)
9378 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
9379 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
9380 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
9381 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
9382 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
9384 I.e. -- the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
9385 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
9386 ordinary scoring rules.
9389 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
9390 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
9391 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
9392 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
9393 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
9394 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
9395 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
9396 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
9397 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
9398 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
9399 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
9403 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
9404 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
9405 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
9406 file for a number of groups.
9409 @cindex local variables
9410 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
9411 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
9412 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
9413 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
9418 @node Score File Editing
9419 @section Score File Editing
9421 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
9422 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
9423 with a mode for that.
9425 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
9426 additional commands:
9431 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
9432 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
9433 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
9434 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
9437 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
9438 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
9439 Insert the current date in numerical format
9440 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
9444 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
9445 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
9446 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
9447 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
9448 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
9453 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
9455 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
9456 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
9458 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
9459 e} to begin editing score files.
9462 @node Adaptive Scoring
9463 @section Adaptive Scoring
9464 @cindex adaptive scoring
9466 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
9467 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
9468 stupidity, to be precise.
9470 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
9471 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
9472 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
9473 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
9474 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
9477 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
9478 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
9479 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
9480 might look something like this:
9483 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
9484 '((gnus-unread-mark)
9485 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
9486 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
9487 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
9488 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
9489 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
9490 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
9491 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
9493 (gnus-low-score-mark)
9494 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
9497 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
9498 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
9499 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
9500 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
9501 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
9502 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
9505 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
9506 will be applied to each article.
9508 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
9509 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
9510 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
9511 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
9513 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
9514 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
9515 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
9516 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
9518 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
9519 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
9520 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
9521 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
9522 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
9523 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
9525 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
9526 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
9527 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
9528 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
9529 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
9530 aspirins afterwards.)
9532 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
9533 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
9534 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
9536 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
9537 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
9538 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
9540 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
9541 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
9542 let you use different rules in different groups.
9544 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
9545 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
9546 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
9549 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
9550 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
9551 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
9552 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
9553 the length of the match is less than
9554 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
9555 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
9559 @node Followups To Yourself
9560 @section Followups To Yourself
9562 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
9563 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
9564 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
9565 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
9566 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
9567 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
9571 @item gnus-score-followup-article
9572 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
9573 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
9576 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
9577 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
9578 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
9582 @vindex gnus-inews-article-hook
9583 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
9584 @code{gnus-inews-article-hook}.
9588 @section Scoring Tips
9589 @cindex scoring tips
9595 @cindex scoring crossposts
9596 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
9597 the @code{Xref} header.
9599 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
9602 @item Multiple crossposts
9603 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
9604 more than, say, 3 groups:
9606 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
9609 @item Matching on the body
9610 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
9611 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
9612 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
9613 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
9614 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
9615 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
9616 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
9619 @item Marking as read
9620 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
9621 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
9622 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
9626 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
9628 @item Negated character classes
9629 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
9630 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
9631 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
9635 @node Reverse Scoring
9636 @section Reverse Scoring
9637 @cindex reverse scoring
9639 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
9640 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
9641 like this in your score file:
9645 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
9650 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
9651 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
9654 @node Global Score Files
9655 @section Global Score Files
9656 @cindex global score files
9658 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
9659 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
9660 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
9662 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
9663 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
9664 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
9666 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
9667 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
9668 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
9669 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
9670 files are applicable to which group.
9672 Say you want to use all score files in the
9673 @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory and the single score
9674 file @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE}:
9677 (setq gnus-global-score-files
9678 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
9679 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
9682 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
9683 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
9684 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
9685 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
9686 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
9688 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
9689 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
9691 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
9692 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
9693 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
9694 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
9695 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
9696 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
9698 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
9704 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
9706 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
9708 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
9710 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
9711 lowered out of existence.
9713 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
9714 articles completely.
9717 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
9718 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
9719 old articles for a long time.
9722 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
9723 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
9724 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
9725 holding our breath yet?
9732 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
9733 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
9734 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
9736 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
9737 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
9738 files into score files.
9740 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
9741 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
9742 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
9743 that isn't a very good idea.
9745 XCNormal kill files look like this:
9748 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9749 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
9753 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
9754 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
9756 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
9757 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
9760 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
9765 @kindex M-k (Summary)
9766 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
9767 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
9770 @kindex M-K (Summary)
9771 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
9772 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
9775 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
9781 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
9782 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
9786 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
9787 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
9790 Kill file variables:
9793 @item gnus-kill-file-name
9794 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
9795 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
9796 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
9797 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
9798 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
9799 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
9801 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
9802 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
9803 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
9804 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
9807 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
9808 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
9809 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
9810 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
9811 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
9812 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
9813 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
9814 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
9815 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
9817 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
9818 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
9819 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
9828 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
9829 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
9830 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
9832 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
9833 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
9834 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
9835 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
9836 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
9837 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
9838 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
9839 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
9843 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
9844 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
9845 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
9846 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
9850 @node Using GroupLens
9851 @subsection Using GroupLens
9853 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
9854 Bit Bureau (BBB). At the moment the only better bit in town is at
9855 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html}.
9857 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
9861 @item gnus-use-grouplens
9862 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
9863 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
9864 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
9866 @item grouplens-pseudonym
9867 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
9868 This variable should be set to the pseudonum you got when registering
9869 with the Better Bit Bureau.
9871 @item grouplens-newsgroups
9872 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
9873 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
9877 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
9878 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
9879 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
9880 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
9881 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
9882 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
9885 @node Rating Articles
9886 @subsection Rating Articles
9888 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
9889 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
9890 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
9891 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
9894 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
9899 @kindex r (GroupLens)
9900 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
9901 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
9904 @kindex k (GroupLens)
9905 @findex grouplens-score-thread
9906 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
9907 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
9908 threads in rec.humor.
9912 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
9913 the score of the article you're reading.
9918 @kindex n (GroupLens)
9919 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
9920 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
9923 @kindex , (GroupLens)
9924 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
9925 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
9929 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
9930 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
9933 @node Displaying Predictions
9934 @subsection Displaying Predictions
9936 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
9937 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
9938 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
9939 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
9940 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
9942 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
9943 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
9944 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
9945 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
9946 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
9947 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
9948 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
9949 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
9950 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
9951 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
9952 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
9953 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
9954 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
9956 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
9957 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
9958 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
9959 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
9961 The following are legal values for that variable.
9964 @item prediction-spot
9965 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
9968 @item confidence-interval
9969 A numeric confidence interval.
9971 @item prediction-bar
9972 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
9974 @item confidence-bar
9975 Numerical confidence.
9977 @item confidence-spot
9978 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
9980 @item prediction-num
9981 Plain-old numeric value.
9983 @item confidence-plus-minus
9984 Prediction +/i confidence.
9989 @node GroupLens Variables
9990 @subsection GroupLens Variables
9994 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
9995 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
9996 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
9997 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
9998 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
10000 @item grouplens-bbb-host
10001 Host running the bbbd server. The default is
10002 @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu}.
10004 @item grouplens-bbb-port
10005 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
10007 @item grouplens-score-offset
10008 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
10009 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
10012 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
10013 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
10014 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
10024 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
10025 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
10026 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
10027 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
10028 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
10029 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
10030 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
10031 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
10032 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
10033 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
10034 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
10035 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
10039 @node Process/Prefix
10040 @section Process/Prefix
10041 @cindex process/prefix convention
10043 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
10044 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
10046 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
10047 command to be performed on.
10051 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
10052 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
10053 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
10054 with the current one.
10056 @vindex transient-mark-mode
10057 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
10058 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
10060 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
10061 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
10064 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
10065 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
10067 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
10070 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
10071 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
10072 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
10073 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
10074 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
10075 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
10076 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
10077 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
10081 @section Interactive
10082 @cindex interaction
10086 @item gnus-novice-user
10087 @vindex gnus-novice-user
10088 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
10089 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
10090 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
10091 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
10094 @item gnus-expert-user
10095 @vindex gnus-expert-user
10096 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
10097 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
10098 matter how strange.
10100 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
10101 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
10102 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
10103 is @code{t} by default.
10105 @item gnus-interactive-exit
10106 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
10107 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
10112 @node Formatting Variables
10113 @section Formatting Variables
10114 @cindex formatting variables
10116 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
10117 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
10118 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
10119 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
10120 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
10123 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
10124 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
10125 lots of percentages everywhere.
10127 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
10128 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
10129 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''. Just like a
10130 normal format spec, almost.
10132 You can also say @samp{%6,4y}, which means that the field will never be
10133 more than 6 characters wide and never less than 4 characters wide.
10135 There are also specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the
10136 format variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers
10137 will get the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it
10138 will be highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse
10141 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
10142 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
10143 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
10144 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
10145 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
10146 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
10148 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
10151 ;; Create three face types.
10152 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
10153 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
10155 ;; We want the article count to be in
10156 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
10157 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
10158 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
10160 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
10161 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
10163 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
10164 (setq gnus-group-line-format
10165 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
10168 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
10169 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
10171 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
10172 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
10173 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
10174 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
10175 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
10176 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
10177 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}.
10179 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
10180 mode-line variables.
10182 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
10183 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
10185 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
10186 @findex gnus-update-format
10187 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
10188 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
10189 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
10190 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
10193 @node Windows Configuration
10194 @section Windows Configuration
10195 @cindex windows configuration
10197 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
10199 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
10200 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
10201 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
10202 @code{t} by default.
10204 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
10205 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
10206 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
10209 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
10210 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
10211 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
10215 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
10216 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
10217 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
10218 possible names is listed below.
10220 The @dfn{value} (i. e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
10221 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
10224 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
10228 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
10229 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
10230 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
10231 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
10232 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
10233 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
10234 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
10235 size spec per split.
10237 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
10240 Here's a more complicated example:
10243 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
10244 (summary 0.25 point)
10245 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
10249 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
10250 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
10251 occupy, not a percentage.
10253 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
10254 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
10255 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
10256 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
10257 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
10260 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
10263 (article (horizontal 1.0
10268 (summary 0.25 point)
10273 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
10274 @code{horizontal} thingie?
10276 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
10277 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
10278 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
10279 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
10280 the screen is to be given to this strip.
10282 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
10283 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
10284 lines from the splits.
10286 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
10290 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
10291 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
10292 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
10293 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
10294 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
10295 size = number | frame-params
10296 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
10299 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
10300 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
10301 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
10302 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
10304 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
10305 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
10306 @cindex window height
10307 @cindex window width
10308 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
10309 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 2) characters high, and all
10310 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
10311 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
10312 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
10313 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
10315 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
10316 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
10317 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
10318 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
10320 @findex gnus-configure-frame
10321 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
10322 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
10323 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
10324 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
10325 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
10326 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
10327 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
10328 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
10329 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
10330 configuration list.
10333 (gnus-configure-frame
10337 (article 0.3 point))
10345 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
10346 @code{frame} split:
10349 (gnus-configure-frame
10352 (summary 0.25 point)
10354 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
10355 (user-position . t)
10356 (left . -1) (top . 1))
10361 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
10362 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
10363 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
10364 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
10365 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
10366 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
10369 Here's a list of all possible keys for
10370 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
10372 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
10373 @code{browse}, @code{group-mail}, @code{summary-mail},
10374 @code{summary-reply}, @code{info}, @code{summary-faq},
10375 @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server}, @code{reply}, @code{reply-yank},
10376 @code{followup}, @code{followup-yank}, @code{edit-score}.
10378 @findex gnus-add-configuration
10379 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
10380 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
10381 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
10382 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
10385 (gnus-add-configuration
10386 '(article (vertical 1.0
10388 (summary .25 point)
10392 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
10393 @file{.gnus} file or in some startup hook -- they should be run after
10394 Gnus has been loaded.
10398 @section Compilation
10399 @cindex compilation
10400 @cindex byte-compilation
10402 @findex gnus-compile
10404 Remember all those line format specification variables?
10405 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
10406 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
10407 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
10408 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
10409 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
10412 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
10413 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
10414 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
10415 you'll get top speed again.
10419 @section Mode Lines
10422 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
10423 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
10424 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
10425 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
10426 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
10427 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
10428 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
10431 @cindex display-time
10433 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
10434 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
10435 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
10436 to display (eg. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
10437 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
10438 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
10439 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
10440 additional elements on the mode line (eg. a clock), you should modify
10443 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
10445 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
10446 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
10448 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
10449 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
10450 (length display-time-string)))))
10453 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
10454 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
10457 @node Highlighting and Menus
10458 @section Highlighting and Menus
10460 @cindex highlighting
10463 @vindex gnus-visual
10464 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
10465 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
10466 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
10469 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
10470 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
10473 @item group-highlight
10474 Do highlights in the group buffer.
10475 @item summary-highlight
10476 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
10477 @item article-highlight
10478 Do highlights in the article buffer.
10480 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
10482 Create menus in the group buffer.
10484 Create menus in the summary buffers.
10486 Create menus in the article buffer.
10488 Create menus in the browse buffer.
10490 Create menus in the server buffer.
10492 Create menus in the score buffers.
10494 Create menus in all buffers.
10497 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
10498 buffers, you could say something like:
10501 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
10504 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
10507 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
10510 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
10511 in all Gnus buffers.
10513 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
10516 @item gnus-mouse-face
10517 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
10518 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
10519 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
10521 @item gnus-display-type
10522 @vindex gnus-display-type
10523 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
10524 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
10525 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
10526 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
10527 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
10529 @item gnus-background-mode
10530 @vindex gnus-background-mode
10531 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
10532 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
10533 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
10534 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
10535 `gnus-display-type'.
10538 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
10542 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
10543 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
10544 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
10546 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
10547 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
10548 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
10550 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
10551 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
10552 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
10554 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
10555 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
10556 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
10558 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
10559 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
10560 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
10562 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
10563 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
10564 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
10575 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
10576 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
10577 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
10578 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
10579 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
10583 @vindex gnus-carpal
10584 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
10585 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
10586 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
10591 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
10592 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
10593 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
10595 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
10596 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
10597 Face used on buttons.
10599 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
10600 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
10601 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
10603 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
10604 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
10605 Buttons in the group buffer.
10607 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
10608 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
10609 Buttons in the summary buffer.
10611 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
10612 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
10613 Buttons in the server buffer.
10615 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
10616 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
10617 Buttons in the browse buffer.
10620 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
10621 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
10622 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
10630 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
10631 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
10632 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
10633 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
10634 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
10636 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
10637 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
10638 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
10640 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
10641 been idle for thirty minutes:
10644 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
10647 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
10651 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
10654 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
10655 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
10656 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
10658 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
10659 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
10660 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
10661 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
10663 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
10664 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
10665 @var{idle} minutes.
10667 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
10668 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
10671 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
10672 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
10673 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
10675 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
10676 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
10677 seconds. This is @code{60} by default. If you change that variable,
10678 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
10680 @vindex gnus-use-demon
10681 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
10682 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
10684 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
10685 your @file{.gnus} file:
10687 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
10689 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
10692 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
10693 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
10694 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
10695 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
10696 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection}, and
10697 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
10698 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
10700 @findex gnus-demon-init
10701 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
10702 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
10703 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
10704 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
10705 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
10707 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
10708 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
10709 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
10718 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
10719 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
10721 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
10722 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
10723 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
10724 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
10727 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
10728 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
10729 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
10730 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
10732 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
10733 this will make spam disappear.
10735 There are some variables to customize, of course:
10738 @item gnus-use-nocem
10739 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
10740 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
10743 @item gnus-nocem-groups
10744 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
10745 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
10746 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
10748 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
10749 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
10750 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
10751 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
10752 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
10753 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
10755 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
10758 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
10759 @cindex Chris Lewis
10760 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
10761 usenet abuse than anybody else.
10764 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
10765 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
10766 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
10768 @item jem@@xpat.com;
10770 Jem---Korean despammer who is getting very busy these days.
10772 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
10773 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
10774 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
10777 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
10778 ones you want to listen to.
10780 @item gnus-nocem-directory
10781 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
10782 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
10783 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
10785 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
10786 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
10787 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
10788 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
10789 might then see old spam.
10797 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
10798 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
10799 over your shoulder as you read news.
10802 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
10803 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
10804 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons -- the easy way.
10805 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
10806 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
10811 @subsection Picon Basics
10813 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site
10814 (@samp{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}):
10817 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
10818 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
10819 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
10820 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
10821 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
10822 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
10823 @code{GIF} formats.
10826 Please see the above mentioned web site for instructions on obtaining
10827 and installing the picons databases, or the following ftp site:
10828 @samp{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
10830 @vindex gnus-picons-database
10831 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
10832 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
10835 @node Picon Requirements
10836 @subsection Picon Requirements
10838 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
10839 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
10842 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
10844 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
10845 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
10846 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
10847 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
10851 @subsection Easy Picons
10853 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
10854 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
10857 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
10858 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
10859 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
10860 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
10865 @subsection Hard Picons
10867 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
10868 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
10869 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
10870 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
10871 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
10875 @item gnus-picons-display-where
10876 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
10877 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
10878 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
10879 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
10880 @samp{"*scratch*"} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
10881 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration routines --
10882 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
10886 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
10887 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
10889 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
10890 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
10891 displayed at the right time.
10893 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
10894 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
10896 @item gnus-article-display-picons
10897 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
10898 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
10899 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
10900 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
10902 @item gnus-group-display-picons
10903 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
10904 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
10905 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
10906 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
10907 is set to @code{article}.
10909 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
10910 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
10911 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
10912 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
10916 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
10917 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
10920 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
10924 @node Picon Configuration
10925 @subsection Picon Configuration
10927 The following variables offer further control over how things are
10928 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
10929 don't need to worry about.
10932 @item gnus-picons-database
10933 @vindex gnus-picons-database
10934 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
10935 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
10936 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
10938 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
10939 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
10940 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
10943 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
10944 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
10945 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
10946 faces. Defaults to @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")}.
10948 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
10949 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
10950 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
10951 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
10952 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
10954 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
10955 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
10956 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
10957 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
10958 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
10959 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
10961 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
10962 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
10963 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
10964 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
10966 @item gnus-picons-buffer
10967 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
10968 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
10969 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
10974 @node Various Various
10975 @section Various Various
10982 @vindex gnus-verbose
10983 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
10984 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
10985 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
10986 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
10987 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
10989 @item gnus-verbose-backends
10990 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
10991 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
10992 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
10994 @item nnheader-max-head-length
10995 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
10996 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
10997 as little as possible. This variable (default @code{4096}) specifies
10998 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
10999 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
11000 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
11001 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
11002 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
11005 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11006 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11008 @cindex illegal characters in file names
11009 @cindex characters in file names
11010 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
11011 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
11012 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
11015 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11019 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
11020 Windows (phooey) systems.
11022 @item gnus-hidden-properties
11023 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
11024 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
11025 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
11026 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
11028 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
11029 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
11030 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
11031 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
11032 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
11040 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
11041 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
11043 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
11045 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
11050 Not because of victories @*
11053 but for the common sunshine,@*
11055 the largess of the spring.
11058 but for the day's work done@*
11059 as well as I was able;@*
11060 not for a seat upon the dais@*
11061 but at the common table.@*
11066 @chapter Appendices
11069 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
11070 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
11071 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
11072 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
11073 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
11074 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
11075 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
11083 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
11084 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
11086 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
11087 can point your (feh!) web browser to
11088 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
11089 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
11090 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
11092 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
11093 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)}, is, of course, short for
11094 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
11095 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
11096 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
11097 appropriate name, don't you think?)
11099 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
11100 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
11101 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
11102 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
11104 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
11105 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
11107 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
11108 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
11111 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
11112 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
11113 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
11114 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
11115 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
11116 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
11117 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
11124 What's the point of Gnus?
11126 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
11127 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
11128 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
11129 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
11130 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
11131 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
11132 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
11133 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
11134 keep track of millions of people who post?
11136 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
11137 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
11138 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
11139 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
11140 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
11141 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
11142 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
11143 of you to explore and invent.
11145 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
11148 @node Compatibility
11149 @subsection Compatibility
11151 @cindex compatibility
11152 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
11153 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
11154 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
11159 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
11163 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
11166 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
11169 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
11170 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
11171 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
11172 important variables have their values copied into their global
11173 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
11174 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
11176 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
11177 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
11178 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
11179 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
11180 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
11184 @cindex highlighting
11185 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
11186 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
11187 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
11188 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
11189 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
11190 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
11193 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
11194 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
11195 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
11196 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
11198 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
11199 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
11200 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
11201 to stop doing it the old way.
11203 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
11205 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
11207 @cindex reporting bugs
11209 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
11210 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
11211 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
11215 @subsection Conformity
11217 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
11218 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
11225 There are no known breaches of this standard.
11229 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
11231 @item Usenet Seal of Approval
11232 @cindex Usenet Seal of Approval
11233 Gnus hasn't been formally through the Seal process, but I have read
11234 through the Seal text and I think Gnus would pass.
11236 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
11237 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
11238 We do have some breaches to this one.
11243 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
11244 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
11247 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
11248 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
11249 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
11250 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
11251 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
11254 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
11255 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
11256 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
11257 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
11258 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
11259 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
11264 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
11265 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
11270 @subsection Emacsen
11276 Gnus should work on :
11281 Emacs 19.30 and up.
11284 XEmacs 19.13 and up.
11287 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
11291 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
11292 reliably, at least.
11294 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
11299 The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
11300 certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
11304 The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
11305 the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
11308 XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
11311 Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
11314 Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
11321 @subsection Contributors
11322 @cindex contributors
11324 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
11325 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
11326 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
11327 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
11328 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
11329 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
11330 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
11331 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
11332 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
11333 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
11335 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
11340 @item Masanobu @sc{Umeda}
11341 The writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
11343 @item Per Abrahamsen
11344 Custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as well as numerous
11347 @item Luis Fernandes
11348 Design and graphics.
11351 @file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on @dfn{picons}
11355 @file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section (@pxref{GroupLens}).
11357 @item Sudish Joseph
11358 Innumerable bug fixes.
11361 @file{gnus-topic.el}.
11363 @item Steven L. Baur
11364 Lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
11366 @item Vladimir Alexiev
11367 The refcard and reference booklets.
11369 @item Felix Lee & JWZ
11370 I stole some pieces from the XGnus distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
11373 @file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
11375 @item Peter Mutsaers
11376 Orphan article scoring code.
11381 @item Hallvard B Furuseth
11382 Various bits and pieces, especially dealing with .newsrc files.
11384 @item Brian Edmonds
11385 @file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
11387 @item Ricardo Nassif and Mark Borges
11390 @item Kevin Davidson
11391 Came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
11395 Peter Arius, Stainless Steel Rat, Ulrik Dickow, Jack Vinson, Daniel
11396 Quinlan, Frank D. Cringle, Geoffrey T. Dairiki, Fabrice Popineau and
11397 Andrew Eskilsson have all contributed code and suggestions.
11401 @subsection New Features
11402 @cindex new features
11407 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
11408 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
11411 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
11412 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
11415 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
11418 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
11419 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
11420 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11423 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
11424 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
11425 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
11426 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
11429 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
11430 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
11433 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
11434 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
11435 (@pxref{The Active File}).
11438 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
11439 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
11442 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
11443 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
11444 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
11447 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
11448 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
11449 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
11452 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
11453 the @file{.emacs} file.
11456 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
11457 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11460 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
11461 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
11464 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
11465 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
11468 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
11469 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
11472 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
11473 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
11476 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
11479 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
11480 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
11483 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
11484 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
11487 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
11488 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
11491 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
11494 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
11495 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
11498 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
11502 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
11506 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
11507 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
11510 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
11514 Gnus can use NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
11518 This is, of course, just a @emph{short} overview of the @emph{most}
11519 important new features. No, really. There are tons more. Yes, we have
11520 feeping creaturism in full effect, but nothing too gratuitous, I would
11524 @node Newest Features
11525 @subsection Newest Features
11528 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
11531 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
11535 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
11537 A better and simpler method for specifying mail composing methods.
11539 Allow posting through mail-to-news gateways.
11541 Really do unbinhexing.
11544 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
11545 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
11547 @code{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/sgnus/todo>} is where the actual
11548 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
11549 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
11553 @section Terminology
11555 @cindex terminology
11560 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
11561 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
11562 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
11563 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
11564 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
11568 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
11569 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
11570 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
11571 not posting, and replying is not following up.
11575 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
11579 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
11584 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
11585 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
11586 is all done by the backends.
11590 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
11591 default, way of getting news.
11595 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
11596 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
11600 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
11601 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
11605 A nessage that has been posted as news.
11608 @cindex mail message
11609 A message that has been mailed.
11613 A mail message or news article
11617 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
11622 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
11627 A line from the head of an article.
11631 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
11632 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
11636 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
11637 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
11638 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
11639 normal @sc{head} format.
11643 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
11644 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
11645 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
11646 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
11647 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
11648 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
11650 @item killed groups
11651 @cindex killed groups
11652 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
11653 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
11655 @item zombie groups
11656 @cindex zombie groups
11657 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
11660 @cindex active file
11661 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
11662 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
11663 is rather large, as you might surmise.
11666 @cindex bogus groups
11667 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
11668 server (i. e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
11669 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
11673 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
11675 @item select method
11676 @cindex select method
11677 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
11680 @item virtual server
11681 @cindex virtual server
11682 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
11683 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the who things as a
11684 whole is a virtual server.
11689 @node Customization
11690 @section Customization
11691 @cindex general customization
11693 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
11694 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
11695 for some quite common situations.
11698 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
11699 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
11700 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
11701 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
11705 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
11706 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
11708 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
11709 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
11710 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
11714 @item gnus-read-active-file
11715 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
11716 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
11717 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-news} and
11718 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
11719 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
11721 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
11722 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
11723 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
11724 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
11728 @node Slow Terminal Connection
11729 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
11731 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
11732 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
11733 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
11737 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
11738 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
11739 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
11740 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
11741 horizontal and vertical recentering.
11743 @item gnus-visible-headers
11744 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
11745 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
11746 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
11747 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
11749 @item gnus-article-display-hook
11750 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
11752 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
11753 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
11754 gnus-article-hide-citation))
11757 @item gnus-use-full-window
11758 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
11759 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
11760 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
11761 want to read them anyway.
11763 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
11764 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
11767 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
11768 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
11769 lines, which might save some time.
11773 @node Little Disk Space
11774 @subsection Little Disk Space
11777 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
11778 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
11782 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
11783 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
11784 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
11785 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
11788 @item gnus-save-killed-list
11789 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
11790 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
11791 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
11792 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
11798 @subsection Slow Machine
11799 @cindex slow machine
11801 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
11802 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
11804 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
11805 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
11807 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
11808 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
11809 summary buffer faster.
11811 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
11812 processing a bit faster.
11815 @node Troubleshooting
11816 @section Troubleshooting
11817 @cindex troubleshooting
11819 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
11827 Make sure your computer is switched on.
11830 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
11831 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
11835 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
11836 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
11837 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
11838 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
11841 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
11845 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
11848 @cindex reporting bugs
11850 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
11852 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
11853 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
11854 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
11855 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
11857 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
11858 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
11859 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
11860 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
11863 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
11864 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
11865 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
11866 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
11867 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
11868 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
11870 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
11871 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
11872 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
11875 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
11876 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
11878 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
11879 @cindex ding mailing list
11880 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
11881 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
11884 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
11885 @section A Programmer's Guide to Gnus
11887 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
11888 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
11889 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
11890 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
11893 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
11894 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
11895 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
11896 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
11897 and general method of operations.
11900 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
11901 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
11902 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
11903 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
11904 * Group Info:: The group info format.
11905 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
11906 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
11910 @node Backend Interface
11911 @subsection Backend Interface
11913 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
11914 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
11915 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
11916 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
11917 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
11918 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
11920 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
11921 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
11922 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
11923 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
11924 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
11925 been opened, the function should fail.
11927 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
11928 name. Take this example:
11932 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
11933 (nntp-port-number 4324))
11936 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
11937 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
11939 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
11940 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
11941 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
11943 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
11944 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
11945 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
11947 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
11948 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
11949 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
11950 ``resulting data'', I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
11951 talk about ``return value'', I talk about the function value returned by
11954 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
11955 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
11956 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
11957 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
11960 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
11963 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
11966 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
11967 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
11968 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
11972 @node Required Backend Functions
11973 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
11977 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
11979 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
11980 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
11981 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
11982 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
11984 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
11985 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
11986 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
11987 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
11989 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
11990 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
11991 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
11992 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
11993 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
11994 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
11995 number, do maximum fetches.
11997 Here's an example HEAD:
12000 221 1056 Article retrieved.
12001 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
12002 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
12003 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
12004 Subject: Re: Something very droll
12005 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
12006 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
12008 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
12009 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
12010 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
12014 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
12015 these in the data buffer.
12017 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
12021 head = error / valid-head
12022 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
12023 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
12024 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
12025 header = <text> eol
12028 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
12029 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
12033 nov-buffer = *nov-line
12034 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
12035 field = <text except TAB>
12038 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
12042 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
12044 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
12045 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
12047 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
12048 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
12049 server. In fact, it should do so.
12051 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
12052 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
12055 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
12057 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
12058 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
12061 There should be no data returned.
12064 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
12066 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
12067 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
12068 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
12069 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
12071 There should be no data returned.
12074 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
12076 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
12077 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
12078 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
12079 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
12081 There should be no data returned.
12084 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
12086 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
12088 There should be no data returned.
12091 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
12093 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
12094 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
12095 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
12096 it would be nice if that were possible.
12098 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
12099 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
12100 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
12101 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
12102 its article buffer.
12104 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
12105 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
12106 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
12107 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
12108 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
12109 on successful article retrievement.
12112 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12114 Make @var{group} the current group.
12116 There should be no data returned by this function.
12119 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12121 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
12122 making @var{group} the current group.
12124 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
12127 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
12130 The first number is the status, which should be @code{211}. Next is the
12131 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
12132 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
12133 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
12134 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
12135 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
12136 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
12137 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
12140 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
12141 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
12142 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
12146 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12148 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
12149 a no-op on most backends.
12151 There should be no data returned.
12154 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
12156 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
12159 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
12162 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
12163 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
12166 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
12167 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
12170 active-file = *active-line
12171 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
12173 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
12176 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
12177 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
12178 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
12181 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
12183 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
12184 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
12185 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
12186 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
12187 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
12188 clear if the posting could not be completed.
12190 There should be no result data from this function.
12195 @node Optional Backend Functions
12196 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
12200 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
12202 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
12203 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
12204 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
12206 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
12207 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
12208 former is in the same format as the data from
12209 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
12210 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
12213 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
12217 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
12219 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
12220 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
12221 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
12222 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
12223 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
12224 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
12226 There should be no result data from this function.
12229 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
12231 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
12232 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
12233 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
12234 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
12235 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
12236 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
12237 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.)
12239 There should be no result data from this function.
12242 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
12244 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
12245 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
12246 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
12247 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
12248 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
12250 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
12251 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
12252 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
12255 There should be no result data from this function.
12258 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
12260 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
12261 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
12262 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
12263 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
12264 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
12265 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
12266 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
12268 There should be no result data from this function.
12271 @item (nnchoke-request-asynchronous GROUP &optional SERVER ARTICLES)
12273 This is a request to fetch articles asynchronously later.
12274 @var{articles} is an alist of @var{(article-number line-number)}. One
12275 would generally expect that if one later fetches article number 4, for
12276 instance, some sort of asynchronous fetching of the articles after 4
12277 (which might be 5, 6, 7 or 11, 3, 909 depending on the order in that
12278 alist) would be fetched asynchronously, but that is left up to the
12279 backend. Gnus doesn't care.
12281 There should be no result data from this function.
12284 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
12286 The result data from this function should be a description of
12290 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
12292 description = <text>
12295 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
12297 The result data from this function should be the description of all
12298 groups available on the server.
12301 description-buffer = *description-line
12305 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
12307 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
12308 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
12309 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
12312 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12314 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
12316 There should be no return data.
12319 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
12321 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
12322 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
12323 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
12324 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
12325 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
12328 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
12331 There should be no result data returned.
12334 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
12337 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
12338 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
12340 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
12341 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
12342 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
12343 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
12344 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
12345 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
12347 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
12348 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
12351 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
12352 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
12354 There should be no data returned.
12357 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
12359 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
12360 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
12361 this function in short order.
12363 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
12364 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
12366 There should be no data returned.
12369 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
12371 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
12372 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
12374 There should be no data returned.
12377 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
12379 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
12380 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
12381 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
12383 There should be no data returned.
12386 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
12388 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
12389 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
12391 There should be no data returned.
12396 @node Writing New Backends
12397 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
12399 The various backends share many similarities. @code{nnml} is just like
12400 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
12401 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
12402 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
12403 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
12406 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
12407 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
12408 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
12410 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
12411 package called @code{nnoo}.
12413 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
12414 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
12421 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
12422 parameters. For instance:
12425 (nnoo-declare nndir
12429 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
12430 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
12433 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
12434 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
12435 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
12437 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
12438 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
12439 a function in those backends.
12442 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
12443 "Where nndir will look for groups."
12444 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
12447 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
12448 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
12449 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
12451 @item nnoo-define-basics
12452 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
12456 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
12460 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
12461 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
12462 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
12464 @item nnoo-map-functions
12465 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
12466 functions from the parent backends.
12469 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
12470 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
12471 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
12474 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
12475 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
12476 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
12477 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
12480 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
12481 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
12482 haven't already been defined.
12488 nnmh-request-newgroups)
12492 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
12493 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
12494 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
12499 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
12502 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
12503 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
12507 (require 'nnheader)
12511 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
12513 (nnoo-declare nndir
12516 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
12517 "Where nndir will look for groups."
12518 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
12520 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
12521 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
12524 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
12525 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
12526 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
12528 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
12529 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
12531 ;;; Interface functions.
12533 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
12535 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
12536 (setq nndir-directory
12537 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
12539 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
12540 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
12541 (push `(nndir-current-group
12542 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
12544 (push `(nndir-top-directory
12545 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
12547 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
12549 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
12550 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
12551 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
12552 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
12553 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
12557 nnmh-status-message
12559 nnmh-request-newgroups))
12566 @node Score File Syntax
12567 @subsection Score File Syntax
12569 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
12570 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
12571 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
12573 Here's a typical score file:
12577 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
12584 BNF definition of a score file:
12587 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
12588 element = rule / atom
12589 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
12590 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
12591 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
12592 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
12594 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
12595 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
12596 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
12597 date-header = "date"
12598 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12599 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12600 score = "nil" / <integer>
12601 date = "nil" / <natural number>
12602 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
12603 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
12604 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
12605 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
12606 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12607 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12608 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
12609 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12610 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
12611 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
12612 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
12613 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
12614 exclude-files / read-only / touched
12615 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
12616 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
12617 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
12618 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
12619 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
12620 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
12621 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
12622 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
12623 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
12624 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
12625 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
12626 eval = "eval" space <form>
12627 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
12630 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
12633 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
12634 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
12635 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
12636 one looong line, then that's ok.
12638 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
12643 @subsection Headers
12645 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
12646 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
12647 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
12648 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
12650 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
12651 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (eg.,
12652 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
12653 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
12654 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
12655 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
12656 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
12658 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
12659 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
12660 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these slots --
12661 they all have predictable names beginning with @code{mail-header-} and
12662 @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
12664 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
12671 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
12672 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
12674 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
12675 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
12676 that you want to callify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
12677 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
12679 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
12683 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
12686 is transformed into
12689 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
12692 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
12693 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
12696 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
12699 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
12700 is slightly tricky:
12703 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
12709 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
12712 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
12718 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
12725 and is equal to the previous range.
12727 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
12728 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
12729 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
12733 range = simple-range / normal-range
12734 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
12735 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
12736 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
12737 number *[ " " contents ]
12740 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
12741 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
12742 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
12743 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
12744 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
12749 @subsection Group Info
12751 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
12752 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
12753 describes the group.
12755 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
12756 second is a more complex one:
12759 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
12761 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
12762 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
12764 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
12767 The first element is the group name as Gnus knows the group; the second
12768 is the group level; the third is the read articles in range format; the
12769 fourth is a list of article marks lists; the fifth is the select method;
12770 and the sixth contains the group parameters.
12772 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
12775 info = "(" group space level space read
12776 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
12777 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12778 group = quote <string> quote
12779 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
12781 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
12782 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
12783 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
12784 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
12787 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
12788 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
12792 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
12793 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
12797 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
12798 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
12799 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
12801 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
12802 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
12803 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
12804 Gnus, that's very useful.
12806 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
12807 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
12808 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
12809 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
12810 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
12811 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
12812 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
12813 following function:
12816 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
12820 (,function ,@@args))
12824 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
12825 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs -- it
12826 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
12829 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
12830 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
12831 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
12834 @node Various File Formats
12835 @subsection Various File Formats
12838 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
12839 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
12843 @node Active File Format
12844 @subsubsection Active File Format
12846 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
12847 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
12850 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
12853 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
12854 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
12855 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
12856 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
12857 no.general 1000 900 y
12860 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
12863 active = *group-line
12864 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
12865 group = <non-white-space string>
12867 high-number = <non-negative integer>
12868 low-number = <positive integer>
12869 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
12873 @node Newsgroups File Format
12874 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
12876 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
12877 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
12878 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
12881 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
12882 Here's the definition:
12886 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
12887 group = <non-white-space string>
12889 description = <string>
12893 @node Emacs for Heathens
12894 @section Emacs for Heathens
12896 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
12897 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
12898 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
12899 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
12900 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
12901 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
12902 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
12906 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
12907 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
12912 @subsection Keystrokes
12916 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
12919 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
12922 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
12923 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
12924 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
12925 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
12926 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
12927 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
12929 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
12930 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
12931 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
12932 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
12933 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
12934 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
12935 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
12937 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
12938 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
12939 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
12940 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
12941 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
12942 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
12943 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
12945 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
12946 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
12947 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
12948 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
12949 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
12955 @subsection Emacs Lisp
12957 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
12958 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
12959 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
12960 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
12962 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
12963 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
12964 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
12965 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
12966 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
12967 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
12968 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
12971 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
12972 write the following:
12975 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
12978 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
12979 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
12980 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
12983 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
12984 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
12985 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
12986 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
12987 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
12989 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
12990 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
12991 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
12995 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
12999 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
13002 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
13003 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
13006 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
13009 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
13010 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
13013 @include gnus-faq.texi