4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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295 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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304 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
306 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
309 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
310 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
311 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
312 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
313 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
314 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
315 License'' in the Emacs manual.
317 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
318 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
319 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
321 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
322 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
323 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
324 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
332 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
334 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
335 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
337 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
338 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
339 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
340 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
341 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
342 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
343 License'' in the Emacs manual.
345 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
346 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
347 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
349 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
350 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
351 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
352 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
358 @title T-gnus 6.17 Manual
360 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
363 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
364 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
366 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
368 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
369 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
370 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
371 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
372 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
373 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
374 License'' in the Emacs manual.
376 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
377 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
378 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
380 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
381 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
382 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
383 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
392 @top The gnus Newsreader
396 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
397 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
398 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
401 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
402 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
403 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
404 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
405 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
406 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
408 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17.
419 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
420 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
422 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
423 being accused of plagiarism:
425 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
426 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
427 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
428 can even read news with it!
430 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
431 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
432 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
433 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
434 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
440 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
441 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
442 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
443 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
444 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
445 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
446 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
447 * Various:: General purpose settings.
448 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
449 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
450 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
451 * Key Index:: Key Index.
453 Other related manuals
455 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
456 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
457 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
458 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
459 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
462 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
466 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
467 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
468 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
469 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
470 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
471 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
472 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
473 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
474 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
475 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
476 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
480 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
481 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
482 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
486 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
487 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
488 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
489 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
490 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
491 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
492 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
493 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
494 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
495 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
496 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
497 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
498 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
499 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
500 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
501 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
502 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
506 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
507 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
508 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
512 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
513 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
514 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
515 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
516 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
520 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
521 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
522 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
523 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
524 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
528 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
529 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
530 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
531 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
532 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
533 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
534 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
535 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
536 * Threading:: How threads are made.
537 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
538 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
539 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
540 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
541 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
542 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
543 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
544 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
545 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
546 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
547 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
548 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
549 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
550 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
551 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
552 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
553 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
554 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
555 or reselecting the current group.
556 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
557 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
558 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
559 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
561 Summary Buffer Format
563 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
564 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
565 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
566 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
570 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
571 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
573 Reply, Followup and Post
575 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
576 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
577 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
578 * Canceling and Superseding::
582 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
583 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
584 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
588 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
589 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
590 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
594 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
595 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
597 Customizing Threading
599 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
600 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
601 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
602 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
606 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
607 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
608 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
609 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
610 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
611 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
615 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
616 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
617 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
621 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
622 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
623 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
624 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
625 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
626 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
627 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
628 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
629 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
630 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
631 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
633 Alternative Approaches
635 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
636 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
638 Various Summary Stuff
640 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
641 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
642 * Summary Generation Commands::
643 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
647 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
648 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
649 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
650 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
651 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
655 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
656 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
657 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
658 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
659 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
660 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
661 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
662 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
663 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
667 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
668 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
669 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
670 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
671 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
672 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
673 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
674 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
678 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
679 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
680 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
681 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
682 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
683 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
684 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
688 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
689 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
693 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
694 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
695 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
699 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
700 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
701 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
702 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
703 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
704 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
705 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
706 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
707 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
708 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
709 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
710 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
711 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
715 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
716 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
717 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
719 Choosing a Mail Back End
721 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
722 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
723 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
724 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
725 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
726 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
727 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
732 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
733 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
734 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
735 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
736 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
737 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
741 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
742 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
743 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
744 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
745 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
746 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
750 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
751 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
752 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
753 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
754 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
758 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
762 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
763 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
764 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
768 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
769 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
773 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
774 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
775 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
776 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
777 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
778 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
779 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
780 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
781 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
782 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
783 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
784 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
785 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
789 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
790 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
791 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
795 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
796 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
797 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
801 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
802 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
803 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
804 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
805 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
806 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
807 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
808 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
809 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
810 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
811 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
812 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
813 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
814 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
815 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
816 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
820 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
821 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
822 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
826 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
827 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
828 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
829 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
830 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
831 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
832 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
833 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
834 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
835 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
836 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
837 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
838 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
839 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
840 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
841 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
842 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
843 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
844 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
845 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
849 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
850 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
851 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
852 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
853 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
854 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
855 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
856 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
860 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
861 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
862 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
863 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
864 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
868 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
869 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
870 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
871 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
872 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
873 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
875 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
877 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
878 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
879 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
880 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
881 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
883 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
884 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
886 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
888 * ifile spam filtering::
889 * spam-stat spam filtering::
891 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
893 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
895 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
896 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
897 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
901 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
902 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
903 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
904 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
905 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
906 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
907 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
908 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
909 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
913 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
914 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
915 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
916 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
917 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
918 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
919 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
920 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
921 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
925 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
926 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
927 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
928 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
929 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
930 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
931 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
935 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
936 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
937 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
938 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
942 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
943 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
944 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
945 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
946 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
947 * Group Info:: The group info format.
948 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
949 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
950 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
954 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
955 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
956 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
957 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
958 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
959 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
963 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
964 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
968 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
969 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
975 @chapter Starting gnus
980 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
981 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
984 @findex gnus-other-frame
985 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
986 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
987 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
989 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
990 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
991 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
993 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
994 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
997 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
998 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
999 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
1000 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
1001 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
1002 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
1003 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
1004 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
1005 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
1006 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
1007 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
1011 @node Finding the News
1012 @section Finding the News
1013 @cindex finding news
1015 @vindex gnus-select-method
1017 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
1018 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1019 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1020 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1023 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1024 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1027 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1030 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1033 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1036 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1037 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1038 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1040 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1042 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1043 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1044 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1045 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1046 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1047 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1048 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1050 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1051 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1052 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1053 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1055 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1056 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1057 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1058 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1059 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1060 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1061 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1062 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1063 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1066 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1068 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1069 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1070 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1071 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1072 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1073 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1075 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1077 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1078 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1079 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1080 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1081 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1082 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1085 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1086 you would typically set this variable to
1089 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1093 @node The First Time
1094 @section The First Time
1095 @cindex first time usage
1097 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1098 be subscribed by default.
1100 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1101 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1102 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1103 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1106 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1107 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1108 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1110 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1111 help you with most common problems.
1113 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1114 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1118 @node The Server is Down
1119 @section The Server is Down
1120 @cindex server errors
1122 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1123 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1124 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1126 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1127 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1128 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1129 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1130 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1131 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1132 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1134 @findex gnus-no-server
1135 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1137 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1138 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1139 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1140 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1141 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1142 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1143 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1147 @section Slave Gnusae
1150 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1151 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1152 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1153 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1155 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1156 @file{.newsrc} file.
1158 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1159 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1160 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1161 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1162 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1163 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1164 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1167 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1168 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1169 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1170 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1171 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1172 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1173 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1174 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1176 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1177 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1179 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1180 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1181 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1182 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1183 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1185 @node Fetching a Group
1186 @section Fetching a Group
1187 @cindex fetching a group
1189 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1190 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1191 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1192 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1193 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1194 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1200 @cindex subscription
1202 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1203 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1204 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1205 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1206 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1207 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1208 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1209 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1210 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1213 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1214 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1215 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1219 @node Checking New Groups
1220 @subsection Checking New Groups
1222 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1223 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1224 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1225 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1226 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1227 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1228 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1229 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1230 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1231 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1233 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1234 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1235 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1236 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1237 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1238 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1239 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1240 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1241 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1242 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1243 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1245 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1246 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1247 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1248 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1249 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1250 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1253 @node Subscription Methods
1254 @subsection Subscription Methods
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1257 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1258 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1260 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1261 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1263 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1267 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1268 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1269 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1270 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1271 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1273 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1275 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1276 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1278 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1279 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1280 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1282 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1283 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1284 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1285 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1286 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1287 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1288 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1289 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1290 up. Or something like that.
1292 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1293 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1294 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1295 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1296 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1298 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1299 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1300 Kill all new groups.
1302 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1303 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1304 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1305 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1306 topic parameter that looks like
1312 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1315 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1320 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1321 A closely related variable is
1322 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1323 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1324 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1325 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1328 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1329 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1330 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1331 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1334 @node Filtering New Groups
1335 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1337 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1338 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1339 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1342 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1345 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1346 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1347 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1348 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1349 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1350 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1351 subscribing these groups.
1352 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1353 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1355 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1356 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1357 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1358 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1359 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1360 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1361 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1362 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1364 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1365 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1366 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1367 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1368 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1369 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1370 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1371 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1372 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1373 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1376 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1377 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1380 @node Changing Servers
1381 @section Changing Servers
1382 @cindex changing servers
1384 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1385 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1386 very flaky and you want to use another.
1388 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1389 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1393 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1394 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1395 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1396 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1399 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1400 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1401 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1402 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1404 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1405 @findex gnus-change-server
1406 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1407 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1408 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1409 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1410 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1412 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1413 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1414 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1415 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1416 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1418 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1419 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1420 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1421 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1422 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1423 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1425 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1426 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1427 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1428 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1430 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1431 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1432 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1433 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1434 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1435 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1436 cache for all groups).
1440 @section Startup Files
1441 @cindex startup files
1446 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1447 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1449 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1450 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1451 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1452 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1453 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1454 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1455 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1457 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1458 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1459 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1460 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1461 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1462 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1464 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1465 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1466 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1467 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1468 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1469 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1470 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1471 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1472 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1473 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1475 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1476 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1477 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1478 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1479 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1480 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1481 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1482 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1483 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1484 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1485 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1486 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1488 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1489 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1490 @vindex version-control
1491 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1492 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1493 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1494 If you want version control for this file, set
1495 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1496 @code{version-control} variable.
1498 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1499 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1500 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1501 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1502 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1503 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1504 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1505 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1506 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1507 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1510 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1511 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1513 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1514 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1517 @vindex gnus-init-file
1518 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1519 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1520 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1521 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1522 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1523 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1524 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1525 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1526 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1527 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1533 @cindex dribble file
1536 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1537 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1538 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1539 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1540 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1543 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1544 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1547 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1548 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1549 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1551 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1552 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1553 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1554 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1555 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1556 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1558 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1559 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1560 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1563 @node The Active File
1564 @section The Active File
1566 @cindex ignored groups
1568 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1569 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1570 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1572 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1573 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1574 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1575 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1576 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1577 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1578 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1581 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1582 @c if you set it to anything else.
1584 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1586 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1587 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1588 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1590 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1591 you actually subscribe to.
1593 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1594 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1595 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1596 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1598 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1599 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1600 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1601 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1602 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1603 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1605 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1606 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1607 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1610 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1611 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1612 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1613 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1614 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1615 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1617 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1618 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1620 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1621 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1623 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1624 secondary select methods.
1627 @node Startup Variables
1628 @section Startup Variables
1632 @item gnus-load-hook
1633 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1634 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1635 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1636 times you start gnus.
1638 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1639 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1640 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1642 @item gnus-startup-hook
1643 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1644 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1646 @item gnus-started-hook
1647 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1648 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1651 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1652 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1653 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1654 generating the group buffer.
1656 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1657 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1658 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1659 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1660 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1661 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1662 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1663 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1665 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1666 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1667 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1668 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1669 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1670 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1672 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1673 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1674 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1676 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1677 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1678 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1680 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1681 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1682 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1683 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1689 @chapter Group Buffer
1690 @cindex group buffer
1692 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1694 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1695 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1696 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1697 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1698 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1699 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1700 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1701 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1702 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1703 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1704 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1705 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1706 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1707 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1708 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1709 @c human rights at 9...
1712 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1713 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1714 long as gnus is active.
1718 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1719 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1720 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1721 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1722 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1723 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1724 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1725 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1731 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1732 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1733 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1734 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1735 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1736 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1737 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1738 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1739 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1740 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1741 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1742 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1743 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1744 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1745 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1746 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1747 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1751 @node Group Buffer Format
1752 @section Group Buffer Format
1755 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1756 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1757 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1761 @node Group Line Specification
1762 @subsection Group Line Specification
1763 @cindex group buffer format
1765 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1766 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1768 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1771 25: news.announce.newusers
1772 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1777 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1778 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1779 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1780 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1782 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1783 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1784 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1785 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1786 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1787 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1789 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1791 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1792 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1793 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1794 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1795 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1797 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1798 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1799 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1801 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1806 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1809 Whether the group is subscribed.
1812 Level of subscribedness.
1815 Number of unread articles.
1818 Number of dormant articles.
1821 Number of ticked articles.
1824 Number of read articles.
1827 Number of unseen articles.
1830 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1831 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1833 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1834 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1835 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1836 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1837 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1838 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1839 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1840 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1843 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1846 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1855 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1856 comment element in the group parameters.
1859 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1860 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1861 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1865 @samp{m} if moderated.
1868 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1874 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1880 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1884 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1887 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1888 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1889 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1890 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1891 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1894 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1896 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1900 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1903 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1907 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1908 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1909 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1910 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1911 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1912 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1917 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1918 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1919 group, or a bogus native group.
1922 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1923 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1924 @cindex group mode line
1926 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1927 The mode line can be changed by setting
1928 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1929 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1933 The native news server.
1935 The native select method.
1939 @node Group Highlighting
1940 @subsection Group Highlighting
1941 @cindex highlighting
1942 @cindex group highlighting
1944 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1945 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1946 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1947 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1948 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1950 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1954 (cond (window-system
1955 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1956 (defface my-group-face-1
1957 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1958 (defface my-group-face-2
1959 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1960 "Second group face")
1961 (defface my-group-face-3
1962 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1963 (defface my-group-face-4
1964 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1965 (defface my-group-face-5
1966 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1968 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1969 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1970 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1971 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1972 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1973 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1976 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1978 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1985 The number of unread articles in the group.
1989 Whether the group is a mail group.
1991 The level of the group.
1993 The score of the group.
1995 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1997 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1998 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
2000 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
2001 topic being inserted.
2004 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
2005 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
2006 functions for snarfing info on the group.
2008 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
2009 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
2010 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2011 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2012 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2015 @node Group Maneuvering
2016 @section Group Maneuvering
2017 @cindex group movement
2019 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2020 expected, hopefully.
2026 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2027 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2028 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2035 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2036 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2041 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2045 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2046 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2050 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2051 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2052 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2057 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2058 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2061 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2067 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2068 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2069 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2074 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2075 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2076 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2080 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2081 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2082 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2085 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2086 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2087 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2088 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2092 @node Selecting a Group
2093 @section Selecting a Group
2094 @cindex group selection
2099 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2100 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2101 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2102 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2103 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2104 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2105 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2106 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2107 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2108 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2110 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2111 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2112 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2114 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2115 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2120 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2121 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2122 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2123 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2124 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2128 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2129 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2130 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2131 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2132 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2133 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2134 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2135 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2136 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2137 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2140 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2141 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2142 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2143 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2144 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2147 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2148 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2149 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2150 doing any processing of its contents
2151 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2152 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2153 manner will have no permanent effects.
2157 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2158 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2159 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2160 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2161 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2162 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2163 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2164 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2165 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2166 most recently will be fetched.
2168 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2169 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2170 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2173 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2174 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2175 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2176 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2177 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2178 Which article this is is controlled by the
2179 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2185 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2188 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2191 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2193 @item unseen-or-unread
2194 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2195 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2199 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2203 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2204 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2206 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2207 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2208 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2209 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2213 @node Subscription Commands
2214 @section Subscription Commands
2215 @cindex subscription
2223 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2224 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2225 Toggle subscription to the current group
2226 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2232 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2233 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2234 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2235 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2241 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2242 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2243 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2249 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2250 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2253 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2254 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2255 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2256 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2257 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2263 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2264 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2268 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2269 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2272 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2273 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2274 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2275 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2276 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2277 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2278 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2279 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2280 @file{.newsrc} file.
2284 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2294 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2295 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2296 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2297 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2298 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2299 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2304 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2305 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2306 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2310 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2311 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2312 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2314 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2315 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2316 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2317 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2318 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2319 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2326 @section Group Levels
2330 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2331 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2332 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2333 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2334 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2336 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2342 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2343 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2344 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2345 prompted for a level.
2348 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2349 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2350 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2351 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2352 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2353 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2354 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2355 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2356 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2357 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2358 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2359 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2360 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2361 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2362 reasons of efficiency.
2364 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2365 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2367 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2368 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2369 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2370 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2371 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2372 groups are hidden, in a way.
2374 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2375 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2376 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2377 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2378 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2379 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2381 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2382 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2383 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2384 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2385 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2386 list of killed groups.)
2388 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2389 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2390 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2392 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2393 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2394 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2395 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2396 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2397 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2398 relevant valid ranges.
2400 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2401 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2402 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2403 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2404 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2405 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2408 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2409 one with the best level.
2411 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2412 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2413 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2416 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2417 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2418 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2419 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2422 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2423 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2424 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2425 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2427 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2428 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2429 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2430 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2431 to 5. The default is 6.
2435 @section Group Score
2440 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2441 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2442 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2445 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2446 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2447 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2448 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2449 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2450 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2451 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2452 least significant part.))
2454 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2455 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2456 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2457 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2458 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2459 action after each summary exit, you can add
2460 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2461 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2462 slow things down somewhat.
2465 @node Marking Groups
2466 @section Marking Groups
2467 @cindex marking groups
2469 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2470 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2471 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2472 bidding on those groups.
2474 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2475 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2476 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2484 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2485 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2492 Remove the mark from the current group
2493 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2498 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2502 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2503 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2507 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2508 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2512 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2513 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2514 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2517 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2519 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2520 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2521 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2522 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2523 the command to be executed.
2526 @node Foreign Groups
2527 @section Foreign Groups
2528 @cindex foreign groups
2530 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2531 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2532 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2533 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2540 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2541 @cindex making groups
2542 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2543 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2544 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2548 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2549 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2550 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2554 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2555 @cindex renaming groups
2556 Rename the current group to something else
2557 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2558 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2564 @findex gnus-group-customize
2565 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2569 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2570 @cindex renaming groups
2571 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2572 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2576 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2577 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2578 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2582 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2583 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2584 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2588 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2590 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2591 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2596 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2597 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2601 @cindex (ding) archive
2602 @cindex archive group
2603 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2604 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2605 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2606 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2607 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2608 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2609 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2613 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2615 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2616 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2617 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2618 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2622 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2624 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2625 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2626 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2630 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2631 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2633 Make a group based on some file or other
2634 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2635 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2636 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2637 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2638 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2639 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2640 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2641 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2642 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2646 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2647 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2648 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2649 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2653 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2657 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2658 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2659 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2660 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2661 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2662 @xref{Web Searches}.
2664 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2665 to a particular group by using a match string like
2666 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2670 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2671 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2672 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2676 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2677 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2678 This function will delete the current group
2679 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2680 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2681 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2682 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2683 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2687 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2688 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2689 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2693 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2694 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2695 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2698 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2701 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2702 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2703 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2704 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2705 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2706 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2710 @node Group Parameters
2711 @section Group Parameters
2712 @cindex group parameters
2714 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2715 Here's an example group parameter list:
2718 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2722 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2723 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2724 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2725 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2727 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2728 is an alist of regexps and values.
2730 The following group parameters can be used:
2735 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2738 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2741 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2742 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2743 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2744 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2745 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2747 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2748 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2749 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2750 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2751 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2752 list address instead.
2754 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2758 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2761 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2764 It is totally ignored
2765 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2766 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2768 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2769 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2770 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2771 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2772 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2774 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2775 @cindex mail list groups
2776 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2777 entering summary buffer.
2779 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2784 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2785 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2786 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2787 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2788 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2789 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2790 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2791 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2794 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2795 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2798 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2799 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2803 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2804 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2805 of whether it has any unread articles.
2807 @item broken-reply-to
2808 @cindex broken-reply-to
2809 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2810 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2811 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2812 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2813 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2814 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2818 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2819 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2823 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2824 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2825 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2830 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2831 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2832 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2833 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2834 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2835 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2836 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2838 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2839 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2840 doesn't accept articles.
2844 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2845 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2846 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2848 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2851 @cindex total-expire
2852 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2853 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2854 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2855 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2858 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2862 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2863 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2864 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2865 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2866 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2867 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2868 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2871 @cindex expiry-target
2872 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2873 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2876 @cindex score file group parameter
2877 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2878 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2879 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2882 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2883 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2884 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2885 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2888 @cindex admin-address
2889 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2890 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2891 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2892 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2896 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2897 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2901 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2904 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2905 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2908 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2912 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2914 Here are some examples:
2918 Display only unread articles.
2921 Display everything except expirable articles.
2923 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2924 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2928 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2929 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2930 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2931 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2932 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2936 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2937 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2938 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2942 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2943 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2944 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2948 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2949 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2950 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2952 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2954 @item ignored-charsets
2955 @cindex ignored-charset
2956 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2957 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2958 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2960 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2963 @cindex posting-style
2964 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2965 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2966 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2967 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2968 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2970 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2971 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2972 like this in the group parameters:
2977 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2978 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2983 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2984 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2988 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2989 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2990 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2991 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2992 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2996 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2997 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2998 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2999 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3001 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3002 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3003 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3004 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3007 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
3008 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
3012 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3013 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3015 @item (agent parameters)
3016 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3017 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3018 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3019 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3020 minimize the configuration effort.
3022 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3023 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3024 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3025 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3026 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3027 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3028 @code{eval}ed there.
3030 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3031 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3032 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3033 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3034 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3035 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3036 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3037 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3040 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3043 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3044 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3045 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3048 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3051 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3052 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3053 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3054 into the group parameters for the group.
3056 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
3057 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
3058 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
3059 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
3060 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
3064 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3065 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3066 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3067 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3068 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3070 @vindex gnus-parameters
3071 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3072 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3076 (setq gnus-parameters
3078 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3079 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3080 (gnus-summary-line-format
3081 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3085 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3089 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3093 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3096 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3097 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3100 @node Listing Groups
3101 @section Listing Groups
3102 @cindex group listing
3104 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3112 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3113 List all groups that have unread articles
3114 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3115 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3116 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3117 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3124 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3125 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3126 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3127 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3128 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3129 unsubscribed groups).
3133 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3134 List all unread groups on a specific level
3135 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3136 with no unread articles.
3140 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3141 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3142 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3143 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3148 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3149 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3153 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3154 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3155 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3159 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3160 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3164 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3165 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3166 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3167 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3168 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3169 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3170 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3171 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3175 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3176 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3177 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3181 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3182 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3183 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3187 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3188 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3192 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3193 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3197 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3198 List groups limited within the current selection
3199 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3203 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3204 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3208 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3209 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3213 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3214 @cindex visible group parameter
3215 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3216 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3217 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3218 get the same effect.
3220 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3221 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3222 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3223 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3224 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3227 @node Sorting Groups
3228 @section Sorting Groups
3229 @cindex sorting groups
3231 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3232 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3233 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3234 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3235 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3236 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3241 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3242 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3243 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3245 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3246 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3247 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3249 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3250 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3251 Sort by group level.
3253 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3254 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3255 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3257 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3258 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3259 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3260 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3262 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3263 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3264 Sort by number of unread articles.
3266 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3267 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3268 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3270 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3271 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3272 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3277 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3278 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3282 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3283 some sorting criteria:
3287 @kindex G S a (Group)
3288 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3289 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3290 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3293 @kindex G S u (Group)
3294 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3295 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3296 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3299 @kindex G S l (Group)
3300 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3301 Sort the group buffer by group level
3302 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3305 @kindex G S v (Group)
3306 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3307 Sort the group buffer by group score
3308 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3311 @kindex G S r (Group)
3312 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3313 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3314 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3317 @kindex G S m (Group)
3318 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3319 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3320 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3323 @kindex G S n (Group)
3324 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3325 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3326 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3330 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3331 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3333 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3334 commands will sort in reverse order.
3336 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3340 @kindex G P a (Group)
3341 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3342 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3343 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3346 @kindex G P u (Group)
3347 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3348 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3349 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3352 @kindex G P l (Group)
3353 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3354 Sort the groups by group level
3355 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3358 @kindex G P v (Group)
3359 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3360 Sort the groups by group score
3361 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3364 @kindex G P r (Group)
3365 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3366 Sort the groups by group rank
3367 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3370 @kindex G P m (Group)
3371 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3372 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3373 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3376 @kindex G P n (Group)
3377 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3378 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3379 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3382 @kindex G P s (Group)
3383 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3384 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3388 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3392 @node Group Maintenance
3393 @section Group Maintenance
3394 @cindex bogus groups
3399 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3400 Find bogus groups and delete them
3401 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3405 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3406 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3407 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3408 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3409 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3413 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3414 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3415 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3416 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3417 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3418 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3421 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3422 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3423 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3424 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3429 @node Browse Foreign Server
3430 @section Browse Foreign Server
3431 @cindex foreign servers
3432 @cindex browsing servers
3437 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3438 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3439 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3440 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3443 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3444 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3445 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3446 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3448 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3453 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3454 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3458 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3459 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3462 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3463 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3464 Enter the current group and display the first article
3465 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3468 @kindex RET (Browse)
3469 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3470 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3474 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3475 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3476 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3482 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3483 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3487 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3488 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3492 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3493 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3494 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3499 @section Exiting gnus
3500 @cindex exiting gnus
3502 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3507 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3508 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3509 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3510 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3514 @findex gnus-group-exit
3515 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3516 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3520 @findex gnus-group-quit
3521 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3522 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3525 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3526 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3527 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3528 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3529 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3530 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3536 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3537 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3538 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3544 @section Group Topics
3547 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3548 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3549 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3550 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3551 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3552 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3556 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3557 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3568 2: alt.religion.emacs
3571 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3573 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3574 13: comp.sources.unix
3577 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3579 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3580 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3581 is a toggling command.)
3583 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3584 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3585 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3586 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3589 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3590 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3591 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3594 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3598 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3599 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3600 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3601 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3602 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3606 @node Topic Commands
3607 @subsection Topic Commands
3608 @cindex topic commands
3610 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3611 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3612 definitions slightly.
3614 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3615 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3616 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3617 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3618 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3619 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3621 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3628 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3629 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3630 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3634 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3636 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3637 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3638 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3639 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3642 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3643 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3644 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3645 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3649 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3650 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3651 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3652 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3658 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3659 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3660 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3664 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3665 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3666 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3669 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3670 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3671 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3672 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3673 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3675 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3676 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3680 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3681 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3688 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3690 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3691 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3692 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3693 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3694 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3695 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3699 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3705 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3706 Move the current group to some other topic
3707 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3708 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3712 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3713 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3717 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3718 Copy the current group to some other topic
3719 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3720 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3724 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3725 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3726 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3730 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3731 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3732 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3736 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3737 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3738 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3739 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3740 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3741 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3742 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3745 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3746 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3750 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3751 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3752 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3756 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3757 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3758 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3762 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3763 Toggle hiding empty topics
3764 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3768 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3769 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3770 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3771 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3774 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3775 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3776 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3777 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3778 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3781 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3782 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3783 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3784 expiry process (if any)
3785 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3789 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3790 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3793 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3794 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3795 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3799 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3800 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3801 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3804 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3805 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3806 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3809 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3810 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3811 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3815 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3816 @cindex group parameters
3817 @cindex topic parameters
3819 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3820 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3825 @node Topic Variables
3826 @subsection Topic Variables
3827 @cindex topic variables
3829 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3830 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3832 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3833 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3834 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3847 Number of groups in the topic.
3849 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3851 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3854 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3855 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3856 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3859 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3860 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3862 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3863 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3864 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3868 @subsection Topic Sorting
3869 @cindex topic sorting
3871 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3877 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3878 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3879 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3880 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3883 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3884 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3885 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3886 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3889 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3890 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3891 Sort the current topic by group level
3892 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3895 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3896 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3897 Sort the current topic by group score
3898 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3901 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3902 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3903 Sort the current topic by group rank
3904 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3907 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3908 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3909 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3910 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3913 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3914 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3915 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3916 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3919 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3920 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3921 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3922 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3923 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3927 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3928 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3932 @node Topic Topology
3933 @subsection Topic Topology
3934 @cindex topic topology
3937 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3944 2: alt.religion.emacs
3947 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3949 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3950 13: comp.sources.unix
3954 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3955 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3956 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3961 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3962 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3966 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3967 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3968 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3969 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3970 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3971 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3973 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3974 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3975 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3978 @node Topic Parameters
3979 @subsection Topic Parameters
3980 @cindex topic parameters
3982 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3983 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3984 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3985 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3986 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3988 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3993 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3994 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3995 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3998 @item subscribe-level
3999 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4000 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4001 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4005 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4006 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4007 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4008 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4015 2: alt.religion.emacs
4019 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4021 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4022 13: comp.sources.unix
4027 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4028 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4029 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4030 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4031 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4032 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4034 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4035 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4036 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4037 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4038 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4040 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4041 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4042 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4043 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4044 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4045 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4046 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4047 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4050 @node Misc Group Stuff
4051 @section Misc Group Stuff
4054 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4055 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4056 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4057 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4058 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4065 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4066 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4067 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4071 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4072 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4073 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4074 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4075 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4076 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4077 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4081 @findex gnus-group-mail
4082 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4083 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4084 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4085 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4089 @findex gnus-group-news
4090 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4091 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4092 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4094 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4095 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4096 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4097 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4098 for this to work though.
4102 Variables for the group buffer:
4106 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4107 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4108 is called after the group buffer has been
4111 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4112 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4113 is called after the group buffer is
4114 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4117 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4118 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4119 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4120 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4122 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4123 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4124 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4125 whether they are empty or not.
4127 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4128 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4129 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4130 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4134 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4135 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4138 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4139 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4140 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4141 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4142 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4143 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4144 default is @code{nil}.
4148 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4149 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4154 @node Scanning New Messages
4155 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4156 @cindex new messages
4157 @cindex scanning new news
4163 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4164 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4165 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4166 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4167 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4168 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4173 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4174 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4175 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4176 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4177 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4178 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4179 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4181 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4182 @cindex activating groups
4184 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4185 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4190 @findex gnus-group-restart
4191 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4192 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4193 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4197 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4198 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4200 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4201 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4205 @node Group Information
4206 @subsection Group Information
4207 @cindex group information
4208 @cindex information on groups
4215 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4216 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4219 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4220 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4221 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4222 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4223 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4224 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4225 used for fetching the file.
4227 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4228 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4232 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4233 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4235 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4236 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4239 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4240 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4241 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4245 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4246 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4247 @cindex control message
4248 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4249 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4250 group if given a prefix argument.
4252 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4253 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4254 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4255 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4257 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4258 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4259 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4263 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4265 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4266 @cindex describing groups
4267 @cindex group description
4268 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4269 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4270 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4274 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4275 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4276 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4283 @findex gnus-version
4284 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4288 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4289 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4292 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4295 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4296 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4300 @node Group Timestamp
4301 @subsection Group Timestamp
4303 @cindex group timestamps
4305 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4306 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4307 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4310 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4313 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4315 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4316 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4319 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4320 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4323 This will result in lines looking like:
4326 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4327 0: custom 19961002T012713
4330 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4331 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4335 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4336 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4339 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4340 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4344 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4345 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4346 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4347 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4349 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4355 @subsection File Commands
4356 @cindex file commands
4362 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4363 @vindex gnus-init-file
4364 @cindex reading init file
4365 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4366 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4370 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4371 @cindex saving .newsrc
4372 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4373 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4374 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4377 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4378 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4379 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4384 @node Sieve Commands
4385 @subsection Sieve Commands
4386 @cindex group sieve commands
4388 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4389 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4390 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4391 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4392 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4394 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4395 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4396 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4397 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4398 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4399 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4400 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4401 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4402 regenerate the Sieve script.
4404 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4405 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4406 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4407 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4408 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4409 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4410 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4411 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4412 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4413 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4416 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4417 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4422 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4428 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4429 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4430 @cindex generating sieve script
4431 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4432 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4436 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4437 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4438 @cindex updating sieve script
4439 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4440 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4441 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4446 @node Summary Buffer
4447 @chapter Summary Buffer
4448 @cindex summary buffer
4450 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4451 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4453 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4454 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4456 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4459 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4460 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4461 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4462 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4463 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4464 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4465 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4466 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4467 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4468 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4469 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4470 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4471 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4472 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4473 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4474 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4475 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4476 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4477 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4478 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4479 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4480 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4481 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4482 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4483 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4484 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4485 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4486 or reselecting the current group.
4487 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4488 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4489 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4490 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4494 @node Summary Buffer Format
4495 @section Summary Buffer Format
4496 @cindex summary buffer format
4500 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4501 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4502 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4508 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4509 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4510 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4511 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4514 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4515 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4516 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4517 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4518 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4519 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4520 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4521 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4522 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4523 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4524 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4525 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4526 other function instead:
4529 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4530 'mail-extract-address-components)
4533 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4534 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4535 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4536 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4539 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4540 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4542 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4543 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4544 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4545 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4546 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4548 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4549 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4550 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4551 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4552 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4553 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4555 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4557 The following format specification characters and extended format
4558 specification(s) are understood:
4564 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4565 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4567 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4568 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4569 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4571 Full @code{From} header.
4573 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4575 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4578 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4579 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4580 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4581 may be more thorough.
4583 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4586 Number of lines in the article.
4588 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4589 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4591 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4592 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4594 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4596 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4597 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4610 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4611 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4612 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4613 line-drawing glyphs.
4615 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4616 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4617 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4618 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4620 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4621 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4622 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4623 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4625 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4626 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4627 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4628 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4630 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4631 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4632 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4634 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4635 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4636 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4638 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4639 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4640 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4642 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4643 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4644 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4649 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4650 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4652 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4653 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4655 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4656 for adopted articles.
4658 One space for each thread level.
4660 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4662 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4665 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4666 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4667 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4670 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4672 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4673 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4674 default level. If the difference between
4675 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4676 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4684 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4686 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4692 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4693 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4695 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4696 article has any children.
4702 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4703 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4705 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4706 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4707 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4708 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4709 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4710 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4713 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4714 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4715 There can only be one such area.
4717 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4718 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4719 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4720 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4721 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4722 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4724 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4725 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4727 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4730 @node To From Newsgroups
4731 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4735 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4736 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4737 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4738 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4739 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4743 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4744 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4745 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4749 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4750 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4753 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4754 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4757 @findex gnus-extra-header
4758 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4759 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4760 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4763 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4767 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4768 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4769 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4770 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4771 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4772 headers are used instead.
4776 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4777 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4778 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4779 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4780 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4781 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4784 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4785 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4786 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4787 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4789 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4793 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4795 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4796 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4797 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4798 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4802 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4805 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4806 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4809 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4810 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4811 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4817 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4818 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4821 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4822 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4824 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4825 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4826 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4827 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4829 Here are the elements you can play with:
4835 Unprefixed group name.
4837 Current article number.
4839 Current article score.
4843 Number of unread articles in this group.
4845 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4848 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4849 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4850 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4851 and no unselected ones.
4853 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4854 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4856 Subject of the current article.
4858 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4860 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4862 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4864 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4866 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4868 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4872 @node Summary Highlighting
4873 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4877 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4878 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4879 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4880 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4881 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4883 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4884 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4885 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4886 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4888 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4889 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4890 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4891 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4893 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4894 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4895 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4896 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4897 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4898 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4901 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4902 ((> score default) . bold))
4904 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4905 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4909 @node Summary Maneuvering
4910 @section Summary Maneuvering
4911 @cindex summary movement
4913 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4914 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4916 None of these commands select articles.
4921 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4922 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4923 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4924 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4925 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4929 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4930 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4932 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4933 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4936 @kindex G g (Summary)
4937 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4938 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4939 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4942 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4943 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4944 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4945 to the group buffer.
4947 Variables related to summary movement:
4951 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4952 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4953 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4954 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4955 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4956 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4957 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4958 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4959 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4960 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4961 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4962 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4963 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4964 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4966 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4967 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4968 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4969 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4970 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4971 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4972 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4974 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4976 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4977 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4978 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4979 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4980 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4982 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4983 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4984 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4985 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4986 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4987 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4988 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4989 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4992 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4993 the given number of lines from the top.
4998 @node Choosing Articles
4999 @section Choosing Articles
5000 @cindex selecting articles
5003 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5004 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5008 @node Choosing Commands
5009 @subsection Choosing Commands
5011 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5012 and they all select and display an article.
5014 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5015 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5019 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5020 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5021 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5022 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5024 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5025 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5026 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5031 @kindex G n (Summary)
5032 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5033 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5034 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5039 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5040 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5041 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5046 @kindex G N (Summary)
5047 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5048 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5053 @kindex G P (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5055 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5058 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5059 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5060 Go to the next article with the same subject
5061 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5064 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5065 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5066 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5067 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5071 @kindex G f (Summary)
5073 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5074 Go to the first unread article
5075 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5079 @kindex G b (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5082 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5083 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5084 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5089 @kindex G l (Summary)
5090 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5091 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5094 @kindex G o (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5097 @cindex article history
5098 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5099 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5100 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5101 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5102 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5103 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5108 @kindex G j (Summary)
5109 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5110 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5111 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5116 @node Choosing Variables
5117 @subsection Choosing Variables
5119 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5122 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5123 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5124 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5125 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5126 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5127 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5129 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5130 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5131 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5132 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5133 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5134 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5136 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5137 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5138 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5139 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5140 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5141 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5142 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5143 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5144 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5145 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5146 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5147 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5148 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5149 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5154 @node Paging the Article
5155 @section Scrolling the Article
5156 @cindex article scrolling
5161 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5162 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5163 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5164 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5165 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5167 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5168 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5169 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5170 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5171 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5172 what is considered uninteresting with
5173 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5174 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5177 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5178 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5179 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5182 @kindex RET (Summary)
5183 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5184 Scroll the current article one line forward
5185 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5188 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5189 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5190 Scroll the current article one line backward
5191 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5195 @kindex A g (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5198 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5199 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5200 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5201 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5202 the way it came from the server.
5204 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5205 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5206 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5209 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5214 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5219 @kindex A < (Summary)
5220 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5221 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5222 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5227 @kindex A > (Summary)
5228 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5229 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5233 @kindex A s (Summary)
5235 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5236 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5237 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5241 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5242 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5247 @node Reply Followup and Post
5248 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5251 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5252 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5253 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5254 * Canceling and Superseding::
5258 @node Summary Mail Commands
5259 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5261 @cindex composing mail
5263 Commands for composing a mail message:
5269 @kindex S r (Summary)
5271 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5272 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5273 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5274 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5275 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5280 @kindex S R (Summary)
5281 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5282 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5283 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5284 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5285 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5288 @kindex S w (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5290 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5291 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5292 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5293 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5294 present, that's used instead.
5297 @kindex S W (Summary)
5298 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5299 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5300 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5301 the process/prefix convention.
5304 @kindex S v (Summary)
5305 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5306 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5307 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5308 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5309 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5310 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5313 @kindex S V (Summary)
5314 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5315 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5316 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5317 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5320 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5321 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5322 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5323 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5324 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5325 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5326 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5327 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5330 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5331 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5332 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5333 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5334 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5338 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5339 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5340 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5341 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5342 Forward the current article to some other person
5343 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5344 headers of the forwarded article.
5349 @kindex S m (Summary)
5350 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5351 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5352 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5353 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5354 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5359 @kindex S i (Summary)
5360 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5361 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5362 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5363 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5365 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5366 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5367 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5368 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5369 for this to work though.
5372 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5373 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5374 @cindex bouncing mail
5375 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5376 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5377 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5378 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5379 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5380 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5381 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5382 very well fail, though.
5385 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5386 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5387 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5388 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5389 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5390 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5391 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5392 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5393 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5394 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5396 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5397 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5398 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5399 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5400 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5402 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5403 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5406 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5407 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5409 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5410 if it were a new message before resending.
5413 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5414 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5415 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5416 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5417 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5420 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5421 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5422 @cindex crossposting
5423 @cindex excessive crossposting
5424 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5425 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5427 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5428 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5429 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5430 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5431 command understands the process/prefix convention
5432 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5436 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5437 Manual}, for more information.
5440 @node Summary Post Commands
5441 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5443 @cindex composing news
5445 Commands for posting a news article:
5451 @kindex S p (Summary)
5452 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5453 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5454 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5455 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5456 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5461 @kindex S f (Summary)
5462 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5463 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5464 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5468 @kindex S F (Summary)
5470 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5471 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5472 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5473 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5474 process/prefix convention.
5477 @kindex S n (Summary)
5478 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5479 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5480 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5483 @kindex S N (Summary)
5484 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5485 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5486 message through mail and include the original message
5487 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5488 the process/prefix convention.
5491 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5492 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5493 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5494 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5495 headers of the forwarded article.
5498 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5499 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5501 @cindex making digests
5502 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5503 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5504 process/prefix convention.
5507 @kindex S u (Summary)
5508 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5509 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5510 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5511 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5514 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5515 Manual}, for more information.
5518 @node Summary Message Commands
5519 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5523 @kindex S y (Summary)
5524 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5525 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5526 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5527 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5528 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5533 @node Canceling and Superseding
5534 @subsection Canceling Articles
5535 @cindex canceling articles
5536 @cindex superseding articles
5538 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5539 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5541 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5543 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5545 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5546 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5547 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5548 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5549 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5550 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5552 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5553 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5556 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5557 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5558 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5560 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5561 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5562 message, Message Manual}).
5564 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5565 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5566 your original article.
5568 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5570 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5571 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5572 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5575 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5576 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5577 have posted almost the same article twice.
5579 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5580 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5581 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5582 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5583 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5584 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5585 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5586 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5587 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5588 canceled/superseded.
5590 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5592 @node Delayed Articles
5593 @section Delayed Articles
5594 @cindex delayed sending
5595 @cindex send delayed
5597 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5598 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5599 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5600 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5603 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5606 @findex gnus-delay-article
5607 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5608 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5609 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5610 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5614 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5615 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5616 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5617 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5620 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5621 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5622 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5625 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5626 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5627 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5628 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5629 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5630 that means a time tomorrow.
5633 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5634 couple of variables:
5637 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5638 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5639 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5640 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5642 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5643 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5644 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5645 formats described above.
5647 @item gnus-delay-group
5648 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5649 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5650 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5651 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5653 @item gnus-delay-header
5654 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5655 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5656 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5657 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5660 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5661 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5662 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5663 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5664 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5666 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5667 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5668 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5669 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5670 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5671 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5672 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5675 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5676 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5678 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5679 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5680 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5681 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5682 argument is ignored.
5684 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5685 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5686 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5690 @node Marking Articles
5691 @section Marking Articles
5692 @cindex article marking
5693 @cindex article ticking
5696 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5698 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5699 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5700 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5702 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5705 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5706 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5707 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5711 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5715 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5716 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5717 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5721 @node Unread Articles
5722 @subsection Unread Articles
5724 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5729 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5730 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5732 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5733 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5734 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5735 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5736 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5737 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5738 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5741 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5742 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5744 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5745 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5746 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5747 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5751 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5752 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5754 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5759 @subsection Read Articles
5760 @cindex expirable mark
5762 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5767 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5768 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5769 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5772 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5773 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5776 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5777 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5778 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5781 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5782 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5785 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5786 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5789 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5790 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5793 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5794 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5797 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5798 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5801 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5802 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5805 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5806 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5810 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5811 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5812 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5816 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5817 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5819 One more special mark, though:
5823 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5824 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5826 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5827 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5828 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5829 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5835 @subsection Other Marks
5836 @cindex process mark
5839 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5845 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5846 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5847 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5848 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5849 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5852 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5853 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5854 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5855 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5858 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5859 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5860 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5863 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5864 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5865 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5868 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5869 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5870 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5871 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5874 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5875 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5876 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5877 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5878 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5879 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5882 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5883 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5884 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5885 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5888 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5889 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5890 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5891 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5892 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5896 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5897 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5898 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5899 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5900 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5901 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5904 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5905 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5906 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5907 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5908 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5909 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5913 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5914 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5915 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5916 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5917 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5920 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5921 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5922 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5923 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5924 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5925 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5929 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5930 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5931 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5933 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5934 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5935 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5939 @subsection Setting Marks
5940 @cindex setting marks
5942 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5947 @kindex M c (Summary)
5948 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5950 @cindex mark as unread
5951 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5952 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5958 @kindex M t (Summary)
5959 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5960 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5961 @xref{Article Caching}.
5966 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5967 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5968 Mark the current article as dormant
5969 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5973 @kindex M d (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5976 Mark the current article as read
5977 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5981 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5982 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5983 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5988 @kindex M k (Summary)
5989 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5990 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5991 and then select the next unread article
5992 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5996 @kindex M K (Summary)
5997 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5998 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5999 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6000 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6003 @kindex M C (Summary)
6004 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6005 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6006 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6009 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6010 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6011 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6012 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6015 @kindex M H (Summary)
6016 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6017 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6018 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6021 @kindex M h (Summary)
6022 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6023 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6024 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6027 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6029 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6030 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6033 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6035 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6036 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6040 @kindex M e (Summary)
6042 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6043 Mark the current article as expirable
6044 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6047 @kindex M b (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6049 Set a bookmark in the current article
6050 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6053 @kindex M B (Summary)
6054 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6055 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6056 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6059 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6060 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6061 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6062 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6065 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6066 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6067 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6068 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6071 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6072 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6073 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6074 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6075 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6078 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6079 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6080 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6081 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6082 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6083 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6084 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6085 The default is @code{t}.
6088 @node Generic Marking Commands
6089 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6091 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6092 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6093 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6094 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6095 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6098 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6099 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6102 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6103 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6104 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6105 to list in this manual.
6107 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6108 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6109 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6110 article, you could say something like:
6114 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6115 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6116 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6124 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6125 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6129 @node Setting Process Marks
6130 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6131 @cindex setting process marks
6133 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6134 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6135 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6136 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6137 commands into the cache. For more information,
6138 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6145 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6146 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6147 Mark the current article with the process mark
6148 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6149 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6153 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6154 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6155 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6156 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6159 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6160 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6161 Remove the process mark from all articles
6162 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6165 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6167 Invert the list of process marked articles
6168 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6171 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6172 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6173 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6174 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6177 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6179 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6180 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6183 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6184 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6185 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6188 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6189 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6190 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6193 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6194 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6195 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6196 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6199 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6200 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6201 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6202 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6205 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6206 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6207 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6208 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6211 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6212 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6213 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6216 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6217 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6218 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6219 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6222 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6223 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6224 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6227 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6229 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6230 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6233 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6235 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6236 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6239 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6241 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6242 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6245 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6246 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6247 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6248 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6252 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6253 set process marks based on article body contents.
6260 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6261 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6262 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6265 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6266 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6267 additional articles.
6273 @kindex / / (Summary)
6274 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6275 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6276 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6280 @kindex / a (Summary)
6281 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6282 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6283 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6287 @kindex / x (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6289 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6290 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6291 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6296 @kindex / u (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6299 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6300 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6301 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6302 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6305 @kindex / m (Summary)
6306 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6307 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6308 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6311 @kindex / t (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6313 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6314 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6315 articles younger than that number of days.
6318 @kindex / n (Summary)
6319 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6320 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6321 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6322 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6325 @kindex / w (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6327 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6328 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6332 @kindex / . (Summary)
6333 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6334 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6335 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6338 @kindex / v (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6340 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6341 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6344 @kindex / p (Summary)
6345 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6346 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6347 group parameter predicate
6348 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6349 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6352 @kindex / r (Summary)
6353 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6354 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6355 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6360 @kindex M S (Summary)
6361 @kindex / E (Summary)
6362 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6363 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6364 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6367 @kindex / D (Summary)
6368 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6369 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6370 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6373 @kindex / * (Summary)
6374 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6375 Include all cached articles in the limit
6376 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6379 @kindex / d (Summary)
6380 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6381 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6382 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6385 @kindex / M (Summary)
6386 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6387 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6390 @kindex / T (Summary)
6391 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6392 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6395 @kindex / c (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6397 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6398 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6401 @kindex / C (Summary)
6402 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6403 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6404 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6405 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6408 @kindex / N (Summary)
6409 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6410 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6411 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6414 @kindex / o (Summary)
6415 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6416 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6417 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6425 @cindex article threading
6427 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6428 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6429 hierarchical fashion.
6431 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6432 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6433 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6434 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6435 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6436 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6437 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6439 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6443 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6446 A tree-like article structure.
6449 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6452 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6453 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6454 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6455 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6456 called loose threads.
6458 @item thread gathering
6459 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6461 @item sparse threads
6462 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6463 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6469 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6470 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6474 @node Customizing Threading
6475 @subsection Customizing Threading
6476 @cindex customizing threading
6479 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6480 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6481 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6482 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6487 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6490 @cindex loose threads
6493 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6494 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6495 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6496 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6497 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6498 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6500 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6501 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6502 There are four possible values:
6506 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6507 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6508 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6509 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6510 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6515 @cindex adopting articles
6520 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6521 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6522 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6523 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6526 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6527 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6528 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6529 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6530 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6531 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6532 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6533 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6534 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6535 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6538 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6539 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6540 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6544 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6545 display them after one another.
6548 Don't gather loose threads.
6551 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6552 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6553 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6554 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6555 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6556 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6557 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6558 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6559 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6560 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6561 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6563 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6564 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6565 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6568 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6569 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6570 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6571 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6572 simplification is used.
6574 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6575 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6576 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6577 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6579 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6581 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6587 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6588 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6589 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6590 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6595 (mapconcat 'identity
6596 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6598 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6601 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6604 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6605 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6606 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6607 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6608 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6609 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6611 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6614 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6615 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6616 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6618 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6619 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6622 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6623 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6624 Remove excessive whitespace.
6626 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6627 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6628 Remove all whitespace.
6631 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6634 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6635 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6636 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6637 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6638 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6639 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6640 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6641 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6643 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6644 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6645 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6646 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6647 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6648 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6649 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6650 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6651 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6655 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6656 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6657 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6658 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6660 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6661 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6662 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6665 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6669 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6670 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6676 @node Filling In Threads
6677 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6680 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6681 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6682 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6683 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6684 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6685 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6686 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6687 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6688 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6689 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6690 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6691 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6694 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6695 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6696 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6698 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6699 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6700 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6703 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6704 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6705 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6706 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6707 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6708 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6709 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6710 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6711 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6712 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6713 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6714 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6715 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6716 @code{nil} by default.
6718 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6719 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6720 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6721 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6722 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6723 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6724 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6726 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6727 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6728 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6733 @node More Threading
6734 @subsubsection More Threading
6737 @item gnus-show-threads
6738 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6739 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6740 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6741 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6742 slower and more awkward.
6744 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6745 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6746 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6749 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6750 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6751 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6756 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6757 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6758 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6761 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6762 unread, but you get my drift.)
6765 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6766 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6767 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6768 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6769 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6770 threads are expunged.
6772 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6773 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6774 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6777 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6778 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6779 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6780 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6781 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6782 result in a new thread.
6784 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6785 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6786 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6789 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6790 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6791 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6792 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6793 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6794 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6795 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6796 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6797 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6798 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6799 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6804 @node Low-Level Threading
6805 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6809 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6810 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6811 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6812 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6813 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6814 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6816 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6817 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6818 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6819 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6820 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6821 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6822 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6823 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6824 meaningful. Here's one example:
6827 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6829 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6830 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6832 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6834 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6841 @node Thread Commands
6842 @subsection Thread Commands
6843 @cindex thread commands
6849 @kindex T k (Summary)
6850 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6851 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6852 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6853 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6854 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6859 @kindex T l (Summary)
6860 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6861 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6862 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6863 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6866 @kindex T i (Summary)
6867 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6868 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6869 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6872 @kindex T # (Summary)
6873 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6874 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6875 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6878 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6879 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6880 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6881 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6884 @kindex T T (Summary)
6885 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6886 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6889 @kindex T s (Summary)
6890 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6891 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6892 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6895 @kindex T h (Summary)
6896 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6897 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6900 @kindex T S (Summary)
6901 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6902 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6905 @kindex T H (Summary)
6906 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6907 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6910 @kindex T t (Summary)
6911 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6912 Re-thread the current article's thread
6913 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6914 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6917 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6918 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6919 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6920 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6924 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6925 understand the numeric prefix.
6930 @kindex T n (Summary)
6932 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6934 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6935 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6936 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6939 @kindex T p (Summary)
6941 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6943 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6944 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6945 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6948 @kindex T d (Summary)
6949 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6950 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6953 @kindex T u (Summary)
6954 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6955 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6958 @kindex T o (Summary)
6959 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6960 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6963 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6964 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6965 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6966 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6967 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6968 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6969 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6970 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6971 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6972 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6973 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6974 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6978 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6979 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6981 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6982 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6983 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6984 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6985 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6986 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6987 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6988 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6989 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6990 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6991 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6992 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6993 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6994 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6996 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6997 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6998 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6999 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7000 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7001 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7002 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7003 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7005 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7006 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7007 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7009 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7010 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7011 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7012 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7013 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7014 ascending article order.
7016 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7017 by number, you could do something like:
7020 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7021 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7022 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7023 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7026 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7027 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7028 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7029 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7030 which the articles arrived.
7032 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7036 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7038 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7039 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7042 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7043 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7044 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7045 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7048 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7049 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7050 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7051 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7052 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7053 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7054 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7055 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7056 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7057 variable. It is very similar to the
7058 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7059 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7060 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7061 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7062 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7063 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7064 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7066 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7070 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7071 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7072 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7077 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7078 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7079 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7080 @cindex article pre-fetch
7083 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7084 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7085 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7086 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7087 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7089 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7090 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7092 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7093 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7094 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7095 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7096 connection is blocked.
7098 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7099 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7100 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7101 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7103 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7104 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7105 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7106 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7109 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7112 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7113 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7114 happen automatically.
7116 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7117 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7118 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7119 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7120 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7121 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7122 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7124 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7125 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7126 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7127 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7128 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7129 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7130 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7131 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7132 article data structure as the only parameter.
7134 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7135 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7138 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7139 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7140 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7141 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7144 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7147 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7148 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7149 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7151 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7152 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7153 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7154 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7158 Remove articles when they are read.
7161 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7164 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7166 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7167 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7168 @c from the next group.
7171 @node Article Caching
7172 @section Article Caching
7173 @cindex article caching
7176 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7177 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7178 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7179 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7180 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7182 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7184 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7185 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7186 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7187 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7188 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7189 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7190 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7191 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7193 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7194 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7195 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7196 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7197 as dormant, and don't worry.
7199 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7201 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7202 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7203 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7204 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7205 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7206 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7207 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7208 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7209 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7210 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7212 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7213 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7214 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7215 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7216 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7217 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7218 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7219 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7220 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7221 not then be downloaded by this command.
7223 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7224 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7225 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7226 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7227 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7228 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7230 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7231 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7232 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7233 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7234 variables, the group is not cached.
7236 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7237 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7238 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7239 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7240 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7241 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7242 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7243 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7244 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7247 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7248 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7249 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7250 where, isn't that cool?
7252 @node Persistent Articles
7253 @section Persistent Articles
7254 @cindex persistent articles
7256 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7257 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7258 useful in my opinion.
7260 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7261 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7262 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7263 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7264 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7265 the expiry going on at the news server.
7267 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7268 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7269 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7275 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7276 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7279 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7280 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7281 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7282 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7286 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7288 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7289 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7290 interested in persistent articles:
7293 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7297 @node Article Backlog
7298 @section Article Backlog
7300 @cindex article backlog
7302 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7303 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7304 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7305 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7306 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7307 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7308 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7309 increase memory usage some.
7311 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7312 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7313 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7314 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7315 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7316 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7317 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7319 The default value is 20.
7322 @node Saving Articles
7323 @section Saving Articles
7324 @cindex saving articles
7326 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7327 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7328 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7329 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7330 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7332 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7333 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7334 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7336 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7337 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7338 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7340 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7341 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7342 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7343 deleted before saving.
7349 @kindex O o (Summary)
7351 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7352 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7353 Save the current article using the default article saver
7354 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7357 @kindex O m (Summary)
7358 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7359 Save the current article in mail format
7360 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7363 @kindex O r (Summary)
7364 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7365 Save the current article in Rmail format
7366 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7369 @kindex O f (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7371 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7372 Save the current article in plain file format
7373 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7376 @kindex O F (Summary)
7377 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7378 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7379 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7382 @kindex O b (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7384 Save the current article body in plain file format
7385 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7388 @kindex O h (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7390 Save the current article in mh folder format
7391 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7394 @kindex O v (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7396 Save the current article in a VM folder
7397 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7401 @kindex O p (Summary)
7403 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7404 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7405 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7406 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7407 complete headers in the piped output.
7410 @kindex O P (Summary)
7411 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7412 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7413 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7414 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7415 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7416 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7417 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7421 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7422 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7423 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7424 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7425 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7426 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7427 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7428 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7429 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7430 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7431 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7432 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7436 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7437 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7438 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7439 functions below, or you can create your own.
7443 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7444 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7445 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7446 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7447 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7448 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7449 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7451 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7452 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7453 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7454 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7455 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7456 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7458 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7459 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7460 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7461 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7462 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7463 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7464 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7466 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7467 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7468 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7469 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7470 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7471 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7473 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7474 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7475 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7476 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7477 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7479 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7480 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7481 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7482 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7483 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7486 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7487 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7488 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7489 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7490 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7492 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7493 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7494 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7495 reader to use this setting.
7498 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7499 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7500 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7501 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7504 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7505 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7506 available functions that generate names:
7510 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7511 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7512 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7514 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7515 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7516 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7518 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7519 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7520 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7522 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7523 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7524 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7526 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7527 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7528 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7531 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7532 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7533 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7534 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7535 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7539 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7540 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7541 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7542 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7545 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7546 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7547 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7548 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7549 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7550 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7551 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7552 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7553 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7555 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7556 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7557 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7558 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7560 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7561 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7562 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7565 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7566 lots of mail groups called things like
7567 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7568 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7569 following will do just that:
7572 (defun my-save-name (group)
7573 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7574 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7576 (setq gnus-split-methods
7577 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7582 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7583 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7584 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7585 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7586 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7587 all the files in the top level directory
7588 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7589 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7590 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7591 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7593 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7594 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7595 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7596 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7597 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7600 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7604 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7605 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7606 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7609 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7610 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7611 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7612 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7615 @node Decoding Articles
7616 @section Decoding Articles
7617 @cindex decoding articles
7619 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7620 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7623 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7624 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7625 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7626 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7627 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7628 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7632 @cindex article series
7633 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7634 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7635 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7636 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7637 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7639 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7640 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7641 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7643 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7644 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7645 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7647 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7648 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7649 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7652 @node Uuencoded Articles
7653 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7655 @cindex uuencoded articles
7660 @kindex X u (Summary)
7661 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7662 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7663 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7666 @kindex X U (Summary)
7667 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7668 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7669 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7672 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7673 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7674 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7677 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7678 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7679 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7680 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7684 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7685 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7686 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7687 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7688 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7690 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7691 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7692 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7693 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7696 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7697 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7698 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7699 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7700 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7701 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7705 @node Shell Archives
7706 @subsection Shell Archives
7708 @cindex shell archives
7709 @cindex shared articles
7711 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7712 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7713 some commands to deal with these:
7718 @kindex X s (Summary)
7719 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7720 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7723 @kindex X S (Summary)
7724 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7725 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7728 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7729 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7730 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7733 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7734 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7735 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7736 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7740 @node PostScript Files
7741 @subsection PostScript Files
7747 @kindex X p (Summary)
7748 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7749 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7752 @kindex X P (Summary)
7753 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7754 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7755 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7758 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7759 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7760 View the current PostScript series
7761 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7764 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7765 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7766 View and save the current PostScript series
7767 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7772 @subsection Other Files
7776 @kindex X o (Summary)
7777 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7778 Save the current series
7779 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7782 @kindex X b (Summary)
7783 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7784 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7785 doesn't really work yet.
7789 @node Decoding Variables
7790 @subsection Decoding Variables
7792 Adjective, not verb.
7795 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7796 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7797 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7801 @node Rule Variables
7802 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7803 @cindex rule variables
7805 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7806 variables are of the form
7809 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7816 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7817 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7819 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7820 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7823 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7824 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7827 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7828 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7829 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7830 user and default view rules.
7832 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7833 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7834 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7839 @node Other Decode Variables
7840 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7843 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7845 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7846 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7847 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7848 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7849 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7853 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7854 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7857 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7858 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7859 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7862 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7863 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7864 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7865 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7866 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7869 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7870 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7871 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7873 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7874 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7875 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7876 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7877 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7880 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7881 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7882 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7884 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7885 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7886 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7887 looking for files to display.
7889 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7890 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7891 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7894 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7895 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7896 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7899 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7900 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7901 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7904 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7905 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7906 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7909 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7910 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7911 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7912 decoded articles as unread.
7914 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7915 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7916 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7917 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7919 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7920 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7921 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7923 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7924 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7926 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7927 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7928 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7929 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7931 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7932 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7933 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7934 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7935 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7936 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7937 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7938 simply dropped them.
7943 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7944 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7948 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7949 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7950 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7951 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7952 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7953 for you when you post the article.
7955 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7956 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7957 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7958 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7960 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7961 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7962 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7963 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7964 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7965 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7966 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7968 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7969 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7970 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7971 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7972 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7973 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7974 Default is @code{t}.
7980 @subsection Viewing Files
7981 @cindex viewing files
7982 @cindex pseudo-articles
7984 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7985 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7986 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7987 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7988 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7989 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7990 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7992 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7993 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7994 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7995 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7997 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7998 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7999 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8001 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8002 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8003 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8004 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8005 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8007 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8008 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8009 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8010 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8011 a list of parameters to that command.
8013 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8014 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8015 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8017 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8018 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8019 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8022 @node Article Treatment
8023 @section Article Treatment
8025 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8026 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8027 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8028 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8029 these articles easier.
8032 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8033 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8034 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8035 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8036 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8037 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8038 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8039 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8040 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8041 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8042 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8046 @node Article Highlighting
8047 @subsection Article Highlighting
8048 @cindex highlighting
8050 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8051 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8056 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8057 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8058 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8059 Do much highlighting of the current article
8060 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8061 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8064 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8065 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8066 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8067 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8068 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8069 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8070 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8071 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8072 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8073 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8074 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8075 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8078 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8079 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8080 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8082 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8085 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8087 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8088 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8089 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8091 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8092 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8093 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8095 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8096 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8097 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8098 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8099 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8100 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8102 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8103 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8104 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8106 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8107 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8108 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8110 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8111 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8112 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8113 that it's a citation.
8115 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8116 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8117 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8119 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8120 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8121 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8123 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8124 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8125 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8126 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8132 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8133 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8134 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8135 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8136 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8137 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8138 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8139 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8144 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8147 @node Article Fontisizing
8148 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8150 @cindex article emphasis
8152 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8153 @kindex W e (Summary)
8154 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8155 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8156 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8157 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8159 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8160 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8161 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8162 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8163 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8164 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8165 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8166 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8170 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8171 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8172 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8181 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8182 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8183 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8184 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8185 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8186 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8187 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8188 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8189 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8190 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8191 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8192 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8193 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8195 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8196 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8197 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8201 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8204 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8206 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8207 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8208 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8209 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8211 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8214 @node Article Hiding
8215 @subsection Article Hiding
8216 @cindex article hiding
8218 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8219 too much cruft in most articles.
8224 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8225 @findex gnus-article-hide
8226 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8227 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8228 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8231 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8232 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8233 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8237 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8238 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8239 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8240 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8243 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8244 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8245 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8249 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8250 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8251 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8252 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8253 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8254 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8255 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8256 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8260 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8261 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8262 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8263 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8268 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8270 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8271 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8274 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8275 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8276 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8277 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8280 @cindex stripping advertisements
8281 @cindex advertisements
8282 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8283 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8284 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8285 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8286 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8287 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8288 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8289 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8290 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8291 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8294 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8295 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8296 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8300 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8301 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8302 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8303 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8304 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8305 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8306 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8307 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8308 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8309 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8310 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8313 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8314 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8320 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8321 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8322 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8323 customizing the hiding:
8327 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8328 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8329 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8330 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8331 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8332 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8333 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8338 Starting point of the hidden text.
8340 Ending point of the hidden text.
8342 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8344 Number of lines of hidden text.
8347 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8348 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8349 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8350 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8351 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8356 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8357 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8359 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8360 following two variables:
8363 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8364 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8365 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8366 50), hide the cited text.
8368 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8369 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8370 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8375 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8376 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8377 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8378 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8379 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8380 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8384 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8385 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8386 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8388 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8389 citation customization.
8391 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8395 @node Article Washing
8396 @subsection Article Washing
8398 @cindex article washing
8400 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8401 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8403 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8404 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8407 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8408 articles by default.
8413 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8414 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8418 Force redisplaying of the current article
8419 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8420 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8421 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8422 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8425 @kindex W l (Summary)
8426 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8427 Remove page breaks from the current article
8428 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8432 @kindex W r (Summary)
8433 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8434 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8435 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8436 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8437 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8438 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8440 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8441 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8442 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8443 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8446 @kindex W m (Summary)
8447 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8448 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8452 @kindex W t (Summary)
8454 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8455 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8456 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8459 @kindex W v (Summary)
8460 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8461 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8462 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8465 @kindex W m (Summary)
8466 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8467 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8468 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8471 @kindex W o (Summary)
8472 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8473 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8476 @kindex W d (Summary)
8477 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8478 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8480 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8482 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8483 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8484 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8485 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8488 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8489 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8490 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8491 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8494 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8495 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8496 @cindex Outlook Express
8497 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8498 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8499 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8502 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8504 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8505 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8506 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8507 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8508 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8509 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8510 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8511 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8514 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8515 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8516 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8517 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8520 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8522 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8523 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8526 @kindex W w (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8528 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8530 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8534 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8536 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8539 @kindex W C (Summary)
8540 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8541 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8542 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8545 @kindex W c (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8547 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8548 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8549 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8550 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8552 @kindex W q (Summary)
8553 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8554 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8555 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8556 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8557 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8558 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8559 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8560 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8561 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8564 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8565 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8566 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8567 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8568 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8569 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8570 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8571 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8574 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8575 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8576 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8577 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8578 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8581 @kindex W A (Summary)
8582 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8583 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8584 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8585 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8586 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8589 @kindex W u (Summary)
8590 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8591 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8592 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8593 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8594 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8597 @kindex W h (Summary)
8598 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8599 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8600 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8601 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8603 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8605 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8606 The default is to use the function specified by
8607 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8608 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8609 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8610 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8618 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8621 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8624 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8627 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8632 @kindex W b (Summary)
8633 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8634 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8635 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8638 @kindex W B (Summary)
8639 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8640 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8641 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8644 @kindex W p (Summary)
8645 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8646 Verify a signed control message
8647 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8648 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8649 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8650 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8651 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8652 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8655 @kindex W s (Summary)
8656 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8657 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8658 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8659 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8662 @kindex W a (Summary)
8663 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8664 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8665 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8668 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8669 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8670 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8671 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8674 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8675 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8676 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8677 lines with a single empty line.
8678 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8681 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8682 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8683 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8684 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8687 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8688 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8689 Do all the three commands above
8690 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8693 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8694 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8695 Remove all blank lines
8696 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8699 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8700 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8701 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8702 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8705 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8706 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8707 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8708 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8712 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8715 @node Article Header
8716 @subsection Article Header
8718 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8723 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8725 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8728 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8729 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8730 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8731 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8734 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8735 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8736 Fold all the message headers
8737 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8740 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8741 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8742 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8743 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8748 @node Article Buttons
8749 @subsection Article Buttons
8752 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8753 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8754 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8755 button on these references.
8757 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8758 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8759 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8760 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8761 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8765 @item gnus-button-alist
8766 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8767 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8770 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8776 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8777 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8778 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8779 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8780 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8783 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8784 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8785 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8788 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8789 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8790 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8791 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8792 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8794 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8797 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8800 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8801 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8805 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8808 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8811 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8812 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8813 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8814 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8815 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8818 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8821 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8824 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8827 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8828 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8830 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8832 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8833 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8834 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8835 default values of the variables above.
8837 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8839 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8840 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8841 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8842 argument with a string naming the man page.
8844 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8846 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8847 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8848 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8850 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8851 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8852 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8853 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8854 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8855 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8856 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8857 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8858 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8859 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8860 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8861 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8863 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8864 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8865 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8866 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8867 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8870 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8871 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8872 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8873 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8875 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8877 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8878 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8879 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8880 argument, the string naming the URL.
8883 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8884 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8885 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8889 @item gnus-article-button-face
8890 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8891 Face used on buttons.
8893 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8894 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8895 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8899 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8902 @node Article Button Levels
8903 @subsection Article button levels
8904 @cindex button levels
8905 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8906 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8907 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8908 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8909 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8910 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8911 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8912 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8915 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8916 (setq gnus-parameters
8917 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8918 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8919 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8924 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8925 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8926 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8927 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8928 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8929 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8931 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8932 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8933 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8934 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8935 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8936 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8937 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8938 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8939 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8940 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8941 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8942 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8943 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8945 @item gnus-button-man-level
8946 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8947 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8948 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8950 @item gnus-button-message-level
8951 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8952 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8953 Related variables and functions include
8954 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8955 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8956 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8957 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8959 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8960 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8961 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8962 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8963 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8964 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8965 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8971 @subsection Article Date
8973 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8974 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8975 when the article was sent.
8980 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8981 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8982 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8983 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8986 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8987 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8989 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8990 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8993 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8994 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8995 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8998 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8999 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9000 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9001 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9004 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9005 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9006 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9007 @findex format-time-string
9008 Display the date using a user-defined format
9009 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9010 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9011 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9012 for a list of possible format specs.
9015 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9016 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9017 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9018 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9019 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9020 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9023 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9026 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9027 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9028 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9031 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9032 into wonderful absurdities.
9034 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9037 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9040 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9041 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9045 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9046 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9047 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9048 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9049 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9050 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9051 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9055 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9056 preferred format automatically.
9059 @node Article Display
9060 @subsection Article Display
9065 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9066 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9068 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9069 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9071 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9072 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9074 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9075 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9077 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9078 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9080 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9085 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9086 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9087 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9088 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9091 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9092 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9093 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9094 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9097 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9098 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9099 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9102 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9103 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9104 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9107 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9108 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9109 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9110 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9113 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9114 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9115 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9116 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9119 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9120 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9121 Remove all images from the article buffer
9122 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9128 @node Article Signature
9129 @subsection Article Signature
9131 @cindex article signature
9133 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9134 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9135 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9136 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9137 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9138 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9139 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9140 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9141 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9144 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9145 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9146 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9147 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9148 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9149 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9150 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9151 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9154 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9157 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9158 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9159 signature when displaying articles.
9163 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9166 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9169 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9170 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9172 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9173 in question is not a signature.
9176 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9177 listed above. Here's an example:
9180 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9181 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9184 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9185 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9186 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9187 signature after all.
9190 @node Article Miscellanea
9191 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9195 @kindex A t (Summary)
9196 @findex gnus-article-babel
9197 Translate the article from one language to another
9198 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9204 @section MIME Commands
9205 @cindex MIME decoding
9207 @cindex viewing attachments
9209 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9210 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9216 @kindex K v (Summary)
9217 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9220 @kindex K o (Summary)
9221 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9224 @kindex K c (Summary)
9225 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9228 @kindex K e (Summary)
9229 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9232 @kindex K i (Summary)
9233 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9236 @kindex K | (Summary)
9237 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9240 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9245 @kindex K b (Summary)
9246 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9247 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9251 @kindex K m (Summary)
9252 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9253 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9254 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9255 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9256 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9259 @kindex X m (Summary)
9260 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9261 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9262 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9263 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9266 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9267 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9268 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9269 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9272 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9273 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9274 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9275 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9278 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9279 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9280 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9281 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9283 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9284 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9285 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9286 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9287 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9288 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9291 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9292 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9293 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9294 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9301 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9302 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9303 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9304 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9307 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9310 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9314 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9315 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9316 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9317 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9318 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9319 default is @code{nil}.
9321 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9322 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9323 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9324 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9325 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9326 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9327 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9329 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9330 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9331 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9332 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9333 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9334 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9335 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9336 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9338 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9339 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9340 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9341 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9342 displayed. This variable overrides
9343 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9344 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9347 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9348 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9349 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9351 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9352 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9353 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9354 default value is @code{nil}.
9356 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9357 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9358 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9359 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9360 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9361 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9362 save all jpegs into some directory).
9364 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9367 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9368 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9370 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9371 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9372 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9373 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9374 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9377 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9378 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9379 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9381 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9382 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9383 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9384 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9386 Ready-made functions include@*
9387 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9388 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9389 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9390 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9391 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9392 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9393 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9394 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9395 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9396 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9397 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9398 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9400 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9401 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9403 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9404 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9405 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9408 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9409 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9410 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9411 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9415 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9424 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9425 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9426 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9427 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9428 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9429 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9430 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9432 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9433 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9434 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9435 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9437 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9438 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9439 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9440 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9441 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9442 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9443 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9444 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9445 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9447 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9448 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9449 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9450 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9451 quoted-printable header encoding.
9453 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9454 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9455 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9459 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9462 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9463 means encode all charsets),
9465 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9466 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9467 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9474 @cindex coding system aliases
9475 @cindex preferred charset
9477 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9479 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9480 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9483 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9484 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9487 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9488 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9490 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9493 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9496 This will almost do the right thing.
9498 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9502 (codepage-setup 1251)
9503 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9507 @node Article Commands
9508 @section Article Commands
9515 @kindex A P (Summary)
9516 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9517 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9518 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9519 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9520 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9521 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9526 @node Summary Sorting
9527 @section Summary Sorting
9528 @cindex summary sorting
9530 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9531 can't really see why you'd want that.
9536 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9537 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9538 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9541 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9542 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9543 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9546 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9547 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9548 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9551 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9552 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9553 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9556 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9557 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9558 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9561 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9562 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9563 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9566 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9567 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9568 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9571 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9572 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9573 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9576 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9577 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9578 Sort using the default sorting method
9579 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9582 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9583 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9584 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9585 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9586 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9590 @node Finding the Parent
9591 @section Finding the Parent
9592 @cindex parent articles
9593 @cindex referring articles
9598 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9599 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9600 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9601 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9602 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9603 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9604 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9605 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9606 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9608 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9609 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9610 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9611 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9612 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9616 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9617 @kindex A R (Summary)
9618 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9619 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9622 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9623 @kindex A T (Summary)
9624 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9625 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9626 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9627 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9628 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9629 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9630 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9632 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9633 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9634 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9635 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9636 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9637 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9640 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9641 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9643 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9644 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9645 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9646 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9647 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9648 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9649 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9652 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9653 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9654 by giving this command a prefix.
9656 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9657 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9658 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9659 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9660 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9661 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9664 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9665 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9666 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9669 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9670 then ask Google if that fails:
9673 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9675 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9678 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9679 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9680 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9681 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9682 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9683 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9684 not support this at all.
9687 @node Alternative Approaches
9688 @section Alternative Approaches
9690 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9691 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9694 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9695 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9700 @subsection Pick and Read
9701 @cindex pick and read
9703 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9704 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9705 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9706 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9708 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9709 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9710 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9711 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9712 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9713 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9715 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9720 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9721 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9722 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9723 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9724 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9725 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9726 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9727 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9730 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9731 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9732 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9733 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9737 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9738 Unpick the thread or article
9739 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9740 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9741 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9742 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9743 the thread or article at that line.
9747 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9748 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9749 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9750 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9751 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9752 will still be visible when you are reading.
9756 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9757 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9758 which is mapped to the same function
9759 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9761 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9764 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9767 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9768 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9770 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9771 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9772 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9774 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9775 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9776 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9777 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9778 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9779 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9780 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9784 @subsection Binary Groups
9785 @cindex binary groups
9787 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9788 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9789 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9790 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9791 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9792 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9793 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9796 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9797 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9798 command, when you have turned on this mode
9799 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9801 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9802 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9806 @section Tree Display
9809 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9810 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9811 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9812 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9815 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9818 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9819 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9820 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9822 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9823 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9824 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9825 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9826 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9828 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9829 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9830 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9831 default is @code{modeline}.
9833 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9834 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9835 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9836 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9837 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9838 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9839 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9845 The name of the poster.
9847 The @code{From} header.
9849 The number of the article.
9851 The opening bracket.
9853 The closing bracket.
9858 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9860 Variables related to the display are:
9863 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9864 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9865 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9866 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9868 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9869 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9870 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9872 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9874 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9875 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9876 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9877 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9881 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9882 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9883 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9884 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9885 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9886 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9887 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9888 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9889 other windows displayed next to it.
9891 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9895 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9896 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9899 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9900 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9901 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9902 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9903 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9904 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9905 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9909 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9912 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9922 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9927 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9928 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9930 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9932 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9938 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9939 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9940 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9943 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9944 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9945 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9946 (gnus-add-configuration
9950 (summary 0.75 point)
9955 @xref{Window Layout}.
9958 @node Mail Group Commands
9959 @section Mail Group Commands
9960 @cindex mail group commands
9962 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9963 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9965 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9966 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9971 @kindex B e (Summary)
9972 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9973 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9974 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9975 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9976 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9979 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9980 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9981 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9982 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9983 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9984 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9987 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9988 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9989 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9990 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9991 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9992 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9995 @kindex B m (Summary)
9997 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9998 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9999 Move the article from one mail group to another
10000 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10001 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10004 @kindex B c (Summary)
10006 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10007 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10008 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10009 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10010 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10013 @kindex B B (Summary)
10014 @cindex crosspost mail
10015 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10016 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10017 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10018 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10019 be properly updated.
10022 @kindex B i (Summary)
10023 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10024 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10025 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10026 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10029 @kindex B I (Summary)
10030 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10031 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10032 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10033 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10036 @kindex B r (Summary)
10037 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10038 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10039 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10040 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10041 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10042 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10043 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10044 (which is the default).
10048 @kindex B w (Summary)
10049 @kindex e (Summary)
10050 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10051 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10052 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10053 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10054 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10055 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10056 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10059 @kindex B q (Summary)
10060 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10061 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10062 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10063 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10066 @kindex B t (Summary)
10067 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10068 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10069 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10072 @kindex B p (Summary)
10073 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10074 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10075 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10076 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10077 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10078 article from your news server (or rather, from
10079 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10080 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10081 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10082 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10083 just not have arrived yet.
10086 @kindex K E (Summary)
10087 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10088 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10089 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10090 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10091 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10095 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10096 @cindex moving articles
10097 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10098 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10099 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10100 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10101 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10102 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10103 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10106 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10107 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10108 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10109 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10113 @node Various Summary Stuff
10114 @section Various Summary Stuff
10117 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10118 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10119 * Summary Generation Commands::
10120 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10124 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10125 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10126 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10127 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10128 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10129 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10131 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10132 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10133 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10136 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10137 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10138 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10140 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10141 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10142 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10143 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10144 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10145 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10148 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10149 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10150 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10151 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10152 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10154 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10155 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10156 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10159 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10160 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10161 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10162 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10163 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10164 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10165 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10166 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10167 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10168 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10170 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10171 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10172 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10173 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10174 list of articles to be selected.
10176 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10177 the list in one particular group:
10180 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10181 (if (string= group "some.group")
10182 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10186 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10187 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10188 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10189 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
10190 @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary buffer is
10191 active. These variables can be used to set variables in the group
10192 parameters while still allowing them to affect operations done in
10193 other buffers. For example:
10196 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10197 '(message-use-followup-to
10198 (gnus-visible-headers .
10199 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10205 @node Summary Group Information
10206 @subsection Summary Group Information
10211 @kindex H f (Summary)
10212 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10213 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10214 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10215 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10216 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10217 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10218 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10219 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10220 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10223 @kindex H d (Summary)
10224 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10225 Give a brief description of the current group
10226 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10227 rereading the description from the server.
10230 @kindex H h (Summary)
10231 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10232 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10233 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10236 @kindex H i (Summary)
10237 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10238 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10242 @node Searching for Articles
10243 @subsection Searching for Articles
10248 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10249 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10250 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10251 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10254 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10255 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10256 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10257 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10260 @kindex & (Summary)
10261 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10262 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10263 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10264 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10265 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10266 search backward instead.
10268 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10269 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10272 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10273 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10274 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10275 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10278 @node Summary Generation Commands
10279 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10284 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10285 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10286 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10289 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10290 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10291 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10292 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10295 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10296 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10297 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10298 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10303 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10304 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10310 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10311 @kindex A D (Summary)
10312 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10313 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10314 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10315 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10316 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10317 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10318 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10319 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10323 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10324 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10325 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10326 several documents into one biiig group
10327 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10328 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10329 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10330 command understands the process/prefix convention
10331 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10334 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10335 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10336 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10337 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10338 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10339 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10342 @kindex = (Summary)
10343 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10344 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10345 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10348 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10349 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10350 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10351 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10354 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10355 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10356 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10357 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10362 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10363 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10364 @cindex summary exit
10365 @cindex exiting groups
10367 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10368 group and return you to the group buffer.
10375 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10376 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10377 @kindex q (Summary)
10378 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10379 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10380 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10381 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10382 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10383 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10384 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10385 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10386 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10387 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10388 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10389 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10393 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10394 @kindex Q (Summary)
10395 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10396 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10397 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10401 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10402 @kindex c (Summary)
10403 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10404 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10405 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10406 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10409 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10410 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10411 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10412 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10415 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10416 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10417 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10418 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10422 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10423 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10424 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10425 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10426 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10427 all articles, both read and unread.
10431 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10432 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10433 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10434 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10435 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10436 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10437 articles, both read and unread.
10440 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10441 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10442 Exit the group and go to the next group
10443 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10446 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10447 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10448 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10449 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10452 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10453 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10454 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10455 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10456 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10457 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10460 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10461 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10462 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10463 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10465 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10466 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10467 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10468 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10469 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10470 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10471 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10472 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10473 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10474 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10475 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10476 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10478 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10480 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10481 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10482 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10483 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10484 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10485 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10486 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10487 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10488 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10491 @node Crosspost Handling
10492 @section Crosspost Handling
10496 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10497 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10498 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10499 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10500 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10501 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10504 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10505 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10506 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10507 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10508 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10510 @cindex cross-posting
10512 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10513 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10514 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10515 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10516 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10517 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10518 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10519 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10520 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10521 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10522 the cross reference mechanism.
10524 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10525 @cindex overview.fmt
10526 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10527 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10528 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10529 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10530 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10531 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10534 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10535 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10536 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10541 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10544 @node Duplicate Suppression
10545 @section Duplicate Suppression
10547 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10548 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10549 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10550 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10555 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10556 is evil and not very common.
10559 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10560 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10563 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10564 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10567 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10570 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10571 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10573 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10574 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10575 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10576 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10577 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10578 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10579 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10582 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10583 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10584 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10585 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10586 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10587 saw the article in.
10590 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10591 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10592 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10594 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10595 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10596 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10597 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10598 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10599 session are suppressed.
10601 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10602 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10603 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10604 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10606 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10607 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10608 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10609 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10612 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10613 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10614 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10615 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10616 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10617 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10618 to you to figure out, I think.
10623 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10624 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10625 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10630 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10631 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10632 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10633 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10636 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10637 or newer is recommended.
10641 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10642 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10645 @item mm-verify-option
10646 @vindex mm-verify-option
10647 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10648 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10649 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10651 @item mm-decrypt-option
10652 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10653 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10654 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10655 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10658 @vindex mml1991-use
10659 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10660 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10661 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10665 @vindex mml2015-use
10666 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10667 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10668 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10673 @cindex snarfing keys
10674 @cindex importing PGP keys
10675 @cindex PGP key ring import
10676 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10677 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10678 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10679 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10680 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10681 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10682 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10683 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10684 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10687 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10690 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10691 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10694 @section Mailing List
10695 @cindex mailing list
10698 @kindex A M (summary)
10699 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10700 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10701 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10702 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10705 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10710 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10711 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10712 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10715 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10716 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10717 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10720 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10721 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10722 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10726 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10727 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10728 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10731 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10732 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10733 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10736 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10737 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10738 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10743 @node Article Buffer
10744 @chapter Article Buffer
10745 @cindex article buffer
10747 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10748 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10749 tell gnus otherwise.
10752 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10753 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10754 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10755 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10756 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10760 @node Hiding Headers
10761 @section Hiding Headers
10762 @cindex hiding headers
10763 @cindex deleting headers
10765 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10766 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10768 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10769 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10770 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10771 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10772 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10773 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10774 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10775 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10776 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10778 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10782 @item gnus-visible-headers
10783 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10784 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10785 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10786 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10788 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10789 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10792 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10795 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10798 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10799 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10800 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10801 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10802 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10803 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10805 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10806 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10809 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10812 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10815 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10816 variable will have no effect.
10820 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10821 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10822 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10823 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10824 the headers are to be displayed.
10826 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10827 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10830 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10833 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10834 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10836 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10837 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10838 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10839 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10840 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10841 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10842 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10845 These conditions are:
10848 Remove all empty headers.
10850 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10851 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10853 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10854 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10857 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10860 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10861 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10863 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10864 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10866 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10867 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10869 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10872 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10874 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10877 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10880 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10881 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10884 This is also the default value for this variable.
10888 @section Using MIME
10889 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10891 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10892 while people stand around yawning.
10894 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10895 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10897 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10898 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10899 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10901 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10902 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10903 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10904 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
10905 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10906 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10907 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
10908 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
10909 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
10911 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10912 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
10913 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10914 These can't be avoided.
10916 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10917 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10918 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10919 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
10920 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
10921 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
10922 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
10923 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
10924 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
10925 feel rather stupid.)
10927 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10929 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10930 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10931 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10932 buffer when there are nobody else.
10934 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10937 @node Customizing Articles
10938 @section Customizing Articles
10939 @cindex article customization
10941 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10942 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10943 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10944 called automatically when you select the articles.
10946 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10947 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10948 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10949 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10951 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10952 for sensible values.
10956 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10959 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10962 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10965 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10968 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10972 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10973 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10974 regexps in the list.
10977 A list where the first element is not a string:
10979 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10980 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10981 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10985 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10989 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10994 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10995 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
10996 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10997 considered to contain just a single part.
10999 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11000 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11001 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11002 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11003 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11004 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11005 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11007 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11008 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11009 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11010 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11013 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11014 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11016 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11018 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11019 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11020 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11021 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11022 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11023 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11024 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11025 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11026 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11027 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11028 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
11030 @xref{Article Washing}.
11032 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11033 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11034 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11035 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11036 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11037 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11038 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11040 @xref{Article Date}.
11042 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11043 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11044 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11048 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11050 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11052 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11053 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11054 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11058 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11062 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11066 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11067 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11068 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11069 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11070 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11071 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11072 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11073 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11074 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11075 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11077 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11079 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11080 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11081 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11083 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11085 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11086 @item gnus-treat-translate
11087 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11088 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11090 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11091 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11092 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11093 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11095 @xref{Article Header}.
11100 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11101 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11102 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11103 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11104 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11108 @node Article Keymap
11109 @section Article Keymap
11111 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11112 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11113 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11114 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11117 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11122 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11123 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11124 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11125 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11128 @kindex DEL (Article)
11129 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11130 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11131 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11134 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11135 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11136 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11137 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11138 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11141 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11142 @findex gnus-article-mail
11143 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11144 given a prefix, include the mail.
11147 @kindex s (Article)
11148 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11149 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11150 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11153 @kindex ? (Article)
11154 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11155 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11156 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11159 @kindex TAB (Article)
11160 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11161 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11162 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11165 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11166 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11167 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11170 @kindex R (Article)
11171 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11172 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11173 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11174 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11178 @kindex F (Article)
11179 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11180 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11181 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11182 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11190 @section Misc Article
11194 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11195 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11196 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11197 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11200 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11201 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11202 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11203 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11204 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11206 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11207 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11208 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11209 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11210 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11211 the contents of the article buffer.
11213 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11214 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11215 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11217 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11218 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11219 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11220 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11222 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11223 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11224 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11225 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11227 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11228 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11229 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11230 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
11231 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
11237 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11238 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11239 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11244 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11247 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11250 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11251 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11252 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11255 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11258 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11261 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11266 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11270 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11272 @item gnus-break-pages
11273 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11274 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11275 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11276 paging will not be done.
11278 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11279 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11280 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11284 @cindex internationalized domain names
11285 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11286 @item gnus-use-idna
11287 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11288 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11289 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11290 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11291 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11296 @node Composing Messages
11297 @chapter Composing Messages
11298 @cindex composing messages
11301 @cindex sending mail
11306 @cindex using s/mime
11307 @cindex using smime
11309 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11310 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11311 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11312 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11313 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11314 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11317 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11318 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11319 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11320 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11321 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11322 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11323 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11324 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11325 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11328 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11329 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11335 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11338 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11339 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11340 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11341 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11342 @code{nil} include all headers.
11344 @item gnus-add-to-list
11345 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11346 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11347 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11349 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11350 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11351 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11352 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11353 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11354 confirmation is should be asked for.
11356 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11357 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11359 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11360 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11361 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11362 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11363 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11368 @node Posting Server
11369 @section Posting Server
11371 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11372 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11374 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11376 It can be quite complicated.
11378 @vindex gnus-post-method
11379 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11380 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11381 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11382 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11383 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11384 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11385 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11386 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11387 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11390 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11393 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11394 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11395 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11396 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11398 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11399 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11401 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11402 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11405 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11406 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11408 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11409 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11410 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11411 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11412 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11413 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11414 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11415 package correctly. An example:
11418 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11419 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11420 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11421 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11422 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11425 To the thing similar to this, there is
11426 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11427 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11428 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11430 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11431 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11432 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11434 @node POP before SMTP
11435 @section POP before SMTP
11436 @cindex pop before smtp
11437 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11438 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11440 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11441 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11442 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11443 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11444 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11447 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11448 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11452 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11453 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11454 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11455 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11456 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11457 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11458 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11459 (@pxref{Mail Sources}) correctly.
11461 @node Mail and Post
11462 @section Mail and Post
11464 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11468 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11469 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11470 @cindex mailing lists
11472 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11473 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11474 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11475 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11476 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11477 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11478 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11479 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11480 still a pain, though.
11482 @item gnus-user-agent
11483 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11486 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11487 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11488 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11489 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11490 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11491 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11492 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11496 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11497 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11498 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11501 @findex ispell-message
11503 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11506 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11507 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11510 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11514 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11515 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11517 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11520 Modify to suit your needs.
11523 @node Archived Messages
11524 @section Archived Messages
11525 @cindex archived messages
11526 @cindex sent messages
11528 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11529 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11530 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11531 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11534 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11535 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11538 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11539 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11540 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11543 (nnfolder "archive"
11544 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11545 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11546 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11547 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11550 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11551 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11552 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11553 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11556 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11557 '(nnfolder "archive"
11558 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11559 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11560 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11563 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11565 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11566 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11567 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11569 This variable can be used to do the following:
11573 Messages will be saved in that group.
11575 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11576 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11577 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11578 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11579 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11580 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11581 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11582 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11585 @item a list of strings
11586 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11588 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11589 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11592 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11597 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11599 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11602 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11604 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11607 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11609 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11610 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11611 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11612 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11615 More complex stuff:
11617 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11618 '((if (message-news-p)
11623 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11624 messages in one file per month:
11627 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11628 '((if (message-news-p)
11630 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11633 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11634 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11636 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11637 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11638 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11639 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11640 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11641 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11642 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11643 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11644 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11645 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11647 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11648 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11649 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11650 this will disable archiving.
11653 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11654 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11655 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11656 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11657 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11660 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11661 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11662 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11665 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11666 but the latter is the preferred method.
11668 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11669 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11670 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11672 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11673 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11674 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11675 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11676 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11677 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11678 changed in the future.
11683 @node Posting Styles
11684 @section Posting Styles
11685 @cindex posting styles
11688 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11690 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11691 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11692 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11695 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11696 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11697 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11698 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11699 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11704 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11705 (organization "What me?"))
11707 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11708 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11709 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11712 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11713 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11714 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11715 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11716 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11717 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11718 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11719 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11721 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11722 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11723 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11724 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11725 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11726 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11727 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11728 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11729 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11730 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11731 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11732 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11733 said to @dfn{match}.
11735 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11736 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11737 attribute name can be one of:
11740 @item @code{signature}
11741 @item @code{signature-file}
11742 @item @code{x-face-file}
11743 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11744 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11748 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11749 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11750 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11751 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11752 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11754 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11755 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11756 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11757 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11758 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11759 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11760 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11761 references chars lines xref extra.
11763 @vindex message-reply-headers
11765 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11766 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11767 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11769 @findex message-mail-p
11770 @findex message-news-p
11772 So here's a new example:
11775 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11777 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11779 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11780 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11782 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11783 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11784 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11785 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11786 (signature my-news-signature))
11787 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11788 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11789 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11790 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11791 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11792 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11793 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11794 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11795 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11796 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11798 (From (save-excursion
11799 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11800 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11802 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11805 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11806 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11807 if you fill many roles.
11809 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11810 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11811 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11812 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11813 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11814 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11815 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11816 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11821 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11823 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11825 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11826 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11829 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11832 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11833 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11840 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11841 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11842 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11843 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11844 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11846 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11847 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11848 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11849 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11850 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11854 @vindex nndraft-directory
11855 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11856 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11857 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11858 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11859 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11860 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11862 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11863 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11864 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11865 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11866 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11867 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11868 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11869 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11870 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11872 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11873 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11874 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11875 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11876 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11877 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11878 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11879 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11880 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11881 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11882 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11883 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11884 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11885 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11887 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11888 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11889 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11891 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11892 @kindex D e (Draft)
11893 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11894 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11895 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11897 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11900 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11901 @kindex D s (Draft)
11902 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11903 @kindex D S (Draft)
11904 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11905 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11906 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11907 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11908 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11911 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11912 @kindex D t (Draft)
11913 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11914 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11915 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11918 @node Rejected Articles
11919 @section Rejected Articles
11920 @cindex rejected articles
11922 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11923 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11924 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11925 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11927 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11928 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11929 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11930 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11931 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11933 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11934 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11935 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11937 @node Signing and encrypting
11938 @section Signing and encrypting
11940 @cindex using s/mime
11941 @cindex using smime
11943 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
11944 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
11945 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
11946 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
11948 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11949 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11950 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11951 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11952 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11953 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11954 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11955 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11956 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11957 automatically encrypted messages.
11959 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
11960 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
11961 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11966 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
11967 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11969 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11972 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
11973 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11975 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11978 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
11979 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11981 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11984 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
11985 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11987 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11990 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
11991 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11993 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11996 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
11997 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11999 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12002 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12003 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12004 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12008 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12010 @node Select Methods
12011 @chapter Select Methods
12012 @cindex foreign groups
12013 @cindex select methods
12015 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12016 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12017 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12018 personal mail group.
12020 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12021 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12022 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12023 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12024 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12025 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12027 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12028 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12030 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12033 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12034 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12035 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12036 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12037 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12039 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12042 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12043 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12044 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12045 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12046 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12047 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12048 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12049 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12053 @node Server Buffer
12054 @section Server Buffer
12056 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12057 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12058 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12059 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12060 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12061 back end represents a virtual server.
12063 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12064 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12065 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12066 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12068 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12069 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12070 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12071 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12072 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12073 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12074 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12076 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12077 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12080 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12081 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12082 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12083 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12084 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12085 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12086 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12089 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12090 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12093 @node Server Buffer Format
12094 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12095 @cindex server buffer format
12097 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12098 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12099 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12100 variable, with some simple extensions:
12105 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12108 The name of this server.
12111 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12114 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12117 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12118 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12119 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12120 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12130 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12133 @node Server Commands
12134 @subsection Server Commands
12135 @cindex server commands
12141 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12142 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12146 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12147 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12150 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12151 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12152 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12156 @findex gnus-server-exit
12157 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12161 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12162 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12166 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12167 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12171 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12172 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12176 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12177 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12181 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12182 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12183 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12188 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12189 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12190 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12191 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12196 @node Example Methods
12197 @subsection Example Methods
12199 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12202 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12205 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12211 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12212 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12215 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12216 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12218 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12219 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12223 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12226 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12227 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12229 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12230 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12231 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12235 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12238 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12241 Here's the method for a public spool:
12245 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12246 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12252 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12253 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12254 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12255 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12256 should probably look something like this:
12260 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12261 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12262 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12263 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12266 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12267 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12268 configuration to the example above:
12271 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12274 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12276 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12277 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12278 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12282 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12283 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12284 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12285 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12288 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12289 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12290 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12291 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12294 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12295 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12297 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12298 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12300 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12301 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12302 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12304 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12306 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12307 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12308 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12309 will contain the following:
12319 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12320 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12323 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12324 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12325 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12328 @node Server Variables
12329 @subsection Server Variables
12330 @cindex server variables
12331 @cindex server parameters
12333 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12334 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12335 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12336 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12337 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12339 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12340 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12341 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12342 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12343 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12344 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12345 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12346 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12347 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12351 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12352 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12353 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12356 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12358 @node Servers and Methods
12359 @subsection Servers and Methods
12361 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12362 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12363 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12364 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12368 @node Unavailable Servers
12369 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12371 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12372 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12373 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12374 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12375 actually the case or not.
12377 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12378 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12379 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12380 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12381 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12382 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12383 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12384 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12386 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12387 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12389 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12390 with the following commands:
12396 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12397 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12398 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12402 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12403 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12404 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12408 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12409 Mark the current server as unreachable
12410 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12413 @kindex M-o (Server)
12414 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12415 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12416 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12419 @kindex M-c (Server)
12420 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12421 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12422 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12426 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12427 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12428 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12432 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12433 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12439 @section Getting News
12440 @cindex reading news
12441 @cindex news back ends
12443 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12444 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12445 or it can read from a local spool.
12448 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12449 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12457 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12458 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12459 server as the, uhm, address.
12461 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12462 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12463 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12464 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12466 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12467 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12468 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12470 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12475 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12476 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12477 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12479 @cindex authentification
12480 @cindex nntp authentification
12481 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12482 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12483 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12484 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12485 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12486 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12487 present in this hook.
12489 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12490 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12491 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12492 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12493 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12494 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12495 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12496 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12497 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12498 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12499 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12500 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12504 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12507 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12509 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12510 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12511 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12512 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12513 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12514 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12515 @samp{force} is explained below.
12519 Here's an example file:
12522 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12523 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12526 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12527 have to be first, for instance.
12529 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12530 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12531 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12532 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12533 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12534 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12535 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12537 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12538 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12544 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12545 previously mentioned.
12547 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12549 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12550 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12551 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12552 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12553 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12556 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12557 '(("innd" (ding))))
12560 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12562 The default value is
12565 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12566 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12567 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12570 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12571 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12573 @item nntp-maximum-request
12574 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12575 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12576 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12577 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12578 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12579 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12580 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12582 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12583 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12584 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12585 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12586 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12587 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12588 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12589 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12590 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12591 no timeouts are done.
12593 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12594 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12595 @c @cindex PPP connections
12596 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12597 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12598 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12599 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12600 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12601 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12602 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12603 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12604 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12605 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12607 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12608 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12609 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12610 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12611 @c described above.
12613 @item nntp-server-hook
12614 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12615 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12618 @item nntp-buggy-select
12619 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12620 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12622 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12623 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12624 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12625 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12628 @item nntp-xover-commands
12629 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12630 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12632 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12633 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12637 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12638 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12639 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12640 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12641 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12642 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12643 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12644 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12645 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12646 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12647 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12649 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12650 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12651 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12653 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12654 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12655 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12656 server closes connection.
12658 @item nntp-record-commands
12659 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12660 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12661 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12662 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12663 that doesn't seem to work.
12665 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12666 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12667 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12668 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12669 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12670 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12671 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12672 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12674 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12675 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12676 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12677 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12678 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12679 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12680 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12683 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12686 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12687 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12689 @item nntp-read-timeout
12690 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12691 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12692 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12693 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12694 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12697 @item nntp-list-options
12698 @vindex nntp-list-options
12699 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12700 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12701 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12702 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12703 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12707 (setq gnus-select-method
12708 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12709 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12712 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12713 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12714 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12715 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12716 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12717 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12718 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12721 (setq gnus-select-method
12722 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12723 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12726 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12727 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12728 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12729 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12730 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12731 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12732 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12735 (setq gnus-select-method
12736 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12737 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12742 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12743 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12744 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12748 @node Direct Functions
12749 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12750 @cindex direct connection functions
12752 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12753 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12754 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12755 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12758 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12759 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12760 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12763 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12764 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12765 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12766 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12767 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12770 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12771 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12773 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12774 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12775 (nntp-port-number )
12776 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12779 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12780 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12781 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12782 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12783 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12784 then define a server as follows:
12787 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12788 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12790 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12791 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12792 (nntp-port-number 563)
12793 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12796 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12797 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12798 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12799 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12800 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12801 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12802 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12803 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12807 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12808 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12809 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12812 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12813 session, which is not a good idea.
12817 @node Indirect Functions
12818 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12819 @cindex indirect connection functions
12821 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12822 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12823 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12824 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12825 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12826 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12829 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12830 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12831 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12832 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12833 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12835 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12838 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12839 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12840 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12841 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12843 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12844 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12845 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12846 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12847 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12848 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12849 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12850 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12854 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12855 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12856 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12857 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12859 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12862 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12863 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12864 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12867 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12868 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12869 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12870 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12872 @item nntp-via-user-password
12873 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12874 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12876 @item nntp-via-envuser
12877 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12878 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12879 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12880 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12882 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12883 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12884 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12885 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12892 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12897 @item nntp-via-user-name
12898 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12899 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12901 @item nntp-via-address
12902 @vindex nntp-via-address
12903 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12908 @node Common Variables
12909 @subsubsection Common Variables
12911 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12912 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12917 @item nntp-pre-command
12918 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12919 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12920 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12921 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12922 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
12925 @vindex nntp-address
12926 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12928 @item nntp-port-number
12929 @vindex nntp-port-number
12930 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12931 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
12932 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12933 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
12934 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
12935 not work with named ports.
12937 @item nntp-end-of-line
12938 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12939 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
12940 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12941 using a non native connection function.
12943 @item nntp-telnet-command
12944 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12945 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
12946 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
12947 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12950 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12951 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12952 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12959 @subsection News Spool
12963 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12964 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12965 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12968 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12969 anything else) as the address.
12971 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12972 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12973 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12974 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12978 @item nnspool-inews-program
12979 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12980 Program used to post an article.
12982 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12983 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12984 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12986 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12987 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12988 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12989 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12991 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12992 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12993 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
12994 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12996 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12997 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12998 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13000 @item nnspool-active-file
13001 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13002 The name of the active file.
13004 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13005 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13006 The name of the group descriptions file.
13008 @item nnspool-history-file
13009 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13010 The name of the news history file.
13012 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13013 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13014 The name of the active date file.
13016 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13017 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13018 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13021 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13022 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13024 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13025 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13026 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13033 @section Getting Mail
13034 @cindex reading mail
13037 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13041 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13042 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13043 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13044 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13045 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13046 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13047 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13048 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13049 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13050 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13051 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13052 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13053 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13057 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13058 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13060 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13061 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13062 of a culture shock.
13064 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13065 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13067 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13068 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13069 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13070 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13072 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13074 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13075 deleted? How awful!
13077 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13078 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13079 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13080 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13083 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13084 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13085 they want to treat a message.
13087 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13088 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13089 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13090 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13091 archived somewhere else.
13093 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13094 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13095 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13096 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13097 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13099 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13100 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13101 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13103 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13104 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13107 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13108 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13109 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13110 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13111 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13113 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13114 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13115 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13116 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13117 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13118 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13122 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13123 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13125 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13126 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13127 and things will happen automatically.
13129 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13130 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13133 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13136 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13137 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13138 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13139 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13140 like any other group.
13142 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13145 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13146 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13147 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13151 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13152 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13153 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13156 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13157 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13158 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13161 @node Splitting Mail
13162 @subsection Splitting Mail
13163 @cindex splitting mail
13164 @cindex mail splitting
13165 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13167 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13168 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13169 to be split into groups.
13172 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13173 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13174 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13175 ("mail.other" "")))
13178 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13179 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13180 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13181 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13182 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13183 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13184 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13187 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13190 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13191 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13192 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13193 mail belongs in that group.
13195 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13196 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13197 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13198 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13199 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13200 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
13202 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13203 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13204 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13205 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13206 thinks should carry this mail message.
13208 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13209 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13210 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13211 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13213 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13214 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13215 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13216 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13217 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13219 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13222 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13223 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13224 links. If that's the case for you, set
13225 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13226 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13228 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13229 @findex nnmail-split-history
13230 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13231 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13232 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13233 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13236 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13237 Header lines longer than the value of
13238 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13241 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13242 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13243 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13244 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13245 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13246 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13247 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13248 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13250 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13251 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13252 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13253 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13254 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13255 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13256 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13257 other kinds of entries.)
13259 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13260 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13261 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13262 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13263 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13264 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13265 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13266 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13267 month's rent money.
13271 @subsection Mail Sources
13273 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13274 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13275 maildir, for instance.
13278 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13279 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13280 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13284 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13285 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13287 @cindex mail server
13290 @cindex mail source
13292 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13293 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13298 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13301 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13302 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13303 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13306 The following mail source types are available:
13310 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13316 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13317 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13318 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13322 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13325 An example file mail source:
13328 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13331 Or using the default file name:
13337 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13338 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13339 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13340 mail spool while moving the mail.
13342 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13346 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13349 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13353 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13356 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13358 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13361 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13365 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13366 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13367 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13368 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13369 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13370 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13371 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13372 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13373 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13374 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13376 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13377 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13378 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13379 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13385 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13389 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13393 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13394 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13395 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13396 predicate are considered.
13400 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13404 An example directory mail source:
13407 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13412 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13418 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13419 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13422 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13423 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13424 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13425 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13426 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13429 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13433 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13434 the user is prompted.
13437 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13438 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13441 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13444 The valid format specifier characters are:
13448 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13449 included in this string.
13452 The name of the server.
13455 The port number of the server.
13458 The user name to use.
13461 The password to use.
13464 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13465 corresponding keywords.
13468 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13469 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13472 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13473 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13476 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13477 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13478 mail should be moved to.
13480 @item :authentication
13481 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13482 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13486 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13487 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13488 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13489 programs and libraries:
13493 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13494 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13495 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13497 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13498 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13503 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13504 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13508 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13509 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13511 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13512 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13518 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13521 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13522 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13525 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13528 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13532 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13533 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13534 contains exactly one mail.
13540 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13541 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13544 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13545 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13547 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13548 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13549 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13552 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13553 from locking problems).
13557 Two example maildir mail sources:
13560 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13561 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13565 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13570 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13571 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13572 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13573 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13574 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13576 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13577 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13583 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13584 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13587 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13588 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13591 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13595 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13599 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13600 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13601 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13602 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13604 @item :authentication
13605 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13606 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13607 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13608 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13611 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13612 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13613 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13619 The valid format specifier characters are:
13623 The name of the server.
13626 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13629 The port number of the server.
13632 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13633 corresponding keywords.
13636 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13637 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13640 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13641 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13642 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13643 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13644 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13645 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13648 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13649 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13650 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13651 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13654 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13655 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13659 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13662 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13664 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13668 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13669 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13670 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13672 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13673 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13675 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13681 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13682 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13685 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13689 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13693 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13694 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13698 An example webmail source:
13701 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13703 :password "secret")
13708 @item Common Keywords
13709 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13715 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13716 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13721 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13726 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13727 useful when you use local mail and news.
13732 @subsubsection Function Interface
13734 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13735 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13736 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13737 consider the following mail-source setting:
13740 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13741 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13744 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13745 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13746 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13747 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13748 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13750 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13753 @node Mail Source Customization
13754 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13756 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13757 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13761 @item mail-source-crash-box
13762 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13763 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13764 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13766 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13767 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13768 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13769 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13770 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13771 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13772 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13773 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13775 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13776 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13777 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13778 files. This variable only applies when
13779 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13781 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13782 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13783 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13785 @item mail-source-directory
13786 @vindex mail-source-directory
13787 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13788 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13789 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13792 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13793 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13794 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13795 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13796 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13797 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13799 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13800 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13801 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13803 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13804 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13805 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13806 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13811 @node Fetching Mail
13812 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13814 @vindex mail-sources
13815 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13816 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13817 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13818 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13820 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13821 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13824 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13825 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13830 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13831 :password "secret")))
13834 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13838 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13839 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13842 :password "secret")))
13846 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13847 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13848 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13849 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13850 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13851 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13855 @node Mail Back End Variables
13856 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13858 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13862 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13863 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13864 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13865 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13867 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13868 @item nnmail-split-hook
13869 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13870 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
13871 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
13872 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13873 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13874 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13875 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13876 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13877 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13880 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13881 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13882 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13883 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13884 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13885 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13886 starting to handle the new mail) and
13887 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13888 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13889 default file modes the new mail files get:
13892 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13893 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13895 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13896 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13899 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13900 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13901 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13902 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13903 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13904 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13905 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13907 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13908 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13909 @findex delete-file
13910 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13912 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13913 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13914 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13915 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13916 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13918 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13919 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13920 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13921 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13922 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13924 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13925 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13926 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13931 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13932 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13933 @cindex mail splitting
13934 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13936 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13937 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13938 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13939 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13940 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13941 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13943 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13946 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
13947 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
13948 ;; @r{from real errors.}
13949 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13951 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
13952 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
13953 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
13954 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13955 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13956 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
13957 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13958 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13959 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
13960 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
13961 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
13962 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
13963 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13964 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13965 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
13966 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13967 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
13971 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
13972 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
13973 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
13978 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
13979 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
13981 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
13982 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
13983 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
13984 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
13985 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
13986 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
13987 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13989 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
13990 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
13991 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
13992 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
13993 stored in one or more groups.
13995 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
13996 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
13997 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14000 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14001 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14003 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14004 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14005 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14006 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14009 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14010 body of the messages:
14013 (defun split-on-body ()
14017 (goto-char (point-min))
14018 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14022 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14023 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14024 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14025 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
14026 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14027 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14028 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14030 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14031 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14032 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14033 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14034 should return a split.
14037 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14041 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14042 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14043 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14044 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14045 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14047 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14048 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14049 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14050 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14051 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14052 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14053 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14057 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14059 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14060 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14062 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14065 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14066 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14067 when all this splitting is performed.
14069 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14070 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14071 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14074 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14077 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14078 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14080 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14081 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14082 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14083 groupings 1 through 9.
14085 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14086 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14087 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14089 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14090 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14091 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14092 surrounded by anything.
14095 (any "joe" "joemail")
14098 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14099 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14100 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to t, however, the
14101 match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word boundary is
14102 removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14104 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14105 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14106 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14107 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14108 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14109 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14110 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14111 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14112 it once per thread.
14114 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14115 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14116 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14117 using the colon feature, like so:
14119 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14120 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14122 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14123 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14127 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14128 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14129 in the file specified by the variable
14130 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14131 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14132 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14133 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14134 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14135 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14136 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14137 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14138 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14139 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14140 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14141 300 kBytes in size.)
14142 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14143 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14144 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14145 messages goes into the new group.
14147 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14148 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14149 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14150 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14151 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14152 ``outgoing'' group.
14155 @node Group Mail Splitting
14156 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14157 @cindex mail splitting
14158 @cindex group mail splitting
14160 @findex gnus-group-split
14161 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14162 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14163 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14164 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14165 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14166 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14167 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14168 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14170 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14171 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14172 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14173 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14175 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14176 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14177 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14178 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14179 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14180 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14181 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14183 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14184 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14185 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14186 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14187 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14188 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14189 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14191 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14192 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14193 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14194 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14195 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14196 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14197 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14198 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14199 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14200 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14201 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14202 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14203 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14205 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14210 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14211 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14213 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14214 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14215 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14216 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14218 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14221 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14222 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14223 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14226 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14227 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14228 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14232 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14233 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14234 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14238 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14241 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14242 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14243 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14244 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14245 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14246 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14247 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14248 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14249 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14251 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14252 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14253 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14254 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14255 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14256 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14257 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14258 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14259 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14261 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14262 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14263 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14264 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14265 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14266 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14269 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14272 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14273 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14274 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14275 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14276 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14279 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14280 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14281 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14282 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14284 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14285 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14286 @cindex incorporating old mail
14287 @cindex import old mail
14289 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14290 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14291 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14294 Doing so can be quite easy.
14296 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14297 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14298 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14299 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14300 your @code{nnml} groups.
14306 Go to the group buffer.
14309 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14310 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14313 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14316 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14317 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14320 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14321 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14324 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14325 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14326 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14327 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14328 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14330 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14331 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14332 using the new mail back end.
14335 @node Expiring Mail
14336 @subsection Expiring Mail
14337 @cindex article expiry
14339 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14340 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14341 different approach to mail reading.
14343 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14344 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14345 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14346 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14347 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14348 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14351 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14352 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14353 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14354 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14355 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14356 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14357 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14358 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14359 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14361 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14362 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14363 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14364 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14365 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14366 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14367 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14370 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14371 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14372 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14373 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14374 into its own group.)
14376 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14377 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14378 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14379 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14380 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14381 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14382 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14383 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14386 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14387 Groups that match the regular expression
14388 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14389 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14390 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14392 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14393 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14394 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14395 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14396 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14398 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14400 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14401 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14402 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14405 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14406 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14407 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14408 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14409 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14411 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14412 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14415 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14416 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14419 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14420 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14422 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14423 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14424 don't really mix very well.
14426 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14427 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14428 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14429 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14432 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14433 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14434 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14435 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14438 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14440 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14442 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14444 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14446 ((string= group "important")
14452 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14453 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14455 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14456 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14457 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14460 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14461 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14463 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14464 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14465 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14466 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14467 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14468 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14469 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14470 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14471 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14472 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14473 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14474 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14475 name or @code{delete}.
14477 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14479 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14482 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14483 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14484 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14485 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14486 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14489 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14490 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14491 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14492 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14493 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14496 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14497 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14498 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14499 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14500 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14501 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14503 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14504 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14505 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14506 easier for procmail users.
14508 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14509 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14510 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14511 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14512 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14513 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14514 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14515 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14516 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14517 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14518 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14519 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14520 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14523 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14525 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14526 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14527 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14528 auto-expire turned on.
14532 @subsection Washing Mail
14533 @cindex mail washing
14534 @cindex list server brain damage
14535 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14537 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14538 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14539 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14540 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14541 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14542 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14544 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14545 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14546 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14549 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14550 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14551 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14552 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14555 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14556 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14557 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14558 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14559 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14562 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14563 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14564 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14565 Emacs running on MS machines.
14569 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14570 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14571 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14572 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14575 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14576 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14577 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14578 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14580 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14581 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14582 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14583 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14584 into a feature by documenting it.)
14586 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14587 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14588 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14589 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14590 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14591 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14592 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14595 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14596 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14599 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14600 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14603 This can also be done non-destructively with
14604 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14606 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14607 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14608 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14610 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14611 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14613 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14614 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14615 @code{References} headers.
14619 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14620 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14621 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14625 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14626 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14627 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14634 @subsection Duplicates
14636 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14637 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14638 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14639 @cindex duplicate mails
14640 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14641 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14642 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14643 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14644 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14645 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14646 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14647 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14648 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14649 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14650 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14651 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14652 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14654 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14655 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14656 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14657 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14659 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14662 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14663 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14667 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14668 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14669 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14670 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14671 (any mail "mail.misc")
14672 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14678 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14679 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14680 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14684 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14685 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14686 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14687 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14688 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14691 @node Not Reading Mail
14692 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14694 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14695 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14696 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14698 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14699 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14700 mail, which should help.
14702 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14703 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14704 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14705 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14706 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14707 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14708 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14709 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14710 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14711 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14712 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14714 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14715 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14719 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14720 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14722 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14723 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14724 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14726 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14727 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14728 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14732 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14733 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14734 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14735 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14736 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14737 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14738 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14742 @node Unix Mail Box
14743 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14745 @cindex unix mail box
14747 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14748 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14749 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14750 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14751 which group it belongs in.
14753 Virtual server settings:
14756 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14757 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14758 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14761 @item nnmbox-active-file
14762 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14763 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14764 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14766 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14767 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14768 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14769 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14774 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14778 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14779 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14780 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14781 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14782 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14784 Virtual server settings:
14787 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14788 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14789 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14791 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14792 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14793 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14794 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14796 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14797 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14798 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14804 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14806 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14808 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14809 format. It should be used with some caution.
14811 @vindex nnml-directory
14812 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14813 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14814 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14815 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14817 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14820 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14821 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14822 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14823 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14824 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14825 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14826 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14827 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14829 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14830 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14831 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14832 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14834 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14836 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14837 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14838 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14839 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14840 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14841 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14842 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14843 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14846 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14847 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14848 them next time it starts.
14850 Virtual server settings:
14853 @item nnml-directory
14854 @vindex nnml-directory
14855 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14856 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14859 @item nnml-active-file
14860 @vindex nnml-active-file
14861 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14862 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14864 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14865 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14866 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14867 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14869 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14870 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14871 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14874 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14875 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14876 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14877 default is @code{nil}.
14879 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14880 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14881 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14883 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14884 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14885 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14887 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14888 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14889 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14890 default is @code{nil}.
14892 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14893 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14894 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14896 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14897 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14898 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14903 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14904 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
14905 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14906 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14907 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14908 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14909 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14914 @subsubsection MH Spool
14916 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14918 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14919 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
14920 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
14921 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
14924 Virtual server settings:
14927 @item nnmh-directory
14928 @vindex nnmh-directory
14929 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14930 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14933 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14934 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14935 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14939 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14940 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14941 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
14942 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14943 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14944 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
14945 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14950 @subsubsection Maildir
14954 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14955 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14956 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14957 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
14958 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
14961 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14962 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
14963 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14964 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14965 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
14966 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
14967 that appear as group in Gnus.
14969 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
14970 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
14971 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
14973 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
14974 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
14975 another, and you will keep your marks.
14977 Virtual server settings:
14981 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
14982 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
14983 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
14984 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
14985 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
14986 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
14987 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
14988 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
14989 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
14990 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
14992 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14993 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14994 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14995 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14996 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14997 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14998 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
14999 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15000 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15001 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15004 @item target-prefix
15005 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15006 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15007 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15010 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15011 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15012 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15013 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15014 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15015 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15016 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15017 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15018 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15020 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15021 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15022 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15023 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15024 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15026 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15027 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15028 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15029 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15030 @code{force} argument.
15032 @item directory-files
15033 This should be a function with the same interface as
15034 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15035 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15036 parameter is optional; the default is
15037 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15038 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15039 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15040 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15041 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15042 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15045 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15046 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15047 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15048 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15049 value is @code{nil}.
15051 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15052 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15053 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15054 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15055 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15058 @subsubsection Group parameters
15060 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15061 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15062 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15063 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15064 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15065 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15068 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15069 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15070 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15071 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15072 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15073 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15074 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15075 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15076 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15080 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15081 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15082 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15083 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15084 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15085 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15086 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15087 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15088 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15089 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15090 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15091 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15094 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15096 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15098 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15099 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15100 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15101 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15102 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15103 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15104 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15105 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15106 article. So that form can refer to
15107 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15108 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir} does
15109 not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15110 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15113 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15114 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15115 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15116 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15117 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15118 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15119 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15120 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15121 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15122 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15123 contain extra copies of the articles.
15125 @item directory-files
15126 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15127 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15128 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15129 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15131 @item distrust-Lines:
15132 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15133 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15134 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15137 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15138 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15139 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15140 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15141 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15142 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15145 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15146 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15147 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15148 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15149 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15150 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15151 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15153 @item nov-cache-size
15154 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15155 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15156 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15157 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15158 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15159 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15160 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15161 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15162 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15163 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15164 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15167 @subsubsection Article identification
15168 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15169 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15170 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15171 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15172 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15173 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15174 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15175 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15176 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15177 request the article in the summary buffer.
15179 @subsubsection NOV data
15180 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15181 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15182 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15183 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15184 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15185 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15186 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15187 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15188 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15189 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15190 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15192 @subsubsection Article marks
15193 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15194 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15195 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15196 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15197 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15198 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15199 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15200 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15202 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15203 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15204 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15205 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15206 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15207 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15208 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15209 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15210 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15214 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15216 @cindex mbox folders
15217 @cindex mail folders
15219 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15220 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15221 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15222 numbers and arrival dates.
15224 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15226 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15227 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15228 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15229 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15230 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15231 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15232 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15233 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15234 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15235 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15237 Virtual server settings:
15240 @item nnfolder-directory
15241 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15242 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15243 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15244 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15246 @item nnfolder-active-file
15247 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15248 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15250 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15251 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15252 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15253 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15255 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15256 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15257 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15258 default is @code{t}
15260 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15261 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15262 @cindex backup files
15263 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15264 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15265 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15266 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15269 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15270 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15272 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15275 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15276 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15277 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15278 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15279 extract some information from it before removing it.
15281 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15282 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15283 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15284 default is @code{nil}.
15286 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15287 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15288 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15290 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15291 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15292 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15293 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15295 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15296 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15297 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15298 default is @code{nil}.
15300 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15301 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15302 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15304 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15305 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15306 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15307 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15312 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15313 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15314 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15315 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15316 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15317 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15320 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15321 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15323 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15324 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15325 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15326 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15327 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15329 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15330 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15331 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15332 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15333 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15334 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15335 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15336 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15339 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15340 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15341 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15342 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15347 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15348 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15349 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15350 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15351 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15352 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15353 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15354 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15355 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15356 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15357 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15358 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15359 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15364 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15365 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15366 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15367 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15368 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15369 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15370 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15371 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15372 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15373 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15374 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15375 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15376 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15377 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15379 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15380 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15385 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15386 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15387 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15388 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15389 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15390 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15391 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15392 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15393 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15394 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15395 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15396 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15397 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15398 provided by the active file and overviews.
15400 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15401 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15402 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15403 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15404 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15407 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15408 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15413 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15414 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15415 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15416 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15417 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15418 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15419 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15423 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15424 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15425 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15426 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15427 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15428 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15429 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15430 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15431 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15433 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15434 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15435 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15436 friendly mail back end all over.
15440 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15441 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15444 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15445 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15446 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15447 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15448 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15449 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15450 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15451 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15454 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15455 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15456 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15457 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15458 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15459 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15460 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15461 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15462 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15463 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15464 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15466 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15467 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15468 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15469 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15470 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15473 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15474 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15475 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15476 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15477 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15478 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15479 removed in the future.
15481 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15482 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15483 on your file system.
15485 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15486 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15491 @node Browsing the Web
15492 @section Browsing the Web
15494 @cindex browsing the web
15498 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15499 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15500 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15501 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15502 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15503 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15504 even know what a news group is.
15506 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15507 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15508 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15509 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15510 you mad in the end.
15512 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15515 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15516 interfaces to these sources.
15520 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15521 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15522 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15523 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15524 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15525 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15528 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15530 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15531 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15532 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15533 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15534 though, you should be ok.
15536 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15537 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15538 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15539 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15540 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15542 @node Archiving Mail
15543 @subsection Archiving Mail
15544 @cindex archiving mail
15545 @cindex backup of mail
15547 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15548 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15549 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15550 marks is fairly simple.
15552 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15553 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15556 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15557 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15558 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15559 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15560 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15561 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15562 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15563 before you restore the data.
15565 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15566 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15567 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15568 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15569 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15570 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15571 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15572 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15573 is unnecessary in that case.
15576 @subsection Web Searches
15581 @cindex Usenet searches
15582 @cindex searching the Usenet
15584 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15585 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15586 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15587 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15588 searches without having to use a browser.
15590 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15591 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15592 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15593 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15594 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15596 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15597 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15598 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15599 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15600 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15601 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15602 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15603 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15604 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15605 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15608 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15609 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15610 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15611 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15612 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15613 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15615 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15616 to use @code{nnweb}.
15618 Virtual server variables:
15623 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15624 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15625 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15628 @vindex nnweb-search
15629 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15631 @item nnweb-max-hits
15632 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15633 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15636 @item nnweb-type-definition
15637 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15638 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15639 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15644 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15648 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15651 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15654 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15658 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15665 @subsection Slashdot
15669 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15670 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15671 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15673 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15674 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15677 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15678 '((nnslashdot "")))
15681 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15682 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15683 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15684 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15685 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15688 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15689 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15691 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15692 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15693 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15694 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15695 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15696 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15697 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15699 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15702 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15703 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15704 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15705 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15706 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15707 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15708 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15710 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15711 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15712 The login name to use when posting.
15714 @item nnslashdot-password
15715 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15716 The password to use when posting.
15718 @item nnslashdot-directory
15719 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15720 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15721 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15723 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15724 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15725 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15726 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15727 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15729 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15730 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15731 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15733 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15734 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15735 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15736 article. The default is
15737 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15739 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15740 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15741 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15743 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15744 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15745 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15746 updated. The default is 0.
15753 @subsection Ultimate
15755 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15757 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15758 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15759 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15760 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15762 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15763 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15764 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15765 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15766 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15767 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15768 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15770 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15773 @item nnultimate-directory
15774 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15775 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15776 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15781 @subsection Web Archive
15783 @cindex Web Archive
15785 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15786 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15787 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15788 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15791 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15792 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15793 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15794 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15795 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15796 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15797 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15798 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15800 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15803 @item nnwarchive-directory
15804 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15805 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15806 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15808 @item nnwarchive-login
15809 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15810 The account name on the web server.
15812 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15813 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15814 The password for your account on the web server.
15822 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
15823 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
15824 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
15825 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
15826 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
15828 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
15829 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15831 @kindex G R (Summary)
15832 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you
15833 will be prompted for the location of the feed.
15835 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
15836 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET y}, then
15837 subscribe to groups.
15839 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15842 @item nnrss-directory
15843 @vindex nnrss-directory
15844 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15845 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15847 @item nnrss-use-local
15848 @vindex nnrss-use-local
15849 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
15850 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
15851 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
15852 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
15853 download script using @command{wget}.
15856 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15857 the summary buffer.
15860 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15861 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15863 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15865 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15866 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15869 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15872 (require 'browse-url)
15874 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15876 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15879 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15880 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15883 (browse-url (cdr url))
15884 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15885 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15887 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15888 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15889 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15890 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15893 @node Customizing w3
15894 @subsection Customizing w3
15900 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15901 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15902 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15904 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15905 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15906 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15909 (eval-after-load "w3"
15911 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15912 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15913 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15914 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15916 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15919 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15920 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15927 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
15929 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15930 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
15931 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15932 specify the network address of the server.
15934 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
15935 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
15936 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
15937 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
15938 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
15939 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15941 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
15942 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
15943 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
15944 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
15946 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15947 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15948 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
15949 usage explained in this section.
15951 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
15952 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
15953 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
15957 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15958 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
15959 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
15961 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15962 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15963 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
15965 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15966 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15967 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15968 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
15969 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15970 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15971 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15972 (nnimap-stream network))
15973 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
15975 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15976 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15977 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15980 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15981 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15982 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15983 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15985 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15990 @item nnimap-address
15991 @vindex nnimap-address
15993 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
15994 server name if not specified.
15996 @item nnimap-server-port
15997 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15998 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16000 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16003 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16004 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16007 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16008 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16009 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16010 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16011 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16012 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16013 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16015 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16016 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16017 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16020 Example server specification:
16023 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16024 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16025 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16028 @item nnimap-stream
16029 @vindex nnimap-stream
16030 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16031 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16032 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16033 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16034 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16036 Example server specification:
16039 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16040 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16043 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16047 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16048 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16050 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16052 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16053 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16056 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16057 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16059 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16060 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16062 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16064 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16067 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16068 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16069 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16070 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16071 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16072 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16073 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16074 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16075 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16078 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16079 needed. It is available from
16080 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16082 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16083 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16084 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16085 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16086 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16087 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16088 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16091 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16092 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16093 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16094 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16095 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16096 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16097 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16100 @vindex imap-shell-program
16101 @vindex imap-shell-host
16102 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16103 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16105 @item nnimap-authenticator
16106 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16108 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16109 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16111 Example server specification:
16114 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16115 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16118 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16122 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16123 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16125 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16128 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16129 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16131 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16133 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16135 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16138 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16140 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16141 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16142 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16143 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16144 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16145 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16148 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16149 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16150 running in circles yet?
16152 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16153 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16156 The possible options are:
16161 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16164 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16165 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16166 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16167 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16169 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16174 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16175 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16177 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16178 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16179 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16180 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16181 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16184 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16185 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16188 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16189 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16190 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16191 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16194 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16195 as ticked for other users.
16197 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16199 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16201 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16202 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16203 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16204 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16206 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16207 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16208 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16209 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16211 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16212 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16214 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16215 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16216 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16219 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16220 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16222 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16223 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16229 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16230 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16231 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16232 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16233 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16234 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16239 @node Splitting in IMAP
16240 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16241 @cindex splitting imap mail
16243 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16244 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16245 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16246 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16247 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16251 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16252 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16253 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16255 Here are the variables of interest:
16259 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16260 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16262 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16264 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16265 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16266 found will be used.
16268 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16270 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16271 @cindex splitting, inbox
16273 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16275 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16276 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16277 splitting is disabled!
16280 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16281 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16284 No nnmail equivalent.
16286 @item nnimap-split-rule
16287 @cindex splitting, rules
16288 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16290 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16293 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16294 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16295 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16296 Neither did I, we need examples.
16299 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16301 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16302 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16303 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16306 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16307 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16308 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16310 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16311 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16315 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16318 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16319 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16321 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16322 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16323 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16324 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16326 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16327 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16328 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16329 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16330 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16331 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16333 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16334 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16335 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16337 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16338 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16339 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16341 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16343 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16344 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16345 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16348 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16349 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16350 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16351 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16352 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16353 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16356 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16357 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16358 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16359 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16360 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16361 group/function elements.
16363 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16365 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16367 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16369 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16370 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16372 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16373 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16374 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16377 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16378 @cindex splitting, fancy
16379 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16380 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16382 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16383 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16384 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16386 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16387 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16388 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16389 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16394 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16395 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16398 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16400 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16401 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16402 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16404 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16405 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16406 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16407 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16411 @node Expiring in IMAP
16412 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16413 @cindex expiring imap mail
16415 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16416 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16417 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16418 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16419 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16420 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16423 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16424 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16425 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16426 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16427 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16428 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16429 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16430 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16434 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16435 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16437 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16438 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16440 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16442 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16443 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16444 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16445 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16449 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16450 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16451 @cindex editing imap acls
16452 @cindex Access Control Lists
16453 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16454 @kindex G l (Group)
16455 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16457 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16458 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16459 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16462 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16463 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16464 editing window with detailed instructions.
16466 Some possible uses:
16470 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16471 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16472 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16474 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16475 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16476 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16480 @node Expunging mailboxes
16481 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16485 @cindex manual expunging
16486 @kindex G x (Group)
16487 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16489 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16490 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16491 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16493 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16496 @node A note on namespaces
16497 @subsection A note on namespaces
16498 @cindex IMAP namespace
16501 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16502 by the following text in the RFC:
16505 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16507 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16508 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16509 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16510 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16512 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16513 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16514 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16515 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16516 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16517 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16520 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16521 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16522 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16524 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16525 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16526 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16527 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16528 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16529 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16530 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16531 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16534 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16535 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16536 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16538 @node Debugging IMAP
16539 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16540 @cindex IMAP debugging
16541 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16543 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16544 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16545 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behaviour, chances
16546 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16548 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16549 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16550 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16551 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16552 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16553 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16554 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16558 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16559 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16566 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16567 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16568 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16569 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16572 @node Other Sources
16573 @section Other Sources
16575 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16576 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16580 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16581 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16582 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16583 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16584 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16588 @node Directory Groups
16589 @subsection Directory Groups
16591 @cindex directory groups
16593 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16594 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16597 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16598 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16599 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16600 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16602 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16603 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16604 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16605 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16606 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16608 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16610 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16611 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16612 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16613 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16616 @node Anything Groups
16617 @subsection Anything Groups
16620 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16621 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16622 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16625 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16626 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16627 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16628 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16629 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16630 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16631 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16632 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16633 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16634 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16637 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16638 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16639 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16640 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16642 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16643 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16644 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16645 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16647 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16648 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16649 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16650 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16651 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16652 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16653 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16654 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16659 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16660 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16661 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16662 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16664 @item nneething-exclude-files
16665 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16666 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16667 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16669 @item nneething-include-files
16670 @vindex nneething-include-files
16671 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16672 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16674 @item nneething-map-file
16675 @vindex nneething-map-file
16676 Name of the map files.
16680 @node Document Groups
16681 @subsection Document Groups
16683 @cindex documentation group
16686 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16687 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16694 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16699 The standard Unix mbox file.
16701 @cindex MMDF mail box
16703 The MMDF mail box format.
16706 Several news articles appended into a file.
16709 @cindex rnews batch files
16710 The rnews batch transport format.
16711 @cindex forwarded messages
16714 Forwarded articles.
16717 Netscape mail boxes.
16720 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16722 @item standard-digest
16723 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16726 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16728 @item lanl-gov-announce
16729 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16731 @item rfc822-forward
16732 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16735 The Outlook mail box.
16738 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16741 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16744 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16747 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16753 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16756 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16762 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16763 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16764 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16767 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16768 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16769 group. And that's it.
16771 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16772 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16773 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16774 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16775 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16776 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16777 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16778 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16779 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16780 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16782 Virtual server variables:
16785 @item nndoc-article-type
16786 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16787 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16788 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16789 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16790 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16791 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16793 @item nndoc-post-type
16794 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16795 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16796 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16801 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16805 @node Document Server Internals
16806 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16808 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16809 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16810 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16811 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16813 First, here's an example document type definition:
16817 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16818 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16821 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16822 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16823 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16824 types can be defined with very few settings:
16827 @item first-article
16828 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16829 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16832 @item article-begin
16833 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16834 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16836 @item head-begin-function
16837 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16840 @item nndoc-head-begin
16841 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16844 @item nndoc-head-end
16845 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16846 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16848 @item body-begin-function
16849 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16853 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16856 @item body-end-function
16857 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16861 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16864 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16865 regexp will be totally ignored.
16869 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16870 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16871 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16872 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16873 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16876 @item prepare-body-function
16877 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16878 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16879 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16881 @item article-transform-function
16882 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16883 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16884 body of the article.
16886 @item generate-head-function
16887 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16888 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16889 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16890 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16894 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16899 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16900 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16901 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16902 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16903 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16904 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16905 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16906 (subtype digest guess))
16909 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16910 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16911 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16912 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16913 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16915 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16916 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16917 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16918 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16919 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
16920 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
16921 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
16922 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16923 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
16924 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16925 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
16926 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16934 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16935 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16936 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16938 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16939 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16940 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16943 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16944 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16945 that interested in doing things properly.
16947 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16948 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16951 First some terminology:
16956 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16957 get news and/or mail from.
16960 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16961 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16964 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16968 @item message packets
16969 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16970 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16971 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16973 @item response packets
16974 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16975 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16976 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16986 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16987 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16988 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16989 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16992 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16995 You put the packet in your home directory.
16998 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16999 the native or secondary server.
17002 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17003 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17006 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17010 You transfer this packet to the server.
17013 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17016 You then repeat until you die.
17020 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17021 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17024 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17025 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17026 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17030 @node SOUP Commands
17031 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17033 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17037 @kindex G s b (Group)
17038 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17039 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17040 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17041 process/prefix convention.
17044 @kindex G s w (Group)
17045 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17046 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17049 @kindex G s s (Group)
17050 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17051 Send all replies from the replies packet
17052 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17055 @kindex G s p (Group)
17056 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17057 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17060 @kindex G s r (Group)
17061 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17062 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17065 @kindex O s (Summary)
17066 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17067 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17068 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17069 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17074 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17079 @item gnus-soup-directory
17080 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17081 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17082 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17084 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17085 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17086 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17087 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17089 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17090 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17091 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17092 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17094 @item gnus-soup-packer
17095 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17096 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17097 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17099 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17100 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17101 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17102 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17104 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17105 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17106 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17108 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17109 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17110 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17111 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17117 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17120 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17121 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17122 you can read them at leisure.
17124 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17128 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17129 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17130 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17131 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17133 @item nnsoup-directory
17134 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17135 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17136 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17138 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17139 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17140 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17141 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17143 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17144 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17145 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17146 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17147 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17149 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17150 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17151 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17152 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17154 @item nnsoup-active-file
17155 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17156 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17157 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17158 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17159 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17161 @item nnsoup-packer
17162 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17163 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17164 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17166 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17167 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17168 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17169 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17171 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17172 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17173 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17176 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17177 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17178 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17181 @item nnsoup-always-save
17182 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17183 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17189 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17191 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17192 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17193 more for that to happen.
17195 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17196 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17197 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17200 In specific, this is what it does:
17203 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17204 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17207 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17208 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17209 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17212 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17213 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17214 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17217 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17218 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17219 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17221 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17227 @item nngateway-address
17228 @vindex nngateway-address
17229 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17231 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17232 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17233 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17234 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17235 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17236 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17237 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17240 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17241 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17242 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17245 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17248 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17251 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17254 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17256 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17259 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17260 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17261 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17263 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17265 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17266 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17267 @code{nngateway-address}.
17275 (setq gnus-post-method
17277 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17278 (nngateway-header-transformation
17279 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17282 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17285 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17290 @node Combined Groups
17291 @section Combined Groups
17293 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17297 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17298 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17302 @node Virtual Groups
17303 @subsection Virtual Groups
17305 @cindex virtual groups
17306 @cindex merging groups
17308 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17311 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17312 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17313 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17315 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17316 regexp to match component groups.
17318 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17319 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17320 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17321 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17322 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17323 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17324 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17325 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17327 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17328 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17331 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17334 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17335 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17337 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17338 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17339 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17340 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17343 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17346 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17347 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17348 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17350 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17351 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17352 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17353 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17354 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17356 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17357 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17358 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17360 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17361 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17362 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17363 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17364 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17365 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17366 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17367 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17368 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17369 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17370 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17372 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17373 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17374 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17375 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17376 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17377 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17378 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17380 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17381 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17383 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17384 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17388 @node Kibozed Groups
17389 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17393 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17394 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17395 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17396 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17398 @kindex G k (Group)
17399 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17402 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17403 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17404 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17405 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17407 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17408 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17409 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17411 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17412 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17413 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17414 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17415 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17416 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17417 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17418 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17420 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17421 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17422 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17423 Stranger things have happened.
17425 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17426 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17428 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17429 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17430 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17431 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17432 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17433 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17434 component articles.
17436 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17437 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17440 @node Gnus Unplugged
17441 @section Gnus Unplugged
17446 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17448 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17449 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17450 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17451 read news. Believe it or not.
17453 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17454 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17455 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17456 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17457 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17459 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17460 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17461 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17462 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17463 reading news on a machine.
17465 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17466 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
17467 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
17469 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17472 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17473 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17474 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17475 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17476 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17477 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17478 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17479 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17480 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17481 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17482 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17483 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17484 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17489 @subsection Agent Basics
17491 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17493 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17494 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17495 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17496 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17498 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17499 connected to the net continuously.
17501 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17502 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17504 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17505 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17506 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17507 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17508 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17510 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17511 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17512 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17513 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17514 they're kinda like plugged always).
17516 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17517 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17518 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17521 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17522 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17523 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17524 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17525 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17527 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17532 @findex gnus-unplugged
17533 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17534 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17535 already fetched while in this mode.
17538 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17539 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17540 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17541 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17542 Source Specifiers}).
17545 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17546 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17547 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17548 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17549 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17552 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17553 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17554 then you read the news offline.
17557 And then you go to step 2.
17560 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17566 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17567 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17568 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17569 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17570 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17571 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17572 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17573 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17576 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17577 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17578 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17579 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17581 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17582 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17583 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17584 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17585 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17586 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17590 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17594 @node Agent Categories
17595 @subsection Agent Categories
17597 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17598 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17599 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17600 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17601 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17602 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17603 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17605 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17606 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17607 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17608 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17609 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17611 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17612 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17613 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17614 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17615 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17618 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17619 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17620 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17621 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17622 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17623 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17627 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17628 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17629 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17633 @node Category Syntax
17634 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17636 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17637 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17638 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17641 @cindex Agent Parameters
17643 @item agent-cat-name
17644 The name of the category.
17647 The list of groups that are in this category.
17649 @item agent-predicate
17650 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17651 are eligible for downloading; and
17653 @item agent-score-file
17654 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17655 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17656 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17658 @item agent-enable-expiration
17659 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17660 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17661 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17662 only groups that should not be expired.
17664 @item agent-days-until-old
17665 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17666 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17668 @item agent-low-score
17669 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17671 @item agent-high-score
17672 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17674 @item agent-length-when-short
17675 an integer that overrides the value of
17676 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17678 @item agent-length-when-long
17679 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17681 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
17682 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
17683 undownloaded articles using the gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face
17684 faces. Any symbol other than nil will enable the use of undownloaded
17688 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17691 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17692 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17693 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17696 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17697 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17698 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17699 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17701 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17702 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17703 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17705 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17706 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17707 operators sprinkled in between.
17709 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17711 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17712 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17718 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17719 short (for some value of ``short'').
17721 Here's a more complex predicate:
17730 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17731 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17734 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17735 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17736 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17738 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17739 you want to do, you can write your own.
17741 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17742 bound to the value determined by calling
17743 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17744 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17745 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17746 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17747 predicate to individual groups.
17751 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17752 lines; default 100.
17755 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17756 lines; default 200.
17759 True iff the article has a download score less than
17760 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17763 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17764 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17767 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17768 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17769 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17778 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17779 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17780 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17783 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17784 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17785 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17786 something along the lines of the following:
17789 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17790 "Say whether an article is old."
17791 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17792 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17795 with the predicate then defined as:
17798 (not my-article-old-p)
17801 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17802 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17806 (require 'gnus-agent)
17807 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17808 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17809 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17812 and simply specify your predicate as:
17818 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17819 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17820 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17821 just don't give a damn.
17823 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17824 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17825 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17826 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
17827 parameters like so:
17830 (agent-predicate . short)
17833 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17834 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17835 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17837 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17840 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17843 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17844 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17845 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17848 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17849 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17850 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17851 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17852 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17853 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17855 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17856 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17857 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17858 if it's to be specific to that group.
17860 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17867 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
17868 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17874 Category specification
17878 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17884 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17887 (agent-score ("from"
17888 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17893 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17899 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17900 keywords stated above.
17906 Category specification
17909 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17915 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17919 Group Parameter specification
17922 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17925 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17930 Use @code{normal} score files
17932 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17933 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17934 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17935 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17937 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17938 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17939 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17940 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17944 Category Specification
17951 Group Parameter specification
17954 (agent-score . file)
17959 @node Category Buffer
17960 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17962 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17963 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17964 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17966 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17970 @kindex q (Category)
17971 @findex gnus-category-exit
17972 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17975 @kindex e (Category)
17976 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
17977 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
17978 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
17981 @kindex k (Category)
17982 @findex gnus-category-kill
17983 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17986 @kindex c (Category)
17987 @findex gnus-category-copy
17988 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17991 @kindex a (Category)
17992 @findex gnus-category-add
17993 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17996 @kindex p (Category)
17997 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17998 Edit the predicate of the current category
17999 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18002 @kindex g (Category)
18003 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18004 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18005 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18008 @kindex s (Category)
18009 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18010 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18011 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18014 @kindex l (Category)
18015 @findex gnus-category-list
18016 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18020 @node Category Variables
18021 @subsubsection Category Variables
18024 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18025 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18026 Hook run in category buffers.
18028 @item gnus-category-line-format
18029 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18030 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18031 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18035 The name of the category.
18038 The number of groups in the category.
18041 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18042 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18043 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18045 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18046 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18047 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18049 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18050 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18051 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18053 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18054 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18055 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18058 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18059 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18060 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18063 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18064 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18065 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18066 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18067 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18068 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18069 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18070 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18074 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18075 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18076 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18077 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18078 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18079 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18080 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18085 @node Agent Commands
18086 @subsection Agent Commands
18087 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18088 @kindex J j (Agent)
18090 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18091 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18092 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18096 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18097 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18098 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18104 @node Group Agent Commands
18105 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18109 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18110 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18111 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18112 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18115 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18116 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18117 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18120 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18121 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18122 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18123 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18126 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18127 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18128 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18129 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18132 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18133 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18134 Add the current group to an Agent category
18135 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18136 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18139 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18140 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18141 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18142 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18143 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18146 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18147 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18148 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18154 @node Summary Agent Commands
18155 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18159 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18160 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18161 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18164 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18165 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18166 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18167 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18171 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18172 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18173 Toggle whether to download the article
18174 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18178 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18179 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18180 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18183 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18184 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18185 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18186 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18189 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18190 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18191 Download all processable articles in this group.
18192 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18195 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18196 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18197 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18198 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18203 @node Server Agent Commands
18204 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18208 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18209 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18210 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18211 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18214 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18215 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18216 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18217 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18222 @node Agent Visuals
18223 @subsection Agent Visuals
18225 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18226 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18227 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18228 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18229 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18230 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18231 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18232 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18233 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18234 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18236 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18237 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18238 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18239 way, "If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18240 less than satisfying unplugged session". For this reason, the Agent
18241 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18242 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18243 articles will be available when unplugged.
18245 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18246 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18247 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18248 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18249 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18250 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18251 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18252 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18254 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18255 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18256 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18257 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18258 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18259 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18260 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18261 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18262 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18264 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18265 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18266 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18267 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18268 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18269 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18270 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18271 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18272 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18273 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18275 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18276 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18277 group parameter to t. This parameter, like all other agent
18278 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent
18279 Categories}), a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an
18280 individual group (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18282 @node Agent as Cache
18283 @subsection Agent as Cache
18285 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18286 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18287 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18288 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18289 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18290 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18291 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18292 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18293 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18295 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18296 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18297 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18298 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18299 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18302 @subsection Agent Expiry
18304 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18305 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18306 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18307 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18308 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18309 @cindex agent expiry
18310 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18313 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18314 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18315 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18316 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18317 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18318 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18319 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18320 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18322 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18323 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18324 synchronized with the group.
18326 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18327 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18329 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18330 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18331 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18332 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18333 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18334 be kept indefinitely.
18336 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18337 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18338 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18339 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18341 @node Agent Regeneration
18342 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18344 @cindex agent regeneration
18345 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18346 @cindex regeneration
18348 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18349 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18350 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18351 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18352 internal inconsistencies.
18354 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18355 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18356 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18357 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18358 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18359 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18361 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18362 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18363 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18364 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18365 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18366 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18368 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18369 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18370 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18371 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18372 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18373 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18376 @node Agent and IMAP
18377 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18379 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18380 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18381 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18382 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18384 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18385 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18386 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18387 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18389 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18390 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18391 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18392 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18394 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18395 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18396 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18397 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18398 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18399 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18401 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18402 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18403 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18404 in the group buffer.
18406 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18407 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18412 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18415 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18419 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18420 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18421 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18422 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18423 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18424 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18425 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18426 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18429 @node Outgoing Messages
18430 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18432 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
18433 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
18434 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18436 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
18437 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
18438 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
18440 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
18441 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
18442 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
18443 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
18446 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
18447 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
18448 ask you to confirm your action (see
18449 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
18451 @node Agent Variables
18452 @subsection Agent Variables
18457 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
18458 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
18459 automatically mark some backends as agentized. You may change which
18460 backends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
18462 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
18463 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
18466 @item gnus-agent-directory
18467 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18468 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18469 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18471 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18472 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18473 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18474 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18475 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18478 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18479 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18480 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18482 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18483 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18484 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18486 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18487 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18488 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18490 @item gnus-agent-cache
18491 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18492 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18493 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18494 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18496 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18497 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18498 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18499 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18500 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18501 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18502 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18505 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18506 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18507 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18508 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18509 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18510 read. The default is t.
18512 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18513 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18514 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18515 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
18516 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
18517 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
18518 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
18519 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
18520 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
18521 over and over again.
18523 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18524 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18525 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18526 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18527 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18528 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18529 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18530 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18531 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18532 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18533 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18534 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18537 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18538 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18539 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18540 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18541 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18542 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18543 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18544 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18545 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18547 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18548 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18549 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18550 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18551 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18552 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18554 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18555 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18556 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18557 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18558 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18560 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
18561 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
18562 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
18563 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
18564 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
18565 mail. The default is @code{t}.
18567 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18568 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18569 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
18570 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
18571 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
18573 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18574 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18575 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
18576 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
18577 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
18578 which backends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
18579 to agentize remote backends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
18580 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
18581 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
18582 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
18583 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
18588 @node Example Setup
18589 @subsection Example Setup
18591 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18592 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18593 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18596 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18597 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18598 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18600 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18601 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18602 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18604 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18605 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18607 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18608 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18609 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18612 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18613 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18616 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18617 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18618 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18619 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18620 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18623 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18624 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18625 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18626 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18627 back all the killed groups.)
18629 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18630 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18631 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18634 @node Batching Agents
18635 @subsection Batching Agents
18636 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18638 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18639 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18640 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18642 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18643 following incantation:
18647 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18651 @node Agent Caveats
18652 @subsection Agent Caveats
18654 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18655 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18659 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18661 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18662 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18663 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18665 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18666 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18668 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18672 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18673 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18674 locally stored articles.
18681 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18682 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18683 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18686 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18687 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18688 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18689 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18690 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18692 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18693 before generating the summary buffer.
18695 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18696 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18697 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18699 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18700 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18701 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18702 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18705 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18706 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18707 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18708 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18709 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18710 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18711 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18712 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18713 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18714 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18715 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18716 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18717 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18718 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18719 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18720 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18724 @node Summary Score Commands
18725 @section Summary Score Commands
18726 @cindex score commands
18728 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18729 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18730 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18731 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18732 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18734 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18735 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18736 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18737 score file the current one.
18739 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18744 @kindex V s (Summary)
18745 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18746 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18749 @kindex V S (Summary)
18750 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18751 Display the score of the current article
18752 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18755 @kindex V t (Summary)
18756 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18757 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18758 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18759 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
18760 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
18761 score file and edit it.
18764 @kindex V w (Summary)
18765 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18766 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18769 @kindex V R (Summary)
18770 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18771 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18772 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18773 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18774 effect you're having.
18777 @kindex V c (Summary)
18778 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18779 Make a different score file the current
18780 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18783 @kindex V e (Summary)
18784 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18785 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18786 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18790 @kindex V f (Summary)
18791 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18792 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18793 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18796 @kindex V F (Summary)
18797 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18798 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18799 after editing score files.
18802 @kindex V C (Summary)
18803 @findex gnus-score-customize
18804 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18805 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18809 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18814 @kindex V m (Summary)
18815 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18816 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18817 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18820 @kindex V x (Summary)
18821 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18822 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18823 expunge all articles below this score
18824 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18827 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18828 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18831 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18832 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18836 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18837 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18839 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18840 keys are available:
18844 Score on the author name.
18847 Score on the subject line.
18850 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18853 Score on the @code{References} line.
18859 Score on the number of lines.
18862 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18865 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18866 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18869 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18870 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18871 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18880 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18886 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18887 what headers you are scoring on.
18899 Substring matching.
18902 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18931 Greater than number.
18936 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18937 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18938 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18943 Temporary score entry.
18946 Permanent score entry.
18949 Immediately scoring.
18953 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18954 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18955 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18959 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18960 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18961 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18962 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18964 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18965 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18966 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18967 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18968 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18970 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18971 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18972 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18973 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18974 current score file.
18976 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18977 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18978 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18981 @node Group Score Commands
18982 @section Group Score Commands
18983 @cindex group score commands
18985 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18990 @kindex W e (Group)
18991 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
18992 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
18993 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
18996 @kindex W f (Group)
18997 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18998 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18999 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19000 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19004 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19006 @findex gnus-batch-score
19007 @cindex batch scoring
19009 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19013 @node Score Variables
19014 @section Score Variables
19015 @cindex score variables
19019 @item gnus-use-scoring
19020 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19021 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19022 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19024 @item gnus-kill-killed
19025 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19026 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19027 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19028 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19029 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19030 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19031 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19033 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19034 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19035 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19036 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19037 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19039 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19040 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19041 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19042 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19044 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19045 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19046 @cindex score cache
19047 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19048 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19049 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19050 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19051 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19052 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19053 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19056 @item gnus-save-score
19057 @vindex gnus-save-score
19058 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19059 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19060 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19062 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19063 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19064 across group visits.
19066 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19067 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19068 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19069 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19070 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19071 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19072 manually entered data.
19074 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19075 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19076 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19078 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19079 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19080 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19081 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19082 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19083 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19085 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19086 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19087 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19088 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19090 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19091 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19092 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19093 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19095 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19096 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19097 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19098 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19100 Predefined functions available are:
19103 @item gnus-score-find-single
19104 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19105 Only apply the group's own score file.
19107 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19108 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19109 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19110 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19111 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19112 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19113 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19114 then a regexp match is done.
19116 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19117 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19119 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19120 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19121 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19122 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19124 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19125 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19126 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19127 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19128 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19132 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19133 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19134 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19135 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19136 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19137 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19138 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19141 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19142 overall score file, you could use the value
19144 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19145 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19148 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19149 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19150 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19151 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19152 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19154 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19155 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19156 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19157 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19158 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19159 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19160 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19161 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19163 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19164 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19165 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19167 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19168 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19169 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19170 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19171 threading---according to the current value of
19172 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19173 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19174 simplified in this manner.
19179 @node Score File Format
19180 @section Score File Format
19181 @cindex score file format
19183 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19184 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19185 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19187 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19191 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19193 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19195 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19197 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19202 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19206 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19207 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19208 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19209 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19213 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19214 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19216 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19217 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19218 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19220 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19225 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19226 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19227 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19228 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19229 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19230 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19231 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19232 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19233 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19234 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19235 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19236 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19237 to articles that matches these score entries.
19239 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19240 score entry has one to four elements.
19244 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19245 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19249 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19250 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19251 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19252 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19253 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19254 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19257 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19258 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19259 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19260 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19261 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19264 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19265 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19266 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19267 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19270 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19271 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19272 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19273 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19274 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19275 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19276 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19277 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19278 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19279 instead, if you feel like.
19282 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19283 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19284 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19285 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19286 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19287 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19291 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19292 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19296 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19297 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19299 These predicates are true if
19302 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19305 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19306 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19313 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19314 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19315 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19316 it's not. I think.)
19318 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19319 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19320 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19321 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19324 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19325 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19326 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19327 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19328 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19329 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19330 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19334 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19335 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19336 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19337 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19338 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19339 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19340 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19341 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19344 @item Head, Body, All
19345 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19349 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19350 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19351 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19352 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19353 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19354 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19355 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19359 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19360 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19361 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19362 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19363 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19364 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19365 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19366 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19367 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19368 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19369 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19373 @cindex score file atoms
19375 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19376 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19379 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19380 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19382 @item mark-and-expunge
19383 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19384 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19387 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19388 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19389 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19390 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19391 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19394 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19395 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19398 @item exclude-files
19399 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19400 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19404 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19405 ignored when handling global score files.
19408 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19409 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19410 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19411 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19414 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19415 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19416 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19417 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19419 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19423 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19426 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19427 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19428 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19429 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19430 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19432 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19433 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19434 scoring rules exist.
19437 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19438 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19439 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19440 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19441 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19442 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19443 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19444 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19445 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19446 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19447 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19451 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19452 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19453 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19454 file for a number of groups.
19457 @cindex local variables
19458 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19459 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19460 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19461 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19462 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19467 @node Score File Editing
19468 @section Score File Editing
19470 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19471 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19472 with a mode for that.
19474 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19475 additional commands:
19480 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19481 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19482 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19483 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19486 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19487 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19488 Insert the current date in numerical format
19489 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19490 you were wondering.
19493 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19494 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19495 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19496 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19497 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19502 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19504 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19505 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19507 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
19508 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
19511 @node Adaptive Scoring
19512 @section Adaptive Scoring
19513 @cindex adaptive scoring
19515 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19516 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19517 stupidity, to be precise.
19519 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19520 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19521 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19522 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19523 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19524 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19525 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19526 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19527 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19529 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19530 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19531 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19532 might look something like this:
19535 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19536 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19537 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19538 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19539 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19540 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19541 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19542 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19543 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19544 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19545 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19546 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19549 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19550 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19551 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19552 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19553 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19554 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19557 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19558 will be applied to each article.
19560 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19561 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19562 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19563 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19565 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19566 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19567 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19568 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19570 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19571 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19572 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19573 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19575 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19576 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19577 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19578 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19579 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19580 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19582 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19583 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19584 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19586 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19587 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19588 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19590 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19591 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19592 let you use different rules in different groups.
19594 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19595 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19596 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19599 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19600 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19601 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19602 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19603 the length of the match is less than
19604 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19605 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19608 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19609 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19610 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19611 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19612 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19615 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19616 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19617 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19618 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19619 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19622 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19623 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19624 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19625 score with 30 points.
19627 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19628 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19629 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19630 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19631 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19633 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19634 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19635 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19636 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19637 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19639 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19640 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19641 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19642 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19644 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19645 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19646 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19647 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19649 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19650 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19651 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19652 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19653 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19655 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19656 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19657 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19659 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19660 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19661 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19662 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19665 @node Home Score File
19666 @section Home Score File
19668 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19669 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19670 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19671 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19673 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19674 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19675 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19677 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19678 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19683 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19687 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19688 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19692 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19696 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19697 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19700 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19701 be used as the home score file.
19704 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19707 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19712 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19715 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19716 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19719 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19720 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19722 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19724 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19725 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19728 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19729 Other functions include
19732 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19733 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19734 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19735 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19739 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19740 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19741 their own home score files:
19744 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19745 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19746 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19747 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19748 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19751 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19752 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19753 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19754 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19755 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19757 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19758 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19759 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19760 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19761 precedence over this variable.
19764 @node Followups To Yourself
19765 @section Followups To Yourself
19767 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19768 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19769 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19770 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19771 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19772 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19776 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19777 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19778 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19781 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19782 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19783 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19787 @vindex message-sent-hook
19788 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19789 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19791 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19795 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19796 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19800 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19801 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19804 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19805 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19810 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19814 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19815 is system-dependent.
19818 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19819 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19820 @cindex scoring on other headers
19822 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19823 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19824 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19825 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19826 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19828 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19829 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
19830 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
19831 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
19832 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19834 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19837 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19838 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19841 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19842 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19843 time if you have much mail.
19845 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19846 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19852 @section Scoring Tips
19853 @cindex scoring tips
19859 @cindex scoring crossposts
19860 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19861 the @code{Xref} header.
19863 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19866 @item Multiple crossposts
19867 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19868 more than, say, 3 groups:
19871 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19875 @item Matching on the body
19876 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19877 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19878 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19879 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19880 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19881 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19882 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19885 @item Marking as read
19886 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19887 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19888 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19892 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19894 @item Negated character classes
19895 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19896 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19897 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19901 @node Reverse Scoring
19902 @section Reverse Scoring
19903 @cindex reverse scoring
19905 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19906 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19907 like this in your score file:
19911 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19916 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19917 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19920 @node Global Score Files
19921 @section Global Score Files
19922 @cindex global score files
19924 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19925 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19926 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19928 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19929 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19930 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19932 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19933 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19934 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19935 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19936 files are applicable to which group.
19938 To use the score file
19939 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19940 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19944 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19945 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19946 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19949 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19951 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19952 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19953 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19954 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19956 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19957 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19959 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19960 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19961 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19962 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19963 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19964 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19966 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19972 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19974 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19976 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19978 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19979 lowered out of existence.
19981 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19982 articles completely.
19985 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19986 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19987 old articles for a long time.
19990 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19991 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19992 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19993 holding our breath yet?
19997 @section Kill Files
20000 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20001 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20002 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20004 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20005 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20006 files into score files.
20008 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20009 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20010 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20011 that isn't a very good idea.
20013 Normal kill files look like this:
20016 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20017 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20021 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20022 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20024 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20025 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20028 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20033 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20034 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20035 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20038 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20039 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20040 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20043 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20048 @kindex M-k (Group)
20049 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20050 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20053 @kindex M-K (Group)
20054 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20055 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20058 Kill file variables:
20061 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20062 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20063 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20064 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20065 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20066 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20067 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20069 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20070 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20071 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20072 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20075 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20076 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20077 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20078 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20079 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20080 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20081 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20082 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20083 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20085 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20086 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20087 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20092 @node Converting Kill Files
20093 @section Converting Kill Files
20095 @cindex converting kill files
20097 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20098 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20099 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20102 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20103 You can fetch it from
20104 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20106 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20107 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20108 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20112 @node Advanced Scoring
20113 @section Advanced Scoring
20115 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20116 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20117 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20118 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20119 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20121 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20125 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20126 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20127 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20131 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20132 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20134 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20135 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20136 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20137 non-@code{nil} value.
20139 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20140 operator, and various match operators.
20147 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20148 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20149 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20154 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20155 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20156 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20161 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20162 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20166 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20167 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20168 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20169 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20170 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20171 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20172 the ancestry you want to go.
20174 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20175 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20176 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20177 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20178 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20181 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20182 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20184 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20185 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20188 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20189 when he's talking about Gnus:
20194 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20195 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20202 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20206 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20213 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20214 really don't want to read what he's written:
20218 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20219 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20223 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20224 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20225 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20232 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20233 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20234 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20235 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20239 The possibilities are endless.
20242 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20243 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20245 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20246 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20247 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20248 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20249 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20250 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20251 @samp{subject}) first.
20253 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20254 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20265 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20266 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20272 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20279 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20280 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20285 @section Score Decays
20286 @cindex score decays
20289 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20290 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20291 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20292 use them in any sensible way.
20294 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20295 @findex gnus-decay-score
20296 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20297 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20298 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20299 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20300 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20301 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20302 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20303 definition of that function:
20306 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20307 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20308 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20310 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20312 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20314 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20315 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20316 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20317 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20318 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20320 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20324 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20325 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20326 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20327 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20331 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20334 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20337 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20341 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20342 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20343 the new score, which should be an integer.
20345 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20346 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20351 @include message.texi
20352 @chapter Emacs MIME
20353 @include emacs-mime.texi
20355 @include sieve.texi
20357 @c @include pgg.texi
20359 @c @include sasl.texi
20367 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20368 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20369 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20370 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20371 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20372 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20373 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20374 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20375 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20376 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20377 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20378 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20379 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20380 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20381 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20382 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20383 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20384 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20385 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
20386 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20390 @node Process/Prefix
20391 @section Process/Prefix
20392 @cindex process/prefix convention
20394 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20395 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20397 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20398 command to be performed on.
20402 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20403 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20404 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20405 with the current one.
20407 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20408 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20409 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20411 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20412 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20415 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20416 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20418 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20421 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20422 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20423 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20424 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20426 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20427 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20428 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20429 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20430 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20431 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20432 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20433 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20435 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20436 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20437 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20438 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20439 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20443 @section Interactive
20444 @cindex interaction
20448 @item gnus-novice-user
20449 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20450 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20451 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20452 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20453 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20456 @item gnus-expert-user
20457 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20458 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20459 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20460 matter how strange.
20462 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20463 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20464 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20465 is @code{t} by default.
20467 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20468 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20469 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20474 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20475 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20476 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20478 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20479 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20480 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20481 rule of 900 to the current article.
20483 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20484 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20485 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20486 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20487 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20488 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20489 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20491 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20492 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20493 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20494 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20495 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20496 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20497 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20498 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20499 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20501 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20502 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20503 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20505 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20509 @node Formatting Variables
20510 @section Formatting Variables
20511 @cindex formatting variables
20513 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20514 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20515 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20516 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20517 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20520 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20521 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20522 lots of percentages everywhere.
20525 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20526 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20527 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20528 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20529 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20530 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20531 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20532 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20535 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20536 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20537 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20538 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20539 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20540 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20541 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20542 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20544 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20545 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20547 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20548 @findex gnus-update-format
20549 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20550 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20551 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20552 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20556 @node Formatting Basics
20557 @subsection Formatting Basics
20559 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20560 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20561 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20563 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20564 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20565 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20566 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20567 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20570 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20571 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20572 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20573 less than 4 characters wide.
20575 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20576 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20579 @node Mode Line Formatting
20580 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20582 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20583 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20584 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20585 with the following two differences:
20590 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20593 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20594 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20595 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20596 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20597 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20598 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20599 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20604 @node Advanced Formatting
20605 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20607 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20608 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20609 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20610 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20612 These are the valid modifiers:
20617 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20621 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20626 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20629 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20634 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20637 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20640 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20643 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20649 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20654 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20655 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20656 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20657 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20658 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20659 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20660 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20662 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20663 last operation, padding.
20665 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20666 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20667 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20668 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20669 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20670 the look of your lines.
20671 @xref{Compilation}.
20674 @node User-Defined Specs
20675 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20677 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20678 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20679 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20680 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20681 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20682 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20683 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20684 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20685 should protect against that.
20687 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20688 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20690 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20691 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20692 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20693 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20697 @node Formatting Fonts
20698 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20700 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20701 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20702 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20703 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20706 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20707 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20708 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20709 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20710 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20711 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20713 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20714 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20715 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20716 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20717 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20718 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20719 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20720 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20721 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20722 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20723 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20726 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20729 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20730 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20731 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20733 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20734 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20735 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20736 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20737 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20738 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20739 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20741 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20742 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20743 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20746 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20747 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20749 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20750 mode-line variables.
20752 @node Positioning Point
20753 @subsection Positioning Point
20755 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20756 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20757 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20759 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20761 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20762 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20763 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20765 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20766 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20767 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20772 @subsection Tabulation
20774 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20775 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20776 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20777 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20779 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20780 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20782 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20783 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20784 This is the soft tabulator.
20786 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20787 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20788 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20791 @node Wide Characters
20792 @subsection Wide Characters
20794 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20795 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20796 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20798 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20799 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20800 these countries, that's not true.
20802 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20803 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20804 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20805 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20809 @node Window Layout
20810 @section Window Layout
20811 @cindex window layout
20813 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20815 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20816 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20817 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20818 @code{t} by default.
20820 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20821 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20823 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20824 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20825 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20828 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20829 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20830 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20834 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20835 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20836 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20837 possible names is listed below.
20839 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20840 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20843 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20847 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20848 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20849 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20850 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20851 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20852 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20853 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20854 size spec per split.
20856 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20857 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20858 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20859 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20860 present) gets focus.
20862 Here's a more complicated example:
20865 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20866 (summary 0.25 point)
20867 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20871 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20872 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20873 occupy, not a percentage.
20875 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20876 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20877 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20878 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20879 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20882 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20885 (article (horizontal 1.0
20890 (summary 0.25 point)
20895 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20896 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20898 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20899 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20900 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20901 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20902 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20904 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20905 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20906 lines from the splits.
20908 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20913 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20914 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20915 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20916 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20917 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20918 size = number | frame-params
20919 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20923 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20924 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20925 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20926 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20928 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20929 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20930 @cindex window height
20931 @cindex window width
20932 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20933 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20934 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20935 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20936 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20937 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20939 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20940 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20941 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20942 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20944 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20945 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20946 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20947 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20948 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20949 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20950 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20951 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20952 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20953 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20954 configuration list.
20957 (gnus-configure-frame
20961 (article 0.3 point))
20969 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20970 @code{frame} split:
20973 (gnus-configure-frame
20976 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20978 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20979 (user-position . t)
20980 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20985 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20986 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20987 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20988 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20989 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20990 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20991 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20992 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20994 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20995 be found in its default value.
20997 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20998 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20999 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21003 (message (horizontal 1.0
21004 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21006 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21011 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21012 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21013 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21018 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21019 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21020 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21021 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21022 (name . "Message"))
21023 (message 1.0 point))))
21026 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21027 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21028 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21029 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21030 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21033 (gnus-add-configuration
21034 '(article (vertical 1.0
21036 (summary .25 point)
21040 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21041 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21042 Gnus has been loaded.
21044 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21045 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21046 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21047 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21048 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21050 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21051 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21052 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21055 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21059 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21060 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21075 (gnus-add-configuration
21078 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21080 (summary 0.16 point)
21083 (gnus-add-configuration
21086 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21087 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21093 @node Faces and Fonts
21094 @section Faces and Fonts
21099 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21100 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21101 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21106 @section Compilation
21107 @cindex compilation
21108 @cindex byte-compilation
21110 @findex gnus-compile
21112 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21113 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21114 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21115 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21116 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21117 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21118 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21119 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21122 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21123 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21124 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21125 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21126 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21129 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21130 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21131 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21132 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21133 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21138 @section Mode Lines
21141 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21142 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21143 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21144 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21145 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21146 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21147 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21150 @cindex display-time
21152 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21153 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21154 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21155 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21156 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21157 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21158 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21159 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21162 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21164 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21165 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21167 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21168 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21169 (length display-time-string)))))
21172 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21173 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21174 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21175 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21176 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21179 @node Highlighting and Menus
21180 @section Highlighting and Menus
21182 @cindex highlighting
21185 @vindex gnus-visual
21186 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21187 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21188 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21191 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21192 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21195 @item group-highlight
21196 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21197 @item summary-highlight
21198 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21199 @item article-highlight
21200 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21202 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21204 Create menus in the group buffer.
21206 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21208 Create menus in the article buffer.
21210 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21212 Create menus in the server buffer.
21214 Create menus in the score buffers.
21216 Create menus in all buffers.
21219 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21220 buffers, you could say something like:
21223 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21226 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21229 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21232 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21233 in all Gnus buffers.
21235 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21238 @item gnus-mouse-face
21239 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21240 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21241 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21245 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21249 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21250 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21251 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21253 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21254 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21255 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21257 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21258 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21259 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21261 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21262 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21263 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21265 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21266 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21267 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21269 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21270 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21271 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21282 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21283 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21284 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21285 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21286 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21290 @vindex gnus-carpal
21291 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21292 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21293 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21298 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21299 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21300 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21302 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21303 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21304 Face used on buttons.
21306 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21307 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21308 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21310 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21311 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21312 Buttons in the group buffer.
21314 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21315 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21316 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21318 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21319 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21320 Buttons in the server buffer.
21322 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21323 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21324 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21327 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21328 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21329 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21337 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21338 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21339 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21340 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21341 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21343 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21344 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21345 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21347 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21348 been idle for thirty minutes:
21351 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21354 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21358 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21361 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21362 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21363 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21365 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21366 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21367 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21368 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21370 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21371 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21372 @var{idle} minutes.
21374 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21375 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21378 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21379 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21380 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21382 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21383 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21384 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21385 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21387 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21388 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21390 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21392 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21395 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21396 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21397 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21398 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21399 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21400 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21401 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21402 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21403 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21404 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21405 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21407 @findex gnus-demon-init
21408 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21409 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21410 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21411 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21412 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21414 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21415 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21416 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21425 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21426 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21428 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21429 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21430 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21431 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21434 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21435 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21436 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21437 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21439 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21440 this will make spam disappear.
21442 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21445 @item gnus-use-nocem
21446 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21447 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21450 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21451 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21452 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21455 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21456 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21459 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21460 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21461 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21462 people you want to listen to. The default is
21464 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21465 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21467 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21469 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21470 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21472 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21473 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21474 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21475 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21476 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21477 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21478 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21479 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21480 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21481 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21483 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21484 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21487 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21490 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21491 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21494 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21497 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21500 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21501 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21503 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21504 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21505 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21506 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21508 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21509 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21512 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21514 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21522 This might be dangerous, though.
21524 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21525 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21526 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21527 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21529 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21530 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21531 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21532 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21533 might then see old spam.
21535 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21536 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21537 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21538 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21539 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21542 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21543 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21544 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21545 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21549 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21550 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21551 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21552 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21559 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21560 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21561 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21563 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21564 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21565 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21566 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21567 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21568 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21569 @code{undo} function.
21571 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21572 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21573 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21574 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21575 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21576 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21577 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21578 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21579 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21580 never be totally undoable.
21582 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21583 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21585 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21586 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21587 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21588 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21592 @node Predicate Specifiers
21593 @section Predicate Specifiers
21594 @cindex predicate specifiers
21596 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21597 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21598 to type all that much.
21600 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21605 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21606 gnus-article-unread-p)
21609 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21610 functions all take one parameter.
21612 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21613 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21614 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21615 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21620 @section Moderation
21623 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21624 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21625 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21628 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21632 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21635 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21637 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21642 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21643 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21644 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21647 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21648 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21651 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21652 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21656 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21659 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21660 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21664 @node Image Enhancements
21665 @section Image Enhancements
21667 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21668 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21669 taken advantage of that.
21672 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21673 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21674 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21675 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21676 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21684 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21685 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21686 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21690 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21691 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21692 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21700 Gnus now uses the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program for
21701 decoding an @code{X-Face} header normally in Emacs. While it doesn't
21702 require any other external program, you may feel it is slow if you are
21703 using a slow machine. In such a case, you can modify the following
21707 @item uncompface-use-external
21708 @vindex uncompface-use-external
21709 Specify which of the internal or the external decoder should be used.
21710 @code{nil} means to use the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface}
21711 program. @code{t} means to use the external decoder. The default value
21712 is normally @code{undecided} which means to determine it by checking
21713 whether the host machine is slow, being controlled by
21714 @code{uncompface-use-external-threshold} (which see).
21716 @item uncompface-use-external-threshold
21717 @vindex uncompface-use-external-threshold
21718 A number of seconds to check whether the host machine is slow. If the
21719 host takes time larger than this value for decoding an @code{X-Face}
21720 using the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program, it will be
21721 changed to using the external decoder. The default is 0.1 seconds.
21724 If the internal decoder is invalidated or if you are using XEmacs,
21725 decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21726 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21727 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21728 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21730 The variable that controls this is the
21731 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21732 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21733 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21734 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21735 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21737 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21738 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21739 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21740 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21743 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21744 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21745 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21746 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21747 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21748 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21749 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21750 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21752 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21760 @vindex gnus-x-face
21761 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
21762 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
21763 default colors are black and white.
21765 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
21766 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
21767 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
21768 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
21769 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
21770 XEmacs. Here are examples:
21773 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
21774 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21775 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
21776 (png . (:ascent 80))))
21778 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
21779 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21780 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
21781 (png . (:relief -2))))
21784 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
21785 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
21786 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
21787 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
21788 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
21789 @samp{libcompface} library.
21792 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21793 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21795 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21796 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21797 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21798 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21799 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21800 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21801 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21802 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21803 header data as a string.
21805 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21806 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21807 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21808 randomly generated data.
21810 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21811 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21812 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21813 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21814 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21816 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21817 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21820 (setq message-required-news-headers
21821 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21822 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21825 Using the last function would be something like this:
21828 (setq message-required-news-headers
21829 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21830 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21831 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21832 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21840 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
21842 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
21843 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
21844 represent the author of the message.
21847 @findex gnus-article-display-face
21848 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
21849 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
21852 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
21853 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
21855 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21856 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
21858 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
21859 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
21860 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
21862 @findex gnus-face-from-file
21863 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
21864 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
21865 converts the file to Face format by using the
21866 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
21868 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
21869 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21872 (setq message-required-news-headers
21873 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21874 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
21875 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
21880 @subsection Smileys
21885 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21890 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21891 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21893 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21894 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21897 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21900 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21901 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21902 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21903 text and maps that to file names.
21905 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21906 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21907 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21908 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21909 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21912 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21917 @item smiley-data-directory
21918 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21919 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21921 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21922 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21923 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21937 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21938 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
21939 over your shoulder as you read news.
21941 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21950 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21951 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21952 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21953 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21954 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21955 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21956 @code{GIF} formats.
21959 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21960 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21961 point your Web browser at
21962 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21964 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21965 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21967 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21968 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21971 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21975 @item gnus-picon-databases
21976 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21977 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21978 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21979 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21980 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21982 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21983 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21984 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21985 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21987 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21988 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21989 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21990 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21992 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21993 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21994 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21995 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21996 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21998 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21999 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22000 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22001 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22007 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22010 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22011 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22012 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22013 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22014 unusual directory structure.
22016 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22017 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22018 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22019 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22021 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22022 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22023 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22024 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22025 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22026 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22028 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22029 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22030 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22035 @subsubsection Toolbar
22039 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22040 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22041 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22042 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22043 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22045 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22046 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22047 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22049 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22050 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22051 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22053 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22054 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22055 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22066 @node Fuzzy Matching
22067 @section Fuzzy Matching
22068 @cindex fuzzy matching
22070 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22071 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22073 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22074 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22075 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22077 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22078 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22079 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22080 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22081 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22084 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22085 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22089 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22091 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22092 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22093 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22094 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22095 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22096 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22097 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22098 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22101 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22102 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22103 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22104 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22105 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22106 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22108 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22111 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22112 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22113 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22114 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22115 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22116 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22119 @node The problem of spam
22120 @subsection The problem of spam
22122 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22123 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22125 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22127 First, some background on spam.
22129 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22130 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22131 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22132 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22133 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22134 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22135 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22136 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22137 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22139 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22140 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22141 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22142 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22143 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22144 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22145 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22146 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22147 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22150 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22151 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22152 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22153 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22154 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22155 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22156 from Bulgarian IPs.
22158 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22159 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22160 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22161 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22163 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22164 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22165 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22166 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22168 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22169 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22170 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22171 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22172 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22173 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22174 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22175 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22176 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22178 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22179 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22180 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22181 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22182 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22183 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22184 down for some time because of the incident.
22186 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22187 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22188 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22189 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22190 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22191 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22192 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22193 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22194 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22195 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22196 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22198 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22199 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22200 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22201 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22202 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22203 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22204 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22207 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22208 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22212 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22214 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22215 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22217 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22218 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22219 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22220 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22221 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22222 part of the mail address.)
22225 (setq message-default-news-headers
22226 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22229 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22230 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22234 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22235 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22236 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22241 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22242 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22243 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22244 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22246 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22247 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22248 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22249 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22250 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22251 your fancy split rule in this way:
22256 (to "larsi" "misc")
22260 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22261 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22262 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22263 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22264 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22266 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22267 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22268 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22269 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22271 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
22275 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22276 @cindex SpamAssassin
22277 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22280 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
22281 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22282 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22283 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22284 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22285 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22286 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22288 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
22289 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
22290 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
22293 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22294 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22295 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22296 Specifiers}) follow.
22300 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22304 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22307 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22308 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22309 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22312 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22316 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22319 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22320 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22324 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22325 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22326 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22327 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22330 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22332 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22336 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22337 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22341 Note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will not be
22342 downloaded by default. You need to set
22343 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
22344 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
22346 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22347 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22348 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22351 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22352 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22354 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22355 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22356 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22360 @subsection Hashcash
22363 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22364 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
22365 you cannot rely on everyone in the world using this technique,
22366 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
22367 in smaller communities.
22369 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22370 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22371 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22372 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22373 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22374 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
22375 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22376 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22377 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22378 one of them separately.
22381 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22382 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22383 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22384 header. For more details, and for the external application
22385 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22386 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22387 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22389 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
22393 (require 'hashcash)
22394 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
22397 The @file{hashcash.el} library can be found in the Gnus development
22398 contrib directory or at
22399 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}.
22401 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22405 @item hashcash-default-payment
22406 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22407 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22408 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22409 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22411 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22412 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22413 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22414 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22415 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22416 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22417 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22418 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22419 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22423 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
22427 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
22428 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
22429 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
22430 a useful contribution, however.
22432 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22433 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22434 @cindex spam filtering
22437 The idea behind @file{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22438 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @file{spam.el} does two things: it
22439 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22440 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @file{spam.el} to indicate
22443 First of all, you @strong{must} run the function
22444 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @code{spam.el} and to install the
22445 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
22446 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
22447 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
22450 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
22454 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22456 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
22457 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
22458 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
22459 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
22460 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
22462 You get the following keyboard commands:
22472 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22473 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22475 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22476 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22477 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22478 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22484 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22485 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22487 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22493 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22494 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22498 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
22499 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
22500 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
22501 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
22502 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22503 * BBDB Whitelists::
22504 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22505 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22507 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22509 * ifile spam filtering::
22510 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22512 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
22515 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22516 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22517 @cindex spam filtering
22518 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
22521 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
22522 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
22524 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
22525 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
22528 Getting new mail is done in one of two ways. You can either split
22529 your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or spam
22530 when you enter the group.
22532 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail backends such as
22533 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
22534 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
22537 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
22538 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
22539 For backends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
22540 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
22541 backends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
22542 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
22543 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
22544 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
22545 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
22546 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual).
22548 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used, it hooks into the process of
22549 entering a group. Thus, entering a group with unseen or unread
22550 articles becomes the substitute for checking incoming mail. Whether
22551 only unseen articles or all unread articles will be processed is
22552 determined by the @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set
22553 to @code{t}, unread messages will be rechecked.
22555 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
22556 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
22557 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
22558 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
22559 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
22560 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
22561 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
22562 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
22563 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
22565 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
22566 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
22567 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
22568 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
22569 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
22570 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
22571 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
22572 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
22573 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
22574 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
22576 So, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied, if
22577 any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
22578 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
22579 depending on the article's classification. If the
22580 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
22581 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
22584 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
22585 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
22586 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
22587 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
22588 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
22589 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
22590 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22591 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
22592 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
22593 which is what most people want. If the
22594 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
22595 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
22597 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22598 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22600 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
22601 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
22602 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
22603 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
22604 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
22605 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
22606 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22607 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
22608 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
22609 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
22610 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
22612 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22613 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22615 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
22616 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
22617 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
22619 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22620 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22621 @cindex spam filtering
22622 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
22625 To use the @file{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22626 must add the following to your fancy split list
22627 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22633 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22634 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22635 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22637 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
22639 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22640 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22641 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22642 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
22643 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
22644 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
22645 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
22646 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
22647 actually give you the group
22648 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
22649 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
22651 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22652 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22655 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22656 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22659 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22660 (any "ding" "ding")
22662 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22666 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22667 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22668 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22669 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22670 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22671 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22673 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22674 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22675 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22680 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
22681 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22682 (any "ding" "ding")
22683 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
22685 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22689 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
22690 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
22691 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
22692 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
22693 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
22694 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
22695 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
22697 You should still have specific checks such as
22698 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
22699 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
22700 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
22701 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
22702 is usually not critical, though.
22704 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22706 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22707 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22708 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22709 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22710 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22711 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22712 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and
22713 that is not an appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user.
22715 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22717 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22718 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22721 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22722 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22723 @cindex spam filtering
22724 @cindex spam filtering variables
22725 @cindex spam variables
22728 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22729 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22730 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22731 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22732 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22733 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22734 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22735 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22736 will be detected later.
22738 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
22739 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
22740 for more information.
22742 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22743 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22744 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22745 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22746 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22747 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22748 by customizing the corresponding variable
22749 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22750 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22751 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22752 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22753 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22754 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22755 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22758 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22760 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22761 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22762 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22763 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22764 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22765 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22766 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
22767 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
22768 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
22769 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
22770 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
22771 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
22772 processor which will study them as spam samples.
22774 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22775 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22776 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22777 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22778 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22779 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22780 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22781 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22784 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22785 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22786 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
22787 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
22788 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
22789 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
22790 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
22795 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22796 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22797 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
22798 you really want to.
22801 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22802 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22803 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22804 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22805 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22806 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22809 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
22810 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22811 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22812 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22813 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22814 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22815 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22816 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22817 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
22818 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
22819 newsgroup specification has the format @code{(@var{regexp}
22820 @var{processor})} in a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
22821 the variable manually. The ultimate location is a group name or
22822 names. If the @code{ham-process-destination} parameter is not set,
22823 ham articles are left in place. If the
22824 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
22825 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
22827 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22828 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22830 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
22831 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
22832 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
22834 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22835 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22837 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
22838 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
22839 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
22840 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
22841 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
22843 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
22844 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
22845 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
22846 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
22847 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
22850 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
22851 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22852 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22853 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22854 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22855 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22856 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
22857 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each newsgroup specification has
22858 the repeated format @code{(@var{regexp} @var{group})} and they are all
22859 in a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable
22860 manually. The ultimate location is a group name or names. If the
22861 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
22862 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
22863 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
22864 group buffer then you need it here as well.
22866 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22867 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22869 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
22870 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
22873 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
22874 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
22875 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
22876 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
22877 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
22878 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
22879 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
22881 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
22882 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
22883 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
22884 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
22886 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
22887 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
22888 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
22889 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
22890 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
22891 from the mail server.
22893 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
22894 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
22895 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
22896 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
22898 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
22899 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
22900 @cindex spam filtering
22901 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
22902 @cindex spam configuration examples
22905 @subsubheading Ted's setup
22907 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
22909 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
22910 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
22911 (gnus-registry-initialize)
22914 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
22915 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
22918 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
22920 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
22921 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
22922 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22923 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
22924 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
22925 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
22926 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
22927 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
22928 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
22929 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
22930 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22931 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
22932 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
22933 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
22934 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22935 (any "ding" "ding")
22936 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
22938 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22941 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
22943 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
22944 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
22945 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
22946 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
22948 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
22950 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
22951 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
22952 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
22953 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
22954 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
22956 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
22957 ((spam-autodetect . t))
22959 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
22961 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
22962 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
22964 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
22965 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
22966 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
22968 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
22970 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
22971 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
22973 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
22974 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
22975 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
22977 (gnus-ticked-mark))
22978 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
22979 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
22980 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
22982 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
22983 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
22984 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
22988 @subsubheading Using @file{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
22989 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
22991 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
22992 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
22993 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
22994 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
22995 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
22996 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
22997 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
22998 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
22999 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23001 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23002 does most of the job for me:
23005 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23006 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23007 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23008 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23009 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23010 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23011 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23016 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23018 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23019 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23020 bogofilter or DCC).
23022 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23023 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23024 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23025 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23026 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23027 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23028 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23030 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23031 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23032 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23033 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23034 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23035 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23037 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23039 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23040 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23041 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23042 @samp{training.ham}.
23045 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23047 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23049 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23050 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23051 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23055 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23058 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23059 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23060 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23061 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23062 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23064 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23065 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23066 @cindex spam filtering
23067 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23068 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23071 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23073 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23074 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23075 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23076 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23081 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23083 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23084 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23085 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23086 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23087 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23091 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23093 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23094 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23095 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23099 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23101 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23102 customizing the group parameters or the
23103 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23104 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23105 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23109 Instead of the obsolete
23110 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23111 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23112 the same way, we promise.
23116 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23118 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23119 customizing the group parameters or the
23120 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23121 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23122 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23123 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
23124 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
23128 Instead of the obsolete
23129 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23130 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23131 the same way, we promise.
23135 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23136 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23137 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23138 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23139 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23141 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23142 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23143 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23144 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23146 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23147 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23148 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23149 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23150 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23151 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23153 @node BBDB Whitelists
23154 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23155 @cindex spam filtering
23156 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23157 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23160 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23162 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23163 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23164 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23165 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23166 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23167 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23168 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23172 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23174 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23175 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23176 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23177 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23178 classified as spammers.
23182 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23184 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23185 customizing the group parameters or the
23186 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23187 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23188 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23189 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
23190 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
23194 Instead of the obsolete
23195 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23196 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23197 the same way, we promise.
23201 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23202 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23203 @cindex spam reporting
23204 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23205 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23208 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23210 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23211 customizing the group parameters or the
23212 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23213 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23214 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
23217 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
23221 Instead of the obsolete
23222 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
23223 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
23224 same way, we promise.
23228 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
23230 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
23231 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
23232 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
23233 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
23234 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
23239 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23240 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23241 @cindex spam filtering
23242 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
23245 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
23247 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23248 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
23249 instead of the sender address. You must have the @code{hashcash.el}
23250 package loaded for @code{spam-use-hashcash} to work properly.
23251 Messages without a hashcash payment token will be sent to the next
23252 spam-split rule. This is an explicit filter, meaning that unless a
23253 hashcash token is found, the messages are not assumed to be spam or
23259 @subsubsection Blackholes
23260 @cindex spam filtering
23261 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
23264 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
23266 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
23267 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
23268 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
23269 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
23270 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
23271 contains outdated servers.
23273 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
23274 @file{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
23275 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
23276 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
23277 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
23278 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
23282 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
23284 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
23288 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
23290 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
23291 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
23295 @defvar spam-use-dig
23297 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
23298 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
23302 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
23303 ham processor for blackholes.
23305 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
23306 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
23307 @cindex spam filtering
23308 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
23311 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
23313 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
23314 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
23315 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
23316 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
23317 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
23318 message is spam or ham, respectively.
23322 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
23324 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23325 the message, positively identify it as spam.
23329 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
23331 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23332 the message, positively identify it as ham.
23336 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
23337 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
23340 @subsubsection Bogofilter
23341 @cindex spam filtering
23342 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
23345 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
23347 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23350 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
23351 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
23352 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
23353 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
23354 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
23355 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
23357 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
23358 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
23361 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
23362 processing will be turned off.
23364 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
23368 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
23370 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23371 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
23372 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
23373 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
23374 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
23375 installation documents for details.
23377 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
23381 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
23382 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23383 customizing the group parameters or the
23384 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23385 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
23386 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
23390 Instead of the obsolete
23391 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23392 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23393 the same way, we promise.
23396 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
23397 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23398 customizing the group parameters or the
23399 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23400 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23401 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
23402 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
23403 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
23407 Instead of the obsolete
23408 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23409 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23410 the same way, we promise.
23413 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
23415 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
23416 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
23417 database directory.
23421 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
23422 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23423 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
23424 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
23425 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
23426 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
23428 @node ifile spam filtering
23429 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
23430 @cindex spam filtering
23431 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
23434 @defvar spam-use-ifile
23436 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
23437 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
23441 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
23443 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
23444 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
23445 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
23449 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
23451 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
23452 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
23453 the default value of @samp{spam}.
23456 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
23458 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
23459 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
23463 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
23464 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23465 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
23466 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
23469 @node spam-stat spam filtering
23470 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
23471 @cindex spam filtering
23472 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
23476 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
23478 @defvar spam-use-stat
23480 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
23481 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
23485 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
23486 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23487 customizing the group parameters or the
23488 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23489 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23490 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
23494 Instead of the obsolete
23495 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23496 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23497 the same way, we promise.
23500 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
23501 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23502 customizing the group parameters or the
23503 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23504 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23505 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
23506 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
23507 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
23511 Instead of the obsolete
23512 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23513 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23514 the same way, we promise.
23517 This enables @file{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
23518 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
23519 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
23520 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
23521 @code{spam-split} are provided.
23524 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
23525 @cindex spam filtering
23529 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
23530 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
23531 installed separately.
23533 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23534 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23535 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23536 mail as a spam mail or not.
23538 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23539 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23540 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23542 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23543 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23545 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23546 To enable SpamOracle usage by @file{spam.el}, set the variable
23547 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23548 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23549 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23550 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23551 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23552 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23556 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23557 spam-split-group "Junk"
23558 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23559 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23560 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23563 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23564 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23568 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23569 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23570 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23574 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23575 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23576 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23577 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23578 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23579 database to live somewhere special, set
23580 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23583 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23584 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23585 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23586 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23587 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23588 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23589 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @file{spam.el}'s
23590 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23591 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23592 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23594 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23595 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23596 customizing the group parameter or the
23597 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23598 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23599 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23603 Instead of the obsolete
23604 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23605 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23606 the same way, we promise.
23609 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23610 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23611 customizing the group parameter or the
23612 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23613 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23614 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23615 messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam} or
23616 @emph{unclassified} groups.
23620 Instead of the obsolete
23621 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23622 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23623 the same way, we promise.
23626 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
23627 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23630 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23631 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
23632 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
23634 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
23635 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
23636 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
23637 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
23638 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
23639 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23641 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
23642 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
23643 @cindex spam filtering
23644 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23645 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23647 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23648 incoming mail, provide the following:
23656 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
23657 "True if blackbox should be used.")
23662 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
23664 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
23668 (gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox ham spam-use-blackbox)
23669 (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox spam spam-use-blackbox)
23672 to @code{spam-list-of-processors}.
23676 (spam-use-blackbox spam-blackbox-register-routine
23678 spam-blackbox-unregister-routine
23682 to @code{spam-registration-functions}. Write the register/unregister
23683 routines using the bogofilter register/unregister routines as a
23684 start, or other restister/unregister routines more appropriate to
23690 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
23691 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other
23692 conventions. See the existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for
23693 examples of what you can do, and stick to the template unless you
23694 fully understand the reasons why you aren't.
23696 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
23697 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
23698 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
23702 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
23709 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
23710 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
23712 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
23713 variables. Instead the form @code{'(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
23714 @code{'(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
23715 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
23718 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
23719 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
23720 Only applicable to spam groups.")
23722 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
23723 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
23724 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
23733 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
23734 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
23736 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
23737 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
23738 variable customization.
23742 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
23744 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
23750 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23751 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23752 @cindex Paul Graham
23753 @cindex Graham, Paul
23754 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
23755 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
23756 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
23758 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
23759 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
23760 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
23761 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
23762 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
23763 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
23764 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
23765 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
23766 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
23769 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
23770 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
23771 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
23772 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
23773 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
23774 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
23775 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
23776 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
23778 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
23779 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
23780 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
23781 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
23782 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
23785 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
23786 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
23787 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
23790 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23791 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23793 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
23794 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
23795 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
23796 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
23797 need several hundred emails in both collections.
23799 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
23800 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
23801 per mail. Use the following:
23803 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
23804 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
23805 is treated as one spam mail.
23808 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
23809 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
23810 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
23813 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
23814 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
23815 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
23816 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
23817 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
23818 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
23820 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
23821 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
23822 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
23823 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
23824 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
23827 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
23828 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
23829 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
23830 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
23833 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
23834 reset the dictionary.
23836 @defun spam-stat-reset
23837 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
23840 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
23841 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
23842 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
23843 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
23844 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
23845 only non-spam mails.
23847 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
23848 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
23849 to update the dictionary incrementally.
23852 @defun spam-stat-save
23853 Save the dictionary.
23856 @defvar spam-stat-file
23857 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
23858 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
23861 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
23862 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
23864 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
23865 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23868 (require 'spam-stat)
23872 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
23875 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
23876 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
23877 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
23878 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
23880 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
23881 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
23882 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
23883 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
23886 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23887 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23891 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
23892 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
23895 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
23896 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
23897 expression are considered potential spam.
23900 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23901 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23902 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23906 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
23907 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
23908 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
23909 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
23910 mails, when creating the dictionary!
23913 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23914 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23915 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23919 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
23920 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
23921 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
23922 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
23923 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
23927 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
23928 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
23929 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
23930 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
23935 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23936 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
23938 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
23940 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
23941 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
23942 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23945 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
23946 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
23947 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
23950 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
23951 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
23952 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
23953 already been processed as non-spam.
23956 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
23957 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
23958 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
23959 been processed as spam.
23962 @defun spam-stat-save
23963 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
23964 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23967 @defun spam-stat-load
23968 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
23969 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
23972 @defun spam-stat-score-word
23973 Return the spam score for a word.
23976 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
23977 Return the spam score for a buffer.
23980 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
23981 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
23982 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23985 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
23986 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23989 (require 'spam-stat)
23993 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
23996 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
23997 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
23998 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
23999 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24000 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24001 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24002 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24003 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24004 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24005 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24006 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24007 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24008 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24009 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24012 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24015 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24016 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24017 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24018 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24019 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24020 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24024 @section Interaction with other modes
24029 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24030 buffers. It is enabled with
24032 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24037 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24038 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24039 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24042 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24043 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24044 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24048 @findex gnus-dired-print
24049 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24050 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24053 @node Various Various
24054 @section Various Various
24060 @item gnus-home-directory
24061 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24062 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24063 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24065 @item gnus-directory
24066 @vindex gnus-directory
24067 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24068 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24069 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24071 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
24072 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24073 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24074 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24076 @item gnus-default-directory
24077 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24078 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24079 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24080 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24081 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24082 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24083 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24086 @vindex gnus-verbose
24087 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24088 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24089 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24090 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24091 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24093 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24094 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24095 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24096 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24098 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24099 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24100 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24101 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24102 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24103 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24104 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24105 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24106 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24107 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24109 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24110 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24111 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24112 read when doing the operation described above.
24114 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24115 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24117 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24118 @cindex characters in file names
24119 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24120 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24121 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24125 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24130 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24131 Windows (phooey) systems.
24133 @item gnus-hidden-properties
24134 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
24135 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
24136 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
24137 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
24139 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
24140 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
24141 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
24142 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
24143 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
24145 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
24146 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
24147 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
24149 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24150 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24152 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
24153 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
24154 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
24155 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
24158 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
24166 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
24167 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
24169 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
24171 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
24177 Not because of victories @*
24180 but for the common sunshine,@*
24182 the largess of the spring.
24186 but for the day's work done@*
24187 as well as I was able;@*
24188 not for a seat upon the dais@*
24189 but at the common table.@*
24194 @chapter Appendices
24197 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
24198 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
24199 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
24200 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
24201 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
24202 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
24203 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
24204 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
24205 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
24212 @cindex installing under XEmacs
24214 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
24215 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
24216 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
24217 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
24218 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{w3},
24219 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
24226 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
24227 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
24229 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
24230 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
24231 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
24232 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
24233 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
24235 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
24236 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
24237 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
24238 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
24239 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
24240 appropriate name, don't you think?)
24242 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
24243 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
24244 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
24245 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
24248 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
24249 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
24250 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
24251 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
24252 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
24253 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
24254 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
24255 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
24256 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
24260 @node Gnus Versions
24261 @subsection Gnus Versions
24263 @cindex September Gnus
24265 @cindex Quassia Gnus
24266 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
24269 @cindex Gnus versions
24271 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
24272 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
24273 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
24275 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
24276 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
24278 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
24279 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
24281 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
24282 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
24284 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
24285 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
24288 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
24290 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
24291 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
24292 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
24293 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
24294 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
24295 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
24298 @node Other Gnus Versions
24299 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
24302 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
24303 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
24304 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
24305 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
24307 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
24308 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
24309 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
24310 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
24317 What's the point of Gnus?
24319 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
24320 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
24321 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
24322 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
24323 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
24324 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
24325 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
24326 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
24327 keep track of millions of people who post?
24329 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
24330 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
24331 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
24332 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
24333 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
24334 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
24335 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
24336 every one of you to explore and invent.
24338 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
24339 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
24342 @node Compatibility
24343 @subsection Compatibility
24345 @cindex compatibility
24346 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
24347 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
24348 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
24353 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
24357 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
24360 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
24363 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
24364 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
24365 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
24366 important variables have their values copied into their global
24367 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
24368 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
24370 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
24371 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
24372 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
24373 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
24374 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
24378 @cindex highlighting
24379 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
24380 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
24381 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
24382 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
24383 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
24384 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
24387 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
24388 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
24389 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
24390 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
24392 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
24393 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
24394 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
24395 to stop doing it the old way.
24397 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
24399 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24401 @cindex reporting bugs
24403 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
24404 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
24405 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
24407 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
24408 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
24409 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
24410 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
24415 @subsection Conformity
24417 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
24418 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
24426 There are no known breaches of this standard.
24430 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
24432 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
24433 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
24434 We do have some breaches to this one.
24440 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
24441 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
24442 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
24443 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
24444 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
24449 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
24450 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
24451 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
24452 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
24454 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
24455 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
24456 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
24458 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
24459 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
24461 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
24464 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
24465 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
24466 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
24467 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
24468 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
24471 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
24472 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
24473 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
24474 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
24476 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
24477 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
24479 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
24480 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
24481 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
24482 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
24483 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
24484 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
24485 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
24486 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
24490 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
24491 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
24496 @subsection Emacsen
24502 Gnus should work on:
24510 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
24514 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
24515 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
24516 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
24517 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
24518 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
24520 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
24521 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
24522 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
24526 @node Gnus Development
24527 @subsection Gnus Development
24529 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
24530 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
24531 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
24532 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
24533 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
24534 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
24535 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
24536 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
24538 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
24539 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
24540 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
24541 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
24542 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
24545 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
24546 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
24547 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
24548 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
24549 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
24551 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
24552 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
24553 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
24554 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
24555 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
24556 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
24557 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
24558 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
24559 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
24560 can't be assumed to do so.
24565 @subsection Contributors
24566 @cindex contributors
24568 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
24569 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
24570 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
24571 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
24572 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
24573 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
24574 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
24575 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
24576 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
24577 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
24579 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
24585 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
24588 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
24589 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
24590 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24591 functionality and stuff.
24594 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24595 well as numerous other things).
24598 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24601 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24604 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24607 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24610 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24611 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24614 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24617 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
24620 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
24623 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
24626 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
24629 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
24632 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
24633 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
24636 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
24639 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
24642 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
24645 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
24649 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
24652 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
24655 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
24658 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
24659 well as autoconf support.
24663 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
24664 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
24666 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
24681 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
24683 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
24687 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
24697 Alexei V. Barantsev,
24712 Massimo Campostrini,
24717 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
24718 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
24722 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
24725 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
24731 Michael Welsh Duggan,
24736 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
24740 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
24748 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
24750 Michelangelo Grigni,
24754 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
24756 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
24758 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
24765 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
24766 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
24767 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
24769 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
24779 Peter Skov Knudsen,
24780 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
24782 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
24783 Thor Kristoffersen,
24786 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
24804 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
24805 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
24812 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
24817 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
24821 John McClary Prevost,
24827 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
24832 Christian von Roques,
24835 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
24842 Philippe Schnoebelen,
24844 Randal L. Schwartz,
24858 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
24863 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
24883 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
24884 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
24885 (550kB and counting).
24887 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
24890 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
24891 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
24895 @subsection New Features
24896 @cindex new features
24899 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
24900 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
24901 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
24902 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
24903 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
24904 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
24905 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
24908 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
24909 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
24910 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
24913 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
24915 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
24920 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
24921 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
24924 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
24925 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
24928 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
24931 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
24932 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
24933 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
24936 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
24937 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
24938 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
24939 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24942 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
24943 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24946 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
24947 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
24948 (@pxref{The Active File}).
24951 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
24952 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
24955 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
24956 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
24957 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24960 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
24961 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
24962 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
24965 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
24966 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
24969 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
24970 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
24973 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
24974 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
24977 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
24978 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24981 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
24982 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
24985 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
24986 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24989 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
24992 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
24993 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
24996 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
24997 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25000 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25001 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25004 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25007 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25008 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25011 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25015 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25019 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25020 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25023 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25029 @node September Gnus
25030 @subsubsection September Gnus
25034 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25038 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25043 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25044 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25048 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25049 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25053 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25057 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25058 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25061 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25065 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25068 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25071 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25074 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25078 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25079 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25082 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25086 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25090 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25094 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25098 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25101 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25102 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25105 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25109 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25110 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25113 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25116 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25117 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25118 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25121 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25125 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25128 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25132 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25133 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
25136 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
25137 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
25140 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
25141 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
25144 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
25145 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
25146 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
25149 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
25150 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
25153 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
25156 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25159 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
25162 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
25165 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
25166 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
25169 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
25173 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
25176 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
25181 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
25184 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
25188 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25191 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
25195 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
25198 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
25201 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
25202 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25205 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
25206 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
25210 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
25211 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
25214 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
25218 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
25219 buffer to allow easier treatment.
25222 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
25225 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
25229 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
25233 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
25234 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
25237 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
25241 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
25242 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25245 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
25246 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25249 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
25253 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25256 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
25259 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
25265 @subsubsection Red Gnus
25267 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
25271 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
25278 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
25281 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
25282 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25285 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
25286 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
25290 Article washing status can be displayed in the
25291 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
25294 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
25297 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
25298 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
25301 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
25305 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
25306 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
25310 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
25311 Server Internals}).
25314 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
25318 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
25321 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
25322 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
25325 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
25326 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
25327 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
25330 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
25331 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25334 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
25335 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
25338 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
25342 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
25343 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25346 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
25347 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25350 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
25354 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
25357 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
25361 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
25362 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25365 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
25366 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25369 A new command for reading collections of documents
25370 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
25371 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
25374 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
25378 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
25379 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
25382 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
25383 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
25384 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
25387 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
25388 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
25392 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
25396 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
25400 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
25405 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
25409 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
25413 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
25414 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
25417 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
25423 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
25425 New features in Gnus 5.6:
25430 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
25431 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
25432 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
25435 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
25436 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
25437 group, which is created automatically.
25440 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
25444 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
25447 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
25448 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
25451 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
25455 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
25458 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
25459 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
25462 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
25465 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
25469 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
25470 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
25473 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
25474 control over simplification.
25477 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
25480 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
25484 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
25487 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
25490 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
25491 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
25492 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
25495 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
25496 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
25499 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
25503 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
25504 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
25507 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
25508 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
25511 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
25515 A history of where mails have been split is available.
25518 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
25521 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
25522 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
25525 A new function for citing in Message has been
25526 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
25529 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
25532 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
25536 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
25537 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
25540 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
25541 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
25544 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
25547 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
25551 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
25552 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
25554 New features in Gnus 5.8:
25559 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
25560 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
25562 If you used procmail like in
25565 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
25566 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
25567 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
25568 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
25571 this now has changed to
25575 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
25579 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
25582 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
25583 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
25586 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
25587 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
25590 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25591 called to position point.
25594 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25595 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25598 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25599 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25602 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25603 subtly different manner.
25606 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25607 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25608 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25611 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25616 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
25619 New features in Gnus 5.10:
25624 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
25628 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
25629 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
25632 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
25633 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
25636 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
25638 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
25639 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
25640 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
25641 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
25642 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
25643 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
25644 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
25645 isn't save in general.
25650 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
25651 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
25652 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
25653 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
25658 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
25659 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
25660 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
25664 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
25667 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
25672 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
25673 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
25675 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
25676 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
25680 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
25681 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
25684 Retrieval of charters and control messages
25686 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
25687 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
25692 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
25693 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
25694 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
25697 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
25698 decompressed when activated.
25701 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
25702 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
25705 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
25708 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
25709 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
25712 Warn about email replies to news
25714 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
25715 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
25719 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
25720 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
25724 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
25725 opposed to old but unread messages).
25728 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
25729 Gcc articles as read.
25732 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
25735 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
25736 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
25739 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
25740 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
25743 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
25744 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
25747 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
25748 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
25751 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
25753 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
25754 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
25755 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
25756 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
25759 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
25761 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
25762 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
25763 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
25764 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
25765 the second parameter.
25767 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
25768 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
25769 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
25770 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
25771 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
25772 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
25773 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
25774 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
25775 cycle used under Unix systems.
25777 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
25781 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
25783 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
25784 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
25785 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
25786 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
25787 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
25791 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
25793 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
25794 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
25795 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
25796 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
25800 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
25802 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
25803 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
25804 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
25805 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
25807 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
25808 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
25809 message cited below.
25812 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
25815 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
25817 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
25818 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
25819 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
25820 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
25821 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
25824 (setq gnus-parameters
25826 (gnus-show-threads nil)
25827 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
25828 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
25829 (to-group . "\\1"))))
25833 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
25835 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
25839 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
25841 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
25842 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
25843 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
25844 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
25845 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
25846 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
25847 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
25848 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
25849 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
25852 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
25854 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
25855 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
25856 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
25857 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
25858 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
25859 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
25862 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
25863 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
25867 Improved anti-spam features.
25869 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
25870 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
25871 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
25872 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
25873 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
25876 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
25879 Face headers handling.
25882 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
25883 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
25886 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
25889 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
25891 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
25892 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
25893 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
25894 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
25895 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
25896 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
25897 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
25898 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
25899 when getting new mail, remove the function.
25902 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
25904 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
25905 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
25906 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
25907 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
25908 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
25909 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
25910 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
25911 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
25912 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
25913 was inserted directly.
25916 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
25918 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
25919 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
25925 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
25926 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
25927 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
25928 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
25929 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
25930 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
25931 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
25932 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
25933 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
25934 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
25935 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
25936 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
25937 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
25938 is not needed any more.
25941 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
25943 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
25944 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
25945 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
25946 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
25947 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
25951 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
25953 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
25954 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
25957 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
25959 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
25960 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
25961 lisp directory into load-path.
25963 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
25964 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
25967 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
25969 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
25972 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
25974 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
25975 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
25976 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
25977 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
25980 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
25982 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
25984 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
25985 'bbdb-complete-name)
25989 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
25991 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
25992 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
25993 local files as external parts.
25995 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
25996 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
25997 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
25998 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
25999 that support editing.
26002 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26004 The default value is determined from the
26005 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26006 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26007 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26010 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26012 Add a new format of match like
26014 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26015 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26017 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26019 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26020 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26024 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26026 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26027 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26028 need add those two headers too.
26031 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26033 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26034 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26035 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26038 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26039 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26040 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26044 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26046 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26049 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26051 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26054 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26056 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26057 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26058 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26061 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26063 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26067 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26069 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26070 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26071 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26072 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26073 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26074 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26075 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26076 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26079 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26081 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26082 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26083 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26084 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26085 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26088 Extended format specs.
26090 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26091 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26092 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26093 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26094 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26095 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26098 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26100 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26101 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26102 out other articles.
26104 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26106 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26107 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26108 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26109 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26112 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26114 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26115 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26116 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26119 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26121 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26122 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26123 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26124 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26125 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26126 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26127 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26128 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
26129 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
26130 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
26131 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
26134 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
26135 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
26138 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
26139 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
26140 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
26141 message, Message Manual}).
26144 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26145 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26147 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26148 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26149 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26151 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26155 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
26156 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
26158 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
26159 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
26160 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
26161 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
26164 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
26167 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
26170 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
26171 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
26174 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
26176 The behaviour for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
26177 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
26178 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
26179 invalidate the digital signature.
26183 @subsubsection No Gnus
26186 New features in No Gnus:
26187 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
26189 @include gnus-news.texi
26195 @section The Manual
26199 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
26200 either @code{texi2dvi}
26202 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
26203 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
26205 to get what you hold in your hands now.
26207 The following conventions have been used:
26212 This is a @samp{string}
26215 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
26218 This is a @file{file}
26221 This is a @code{symbol}
26225 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
26229 (setq flargnoze "yes")
26232 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
26235 (setq flumphel 'yes)
26238 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
26239 ever get them confused.
26243 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
26244 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
26245 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
26246 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
26247 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
26248 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
26249 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
26255 @node On Writing Manuals
26256 @section On Writing Manuals
26258 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
26259 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
26260 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
26261 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
26262 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
26263 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
26266 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
26267 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
26268 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
26271 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
26272 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
26277 @section Terminology
26279 @cindex terminology
26284 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
26285 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
26286 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
26287 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
26288 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
26292 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
26293 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
26294 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
26295 not posting, and replying is not following up.
26299 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
26303 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
26308 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
26309 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
26310 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
26311 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
26312 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
26313 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
26314 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
26315 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
26316 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
26319 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
26320 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
26321 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
26322 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
26323 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
26324 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
26326 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
26327 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
26328 access the articles.
26330 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
26331 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
26332 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
26337 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
26338 default, way of getting news.
26342 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
26343 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
26348 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
26349 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
26353 A message that has been posted as news.
26356 @cindex mail message
26357 A message that has been mailed.
26361 A mail message or news article
26365 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
26370 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
26375 A line from the head of an article.
26379 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
26380 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
26382 @item @acronym{NOV}
26383 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
26384 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
26385 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
26386 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
26387 normal @sc{head} format.
26391 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
26392 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
26393 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
26394 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
26395 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
26396 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
26398 @item killed groups
26399 @cindex killed groups
26400 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
26401 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
26403 @item zombie groups
26404 @cindex zombie groups
26405 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
26408 @cindex active file
26409 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
26410 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
26411 is rather large, as you might surmise.
26414 @cindex bogus groups
26415 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
26416 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
26417 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
26420 @cindex activating groups
26421 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
26422 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
26423 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
26427 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
26429 @item select method
26430 @cindex select method
26431 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
26434 @item virtual server
26435 @cindex virtual server
26436 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
26437 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
26438 whole is a virtual server.
26442 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
26443 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
26446 @item ephemeral groups
26447 @cindex ephemeral groups
26448 @cindex temporary groups
26449 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
26450 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
26451 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
26454 @cindex solid groups
26455 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
26456 group buffer are solid groups.
26458 @item sparse articles
26459 @cindex sparse articles
26460 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
26461 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
26465 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
26466 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
26470 @cindex thread root
26471 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
26472 articles in the thread.
26476 An article that has responses.
26480 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
26484 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
26485 specified by RFC 1153.
26488 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
26489 @cindex mail sorting
26490 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
26491 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
26492 incorrectly called mail filtering.
26498 @node Customization
26499 @section Customization
26500 @cindex general customization
26502 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
26503 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
26504 for some quite common situations.
26507 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
26508 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
26509 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
26510 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
26514 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
26515 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
26517 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
26518 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
26519 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
26523 @item gnus-read-active-file
26524 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
26525 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
26526 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26527 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
26528 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
26530 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
26531 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
26532 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
26533 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
26537 @node Slow Terminal Connection
26538 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
26540 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
26541 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
26542 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
26546 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
26547 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
26548 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
26549 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
26550 horizontal and vertical recentering.
26552 @item gnus-visible-headers
26553 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
26554 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
26555 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
26556 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
26558 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
26560 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
26561 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
26562 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
26565 @item gnus-use-full-window
26566 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
26567 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
26568 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
26569 want to read them anyway.
26571 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
26572 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
26576 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
26577 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
26578 lines, which might save some time.
26582 @node Little Disk Space
26583 @subsection Little Disk Space
26586 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
26587 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
26591 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
26592 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
26593 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26594 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26597 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
26598 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
26599 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26600 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26603 @item gnus-save-killed-list
26604 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26605 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26606 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26607 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
26613 @subsection Slow Machine
26614 @cindex slow machine
26616 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
26617 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
26619 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26620 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
26622 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
26623 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
26624 summary buffer faster.
26626 Gnus uses the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program for
26627 decoding an @code{X-Face} header normally in Emacs. If you feel it is
26628 slow, set @code{uncompface-use-external} to @code{t}. @xref{X-Face}.
26632 @node Troubleshooting
26633 @section Troubleshooting
26634 @cindex troubleshooting
26636 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
26644 Make sure your computer is switched on.
26647 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
26648 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
26652 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
26653 like @samp{T-gnus 6.17.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
26654 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old
26655 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
26658 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
26659 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
26662 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
26663 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
26664 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
26665 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
26666 something like that.
26669 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
26672 @cindex reporting bugs
26674 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26676 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
26677 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
26678 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
26679 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
26681 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
26682 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
26683 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
26684 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
26687 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
26688 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
26689 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
26690 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
26691 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
26692 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
26694 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
26695 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
26696 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
26700 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
26701 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
26704 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
26705 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
26706 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
26707 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
26708 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
26709 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
26710 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
26711 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
26712 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
26713 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
26714 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
26715 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
26716 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
26717 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
26722 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
26723 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
26724 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
26725 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
26726 helps isolating the real problem areas).
26728 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
26729 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
26730 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
26731 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
26732 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
26733 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
26734 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
26735 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
26736 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
26737 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
26738 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
26739 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
26740 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
26743 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
26744 @cindex ding mailing list
26745 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
26746 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
26747 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
26748 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
26752 @node Gnus Reference Guide
26753 @section Gnus Reference Guide
26755 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
26756 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
26757 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
26758 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
26761 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
26762 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
26763 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
26764 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
26765 and general methods of operation.
26768 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
26769 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
26770 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
26771 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
26772 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
26773 * Group Info:: The group info format.
26774 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
26775 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
26776 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
26780 @node Gnus Utility Functions
26781 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
26782 @cindex Gnus utility functions
26783 @cindex utility functions
26785 @cindex internal variables
26787 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
26788 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
26789 Below is a list of the most common ones.
26793 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
26794 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
26795 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
26797 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
26798 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
26799 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
26801 @item gnus-group-real-name
26802 @findex gnus-group-real-name
26803 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
26806 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
26807 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
26808 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
26809 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
26811 @item gnus-get-info
26812 @findex gnus-get-info
26813 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
26815 @item gnus-group-unread
26816 @findex gnus-group-unread
26817 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
26821 @findex gnus-active
26822 The active entry for @var{group}.
26824 @item gnus-set-active
26825 @findex gnus-set-active
26826 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
26828 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26829 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26830 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
26833 @item gnus-continuum-version
26834 @findex gnus-continuum-version
26835 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
26836 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
26839 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
26840 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
26841 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
26843 @item gnus-news-group-p
26844 @findex gnus-news-group-p
26845 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
26847 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26848 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26849 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
26851 @item gnus-server-to-method
26852 @findex gnus-server-to-method
26853 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
26855 @item gnus-server-equal
26856 @findex gnus-server-equal
26857 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
26859 @item gnus-group-native-p
26860 @findex gnus-group-native-p
26861 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
26863 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
26864 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
26865 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
26867 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
26868 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
26869 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
26871 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
26872 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
26873 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
26874 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
26876 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
26877 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
26878 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
26880 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
26881 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
26882 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
26884 @item gnus-check-backend-function
26885 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
26886 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
26887 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
26890 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
26894 @item gnus-read-method
26895 @findex gnus-read-method
26896 Prompts the user for a select method.
26901 @node Back End Interface
26902 @subsection Back End Interface
26904 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
26905 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
26906 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
26907 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
26908 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
26909 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
26911 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
26912 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
26913 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
26914 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
26915 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
26916 been opened, the function should fail.
26918 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
26919 name. Take this example:
26923 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
26924 (nntp-port-number 4324))
26927 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
26928 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
26930 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
26931 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
26932 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
26934 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
26935 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
26936 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
26938 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
26939 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
26940 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
26941 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
26942 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
26943 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
26946 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
26947 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
26948 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
26949 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
26952 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
26953 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
26954 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
26955 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
26956 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
26957 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
26958 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
26959 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
26960 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
26961 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
26963 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
26964 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
26965 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
26966 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
26967 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
26968 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
26969 of numbers as long as possible.
26971 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
26972 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
26973 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
26975 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
26978 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
26981 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
26982 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
26983 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
26984 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
26985 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
26986 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
26990 @node Required Back End Functions
26991 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
26995 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
26997 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
26998 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
26999 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27000 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27002 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27003 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27004 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27005 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27007 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27008 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27009 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27010 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27011 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27012 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27013 number, do maximum fetches.
27015 Here's an example HEAD:
27018 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27019 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27020 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27021 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27022 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27023 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27024 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27026 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27027 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27028 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27032 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27033 these in the data buffer.
27035 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27039 head = error / valid-head
27040 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27041 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27042 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27043 header = <text> eol
27047 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27049 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27050 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27054 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27055 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27056 field = <text except TAB>
27059 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27063 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27065 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27066 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27068 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27069 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27070 server. In fact, it should do so.
27072 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27073 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27076 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27078 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27079 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27082 There should be no data returned.
27085 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27087 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27088 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27089 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27090 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27092 There should be no data returned.
27095 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27097 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27098 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27099 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27100 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27102 There should be no data returned.
27105 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27107 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27109 There should be no data returned.
27112 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27114 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27115 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27116 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27117 it would be nice if that were possible.
27119 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27120 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27121 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27122 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27123 into its article buffer.
27125 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27126 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
27127 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
27128 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
27129 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
27130 on successful article retrieval.
27133 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
27135 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
27136 making @var{group} the current group.
27138 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
27141 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
27144 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
27147 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
27148 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
27149 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
27150 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
27151 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
27152 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
27153 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
27154 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
27155 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
27159 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
27160 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
27161 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
27165 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27167 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
27168 a no-op on most back ends.
27170 There should be no data returned.
27173 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
27175 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
27178 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
27181 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
27182 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
27185 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
27186 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
27187 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
27188 and the highest as 0.
27191 active-file = *active-line
27192 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
27194 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
27197 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
27198 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
27199 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
27202 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
27204 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
27205 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
27206 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
27207 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
27208 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
27209 clear if the posting could not be completed.
27211 There should be no result data from this function.
27216 @node Optional Back End Functions
27217 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
27221 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
27223 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
27224 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
27225 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
27227 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
27228 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
27229 former is in the same format as the data from
27230 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
27231 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
27234 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
27238 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
27240 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
27241 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
27242 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
27243 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
27244 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
27246 There should be no result data from this function.
27249 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
27251 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
27252 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
27253 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
27254 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
27255 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
27256 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
27257 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
27258 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
27260 There should be no result data from this function.
27263 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
27265 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
27266 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
27267 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
27268 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
27269 propagate the mark information to the server.
27271 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
27274 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
27277 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
27278 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
27279 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
27280 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
27281 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
27282 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
27283 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
27284 possible, not limit itself to these.
27286 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
27287 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
27288 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
27289 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
27291 An example action list:
27294 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
27295 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
27296 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
27299 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
27300 mark on (currently not used for anything).
27302 There should be no result data from this function.
27304 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
27306 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
27307 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
27308 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
27309 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
27310 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
27312 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
27313 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
27314 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
27317 There should be no result data from this function.
27320 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
27322 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
27323 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
27324 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
27325 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
27326 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
27327 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
27328 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
27329 local if that's practical.
27331 There should be no result data from this function.
27334 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
27336 The result data from this function should be a description of
27340 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
27342 description = <text>
27345 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
27347 The result data from this function should be the description of all
27348 groups available on the server.
27351 description-buffer = *description-line
27355 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
27357 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
27358 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
27359 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
27360 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
27361 in the active buffer format.
27363 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
27364 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
27365 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
27366 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
27367 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
27368 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
27369 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
27372 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27374 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
27376 There should be no return data.
27379 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
27381 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
27382 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
27383 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
27384 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
27385 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
27388 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
27391 There should be no result data returned.
27394 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
27396 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
27397 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
27399 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
27400 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
27401 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
27402 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
27403 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
27404 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
27406 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
27407 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
27410 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27411 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27413 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
27414 article for that group.
27416 There should be no data returned.
27419 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
27421 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
27422 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
27423 this function in short order.
27425 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27426 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27428 There should be no data returned.
27431 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
27433 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
27434 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
27436 There should be no data returned.
27439 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
27441 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
27442 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
27443 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
27445 There should be no data returned.
27448 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
27450 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
27451 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
27453 There should be no data returned.
27458 @node Error Messaging
27459 @subsubsection Error Messaging
27461 @findex nnheader-report
27462 @findex nnheader-get-report
27463 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
27464 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
27465 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
27466 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
27467 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
27468 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
27471 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
27473 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
27476 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
27477 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
27478 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
27479 takes one argument---the server symbol.
27481 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
27482 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
27483 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
27486 @node Writing New Back Ends
27487 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
27489 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
27490 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
27491 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
27492 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
27493 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
27496 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
27497 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
27498 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
27500 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
27501 package called @code{nnoo}.
27503 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
27504 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
27510 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
27511 parameters. For instance:
27514 (nnoo-declare nndir
27518 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
27519 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
27522 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
27523 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
27524 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
27526 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
27527 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
27528 a function in those back ends.
27531 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27532 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27533 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27536 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
27537 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
27538 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
27540 @item nnoo-define-basics
27541 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
27545 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27549 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
27550 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
27551 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
27553 @item nnoo-map-functions
27554 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
27555 functions from the parent back ends.
27558 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27559 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27560 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
27563 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
27564 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
27565 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
27566 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
27569 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
27570 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
27571 haven't already been defined.
27577 nnmh-request-newgroups)
27581 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
27582 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
27583 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
27588 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
27591 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
27592 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
27596 (require 'nnheader)
27600 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
27602 (nnoo-declare nndir
27605 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27606 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27607 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27609 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27610 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
27613 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
27615 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
27616 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
27617 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
27619 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
27620 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
27622 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
27624 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27626 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
27627 (setq nndir-directory
27628 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
27630 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
27631 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
27632 (push `(nndir-current-group
27633 ,(file-name-nondirectory
27634 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27636 (push `(nndir-top-directory
27637 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27639 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
27641 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27642 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27643 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27644 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
27645 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
27649 nnmh-status-message
27651 nnmh-request-newgroups))
27657 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27658 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27660 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
27661 @findex gnus-declare-backend
27662 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
27663 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
27664 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
27666 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
27667 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
27672 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
27675 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
27677 The abilities can be:
27681 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
27683 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
27685 This back end supports both mail and news.
27687 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
27690 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
27691 articles and groups.
27693 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
27694 true for almost all back ends.
27695 @item prompt-address
27696 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
27697 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
27698 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
27702 @node Mail-like Back Ends
27703 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
27705 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
27706 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
27707 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
27708 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
27711 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
27712 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
27713 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
27716 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
27717 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
27720 This function takes four parameters.
27724 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
27727 @item exit-function
27728 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
27730 @item temp-directory
27731 Where the temporary files should be stored.
27734 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
27735 performed for one group only.
27738 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
27739 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
27740 find the article number assigned to this article.
27742 The function also uses the following variables:
27743 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
27744 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
27745 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
27746 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
27750 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
27751 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
27755 @node Score File Syntax
27756 @subsection Score File Syntax
27758 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
27759 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
27760 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
27762 Here's a typical score file:
27766 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
27773 BNF definition of a score file:
27776 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
27777 element = rule / atom
27778 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
27779 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
27780 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
27781 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
27783 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
27784 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
27785 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
27786 date-header = "date"
27787 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27788 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27789 score = "nil" / <integer>
27790 date = "nil" / <natural number>
27791 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
27792 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
27793 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
27794 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
27795 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27796 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27797 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
27798 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27799 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
27800 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
27801 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
27802 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
27803 exclude-files / read-only / touched
27804 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
27805 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
27806 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
27807 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
27808 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
27809 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
27810 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
27811 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
27812 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
27813 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
27814 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
27815 eval = "eval" space <form>
27816 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
27819 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
27822 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
27823 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
27824 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
27825 one looong line, then that's ok.
27827 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
27828 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27832 @subsection Headers
27834 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
27835 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
27836 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
27837 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
27839 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
27840 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
27841 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
27842 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
27843 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
27844 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
27845 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
27847 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
27848 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
27849 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
27850 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
27851 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
27853 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
27854 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
27860 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
27861 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
27863 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
27864 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
27865 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
27866 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
27868 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
27872 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
27875 is transformed into
27878 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
27881 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
27882 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
27885 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
27888 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
27889 is slightly tricky:
27892 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
27898 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
27901 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
27907 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
27914 and is equal to the previous range.
27916 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
27917 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
27918 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
27922 range = simple-range / normal-range
27923 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
27924 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
27925 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
27926 number *[ " " contents ]
27929 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
27930 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
27931 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
27932 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
27933 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
27938 @subsection Group Info
27940 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
27941 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
27942 describes the group.
27944 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
27945 second is a more complex one:
27948 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
27950 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
27951 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
27953 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
27956 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
27957 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
27958 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
27959 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
27960 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
27961 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
27962 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
27963 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
27964 this section is about.
27966 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
27967 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
27968 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
27970 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
27973 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
27974 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
27975 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27976 group = quote <string> quote
27977 ralevel = rank / level
27978 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27979 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
27980 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
27982 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
27983 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
27984 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
27985 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
27988 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
27989 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
27992 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
27993 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
27996 @item gnus-info-group
27997 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
27998 @findex gnus-info-group
27999 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28000 Get/set the group name.
28002 @item gnus-info-rank
28003 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28004 @findex gnus-info-rank
28005 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28006 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28008 @item gnus-info-level
28009 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28010 @findex gnus-info-level
28011 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28012 Get/set the group level.
28014 @item gnus-info-score
28015 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28016 @findex gnus-info-score
28017 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28018 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28020 @item gnus-info-read
28021 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28022 @findex gnus-info-read
28023 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28024 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28026 @item gnus-info-marks
28027 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28028 @findex gnus-info-marks
28029 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28030 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28032 @item gnus-info-method
28033 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28034 @findex gnus-info-method
28035 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28036 Get/set the group select method.
28038 @item gnus-info-params
28039 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28040 @findex gnus-info-params
28041 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28042 Get/set the group parameters.
28045 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28046 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28048 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28049 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28050 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28051 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28054 @node Extended Interactive
28055 @subsection Extended Interactive
28056 @cindex interactive
28057 @findex gnus-interactive
28059 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28060 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28061 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28064 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28065 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28070 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28071 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28072 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28073 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28074 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28075 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28076 @code{interactive}.
28078 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28083 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28084 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28088 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28089 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28090 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28093 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28097 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28101 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28107 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28108 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28112 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28113 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28114 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28116 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28117 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28118 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28119 Gnus, that's very useful.
28121 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28122 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28123 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28124 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
28125 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
28126 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
28127 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
28128 following function:
28131 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
28135 (,function ,@@args))
28139 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
28140 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
28141 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
28144 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
28145 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
28146 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
28148 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
28149 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
28150 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
28153 @node Various File Formats
28154 @subsection Various File Formats
28157 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
28158 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
28162 @node Active File Format
28163 @subsubsection Active File Format
28165 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
28166 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
28169 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
28172 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
28173 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
28174 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
28175 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
28176 no.general 1000 900 y
28179 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
28182 active = *group-line
28183 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
28184 group = <non-white-space string>
28186 high-number = <non-negative integer>
28187 low-number = <positive integer>
28188 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
28191 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
28192 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
28195 @node Newsgroups File Format
28196 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
28198 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
28199 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
28200 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
28203 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
28204 Here's the definition:
28208 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
28209 group = <non-white-space string>
28211 description = <string>
28216 @node Emacs for Heathens
28217 @section Emacs for Heathens
28219 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
28220 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
28221 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
28222 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
28223 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
28224 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
28225 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
28229 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
28230 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
28235 @subsection Keystrokes
28239 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
28242 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
28245 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
28246 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
28247 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
28248 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
28249 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
28250 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
28252 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
28253 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
28254 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
28255 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
28256 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
28257 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
28258 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
28260 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
28261 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
28262 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
28263 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
28264 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
28265 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
28266 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
28268 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
28269 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
28270 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
28271 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
28272 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
28278 @subsection Emacs Lisp
28280 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
28281 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
28282 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
28283 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
28285 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
28286 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
28287 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
28288 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
28289 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
28290 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
28291 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
28294 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
28295 write the following:
28298 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
28301 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
28302 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
28303 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
28306 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
28307 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
28308 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
28309 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
28310 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
28312 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
28313 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
28314 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
28318 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
28322 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
28325 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
28326 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
28329 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
28332 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
28333 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
28336 @include gnus-faq.texi
28356 @c Local Variables:
28358 @c coding: iso-8859-1