4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
15 @setchapternewpage odd
19 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
20 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
21 \usepackage{pagestyle}
24 \input{gnusconfig.tex}
26 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
28 \usepackage[pdftex,bookmarks,colorlinks=true]{hyperref}
36 \newcommand{\gnusversionname}{Oort Gnus v0.06}
37 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
38 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
40 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
42 \newcommand{\gnusref}[1]{``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
43 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
44 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\href{#1}{\gnustt{#1}}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
54 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\gnusselectttfont{}#1}}
55 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
56 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\gnusselectttfont{}#1}''}
57 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
58 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
59 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
60 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
62 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
65 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
66 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusversion}[1]{{\small\textit{#1}}}
68 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
69 \newcommand{\gnusresult}[1]{\gnustt{=> #1}}
71 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
72 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
73 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
74 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
75 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
76 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
77 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
78 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
79 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
80 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
81 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
82 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
83 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
85 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head,height=1cm}}}
86 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
87 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
90 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
92 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
99 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
101 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
103 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
104 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
105 \thispagestyle{empty}
107 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
108 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
109 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
114 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
116 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
123 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
124 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1cm}}}
127 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
128 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
131 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
132 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
135 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
136 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
139 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
141 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
142 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
146 \newenvironment{codelist}%
151 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
157 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
162 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
167 \newenvironment{samplist}%
172 \newenvironment{varlist}%
177 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
182 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
183 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
184 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
186 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
191 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
195 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
204 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
206 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
211 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
216 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
220 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
228 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
230 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
240 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
244 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
252 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
254 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
259 \pagenumbering{roman}
260 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
270 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
271 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
273 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
275 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\hfill\gnusversion{\gnusversionname}\\
278 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=15cm}
281 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
288 \thispagestyle{empty}
290 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
291 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
294 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
295 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
296 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
297 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
298 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
299 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
300 License'' in the Emacs manual.
302 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
303 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
304 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
306 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
307 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
308 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
309 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
317 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
319 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
320 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
322 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
323 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
324 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
325 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
326 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
327 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
328 License'' in the Emacs manual.
330 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
331 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
332 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
334 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
335 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
336 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
337 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
343 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
349 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
350 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
352 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
353 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
354 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
355 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
356 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
357 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
358 License'' in the Emacs manual.
360 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
361 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
362 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
364 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
365 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
366 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
367 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
376 @top The gnus Newsreader
380 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
381 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
382 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
385 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
386 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
387 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
388 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
389 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
390 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
392 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
403 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
404 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
406 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
407 being accused of plagiarism:
409 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
410 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
411 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
412 can even read news with it!
414 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
415 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
416 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
417 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
418 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
424 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
425 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
426 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
427 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
428 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
429 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
430 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
431 * Various:: General purpose settings.
432 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
433 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
434 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
435 * Key Index:: Key Index.
438 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
442 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
443 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
444 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
445 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
446 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
447 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
448 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
449 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
450 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
451 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
452 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
456 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
457 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
458 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
462 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
463 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
464 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
465 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
466 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
467 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
468 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
469 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
470 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
471 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
472 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
473 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
474 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
475 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
476 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
477 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
478 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
482 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
483 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
484 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
488 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
489 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
490 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
491 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
492 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
496 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
497 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
498 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
499 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
500 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
504 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
505 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
506 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
507 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
508 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
510 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
511 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
512 * Threading:: How threads are made.
513 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
514 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
515 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
516 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
517 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
518 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
519 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
520 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
521 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
522 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
523 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
524 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
525 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
526 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
527 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
528 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
529 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
530 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
531 or reselecting the current group.
532 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
533 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
534 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
535 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
537 Summary Buffer Format
539 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
540 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
541 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
542 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
546 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
547 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
549 Reply, Followup and Post
551 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
552 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
553 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
554 * Canceling and Superseding::
558 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
559 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
560 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
562 * Generic Marking Commands::
563 * Setting Process Marks::
567 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
568 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
569 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
573 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
574 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
576 Customizing Threading
578 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
579 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
580 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
581 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
585 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
586 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
587 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
588 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
589 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
590 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
594 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
595 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
596 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
600 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
601 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
602 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
603 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
604 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
605 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
606 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
607 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
608 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
609 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
611 Alternative Approaches
613 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
614 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
616 Various Summary Stuff
618 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
619 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
620 * Summary Generation Commands::
621 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
625 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
626 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
627 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
628 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
629 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
633 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
634 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
635 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
636 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
637 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
638 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
639 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
640 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
644 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
645 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
646 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
647 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
648 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
649 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
650 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
651 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
655 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
656 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
657 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
658 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
659 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
660 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
661 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
665 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
666 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
670 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
671 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
672 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
676 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
677 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
678 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
679 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
680 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
681 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
682 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
683 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
684 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
685 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
686 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
687 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
688 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
692 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
693 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
694 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
696 Choosing a Mail Back End
698 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
699 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
700 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
701 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
702 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
703 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
708 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
709 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
710 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
711 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
712 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
713 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
717 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
718 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
719 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
723 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
724 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
725 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
726 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
727 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
731 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
735 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
736 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
737 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
741 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
742 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
750 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
751 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
752 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
753 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
754 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
755 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
759 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
760 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
761 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
765 * Group Agent Commands::
766 * Summary Agent Commands::
767 * Server Agent Commands::
771 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
772 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
773 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
774 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
775 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
776 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
777 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
778 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
779 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
780 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
781 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
782 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
783 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
784 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
785 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
786 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
787 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
791 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
792 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
793 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
794 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
798 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
799 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
800 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
804 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
805 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
806 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
807 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
808 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
809 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
810 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
811 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
812 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
813 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
814 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
815 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
816 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
817 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
818 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
819 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
820 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
821 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
822 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
826 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
827 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
828 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
829 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
830 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
831 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
832 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
833 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
837 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
839 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
840 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
841 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
845 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
846 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
847 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
848 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
849 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
853 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
854 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
855 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
856 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
857 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
858 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
859 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
860 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
861 * Frequently Asked Questions::
865 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
866 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
867 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
868 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
869 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
870 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
871 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
872 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
873 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
877 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
878 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
879 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
880 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
881 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
885 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
886 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
887 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
888 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
892 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
893 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
894 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
895 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
896 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
897 * Group Info:: The group info format.
898 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
899 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
900 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
904 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
905 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
906 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
907 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
908 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
909 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
913 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
914 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
918 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
919 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
925 @chapter Starting gnus
930 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
931 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
934 @findex gnus-other-frame
935 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
936 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
937 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
939 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
940 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
941 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
943 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
944 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
947 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
948 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
949 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
950 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
951 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
952 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
953 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
954 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
955 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
956 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
957 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
961 @node Finding the News
962 @section Finding the News
965 @vindex gnus-select-method
967 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
968 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
969 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
970 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
973 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
974 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
977 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
980 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
983 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
986 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
987 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
988 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
990 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
992 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
993 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
994 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
995 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
996 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
997 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
999 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1000 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1001 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1002 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1004 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1007 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1008 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1009 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1010 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1011 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1012 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1015 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1017 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1018 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1019 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1020 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1021 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1022 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1024 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1026 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1027 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1028 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1029 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1030 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1031 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1034 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1035 you would typically set this variable to
1038 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1042 @node The First Time
1043 @section The First Time
1044 @cindex first time usage
1046 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1047 be subscribed by default.
1049 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1050 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1051 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1052 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1055 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1056 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1057 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1059 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1060 help you with most common problems.
1062 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1063 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1067 @node The Server is Down
1068 @section The Server is Down
1069 @cindex server errors
1071 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1072 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1073 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1075 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1076 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1077 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1078 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1079 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1080 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1081 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1083 @findex gnus-no-server
1084 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1086 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1087 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1088 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1089 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1090 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1091 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1092 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1096 @section Slave Gnusae
1099 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1100 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1101 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1102 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1104 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1105 @code{.newsrc} file.
1107 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1108 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1109 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1110 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1111 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1112 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1113 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1115 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1116 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1117 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1118 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1119 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1120 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1121 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1122 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1124 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1125 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1127 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1128 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1129 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1130 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1131 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1133 @node Fetching a Group
1134 @section Fetching a Group
1135 @cindex fetching a group
1137 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1138 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1139 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1140 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1141 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1142 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1148 @cindex subscription
1150 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1151 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1152 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1153 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1154 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1155 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1156 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1157 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1158 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1161 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1162 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1163 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1167 @node Checking New Groups
1168 @subsection Checking New Groups
1170 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1171 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1172 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1173 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1174 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1175 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1176 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1177 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1178 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1179 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1181 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1182 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1183 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1184 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1185 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1186 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1187 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1188 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1189 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1190 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1191 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1193 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1194 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1195 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1196 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1197 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1198 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1201 @node Subscription Methods
1202 @subsection Subscription Methods
1204 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1205 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1206 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1208 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1209 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1211 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1215 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1216 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1217 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1218 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1219 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1223 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1224 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1226 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1227 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1228 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1230 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1231 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1232 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1233 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1234 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1235 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1236 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1237 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1238 up. Or something like that.
1240 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1241 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1242 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1243 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1244 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1246 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1248 Kill all new groups.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1252 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1253 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1254 topic parameter that looks like
1260 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1263 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1268 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1269 A closely related variable is
1270 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1271 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1272 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1273 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1276 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1277 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1278 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1279 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1282 @node Filtering New Groups
1283 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1285 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1286 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1287 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1290 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1293 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1294 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1295 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1296 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1297 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1298 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1299 subscribing these groups.
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1301 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1303 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1304 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1305 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1306 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1307 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1308 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1309 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1310 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1312 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1313 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1314 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1315 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1316 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1317 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1318 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1319 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1320 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1321 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1324 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1325 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1328 @node Changing Servers
1329 @section Changing Servers
1330 @cindex changing servers
1332 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1333 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1334 very flaky and you want to use another.
1336 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1337 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1341 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1342 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1343 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1344 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1347 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1348 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1349 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1350 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1352 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1353 @findex gnus-change-server
1354 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1355 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1356 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1357 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1358 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1360 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1361 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1362 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1363 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1364 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1367 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1368 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1369 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1370 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1371 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1373 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1374 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1375 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1376 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1378 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1379 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1380 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1381 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1382 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1383 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1384 cache for all groups).
1388 @section Startup Files
1389 @cindex startup files
1394 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1395 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1397 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1398 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1399 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1400 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1401 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1402 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1403 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1405 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1406 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1407 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1408 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1409 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1410 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1412 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1413 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1414 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1415 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1416 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1417 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1418 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1419 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1420 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1421 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1423 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1424 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1425 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1426 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1427 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1428 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1429 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1430 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1431 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1432 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1433 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1434 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1436 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1437 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1438 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1439 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1441 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1442 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1443 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1444 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1445 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1446 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1447 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1448 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1449 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1450 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1453 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1454 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1456 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1457 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1460 @vindex gnus-init-file
1461 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1462 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1463 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1464 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1465 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1466 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1467 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1468 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1469 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1475 @cindex dribble file
1478 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1479 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1480 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1481 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1482 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1485 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1486 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1489 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1490 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1491 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1493 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1494 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1495 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1496 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1497 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1498 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1500 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1501 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1502 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1505 @node The Active File
1506 @section The Active File
1508 @cindex ignored groups
1510 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1511 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1512 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1514 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1515 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1516 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1517 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1518 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1519 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1520 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1523 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1524 @c if you set it to anything else.
1526 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1528 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1529 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1530 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1532 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1533 you actually subscribe to.
1535 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1536 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1537 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1538 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1540 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1541 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1542 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1543 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1544 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1545 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1547 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1548 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1549 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1552 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1553 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1554 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1555 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1556 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1557 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1559 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1560 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1562 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1563 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1565 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1566 secondary select methods.
1569 @node Startup Variables
1570 @section Startup Variables
1574 @item gnus-load-hook
1575 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1576 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1577 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1578 times you start gnus.
1580 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1581 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1582 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1584 @item gnus-startup-hook
1585 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1586 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1588 @item gnus-started-hook
1589 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1590 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1593 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1594 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1595 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1596 generating the group buffer.
1598 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1599 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1600 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1601 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1602 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1603 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1604 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1605 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1607 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1608 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1609 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1610 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1611 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1612 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1614 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1615 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1616 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1618 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1619 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1620 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1622 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1623 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1624 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1625 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1631 @chapter Group Buffer
1632 @cindex group buffer
1634 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1636 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1637 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1638 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1639 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1640 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1641 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1642 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1643 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1644 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1645 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1646 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1647 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1648 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1649 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1650 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1651 @c human rights at 9...
1654 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1655 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1656 long as gnus is active.
1660 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1661 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1662 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1663 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1664 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1665 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1666 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1667 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1673 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1674 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1675 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1676 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1677 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1678 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1679 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1680 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1681 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1682 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1683 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1684 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1685 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1686 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1687 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1688 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1689 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1693 @node Group Buffer Format
1694 @section Group Buffer Format
1697 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1698 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1699 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1703 @node Group Line Specification
1704 @subsection Group Line Specification
1705 @cindex group buffer format
1707 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1708 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1710 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1713 25: news.announce.newusers
1714 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1719 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1720 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1721 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1722 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1724 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1725 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1726 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1727 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1728 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1729 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1731 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1733 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1734 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1735 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1736 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1737 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1739 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1740 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1741 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1743 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1748 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1751 Whether the group is subscribed.
1754 Level of subscribedness.
1757 Number of unread articles.
1760 Number of dormant articles.
1763 Number of ticked articles.
1766 Number of read articles.
1769 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1770 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1772 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1773 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1774 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1775 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1776 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1777 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1778 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1779 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1782 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1785 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1794 Newsgroup description.
1797 @samp{m} if moderated.
1800 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1809 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1813 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1816 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1817 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1818 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1819 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1820 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1823 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1825 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1829 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1832 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1836 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1837 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1838 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1839 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1840 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1841 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1846 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1847 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1848 group, or a bogus native group.
1851 @node Group Modeline Specification
1852 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1853 @cindex group modeline
1855 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1856 The mode line can be changed by setting
1857 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1858 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1862 The native news server.
1864 The native select method.
1868 @node Group Highlighting
1869 @subsection Group Highlighting
1870 @cindex highlighting
1871 @cindex group highlighting
1873 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1874 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1875 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1876 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1877 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1879 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1883 (cond (window-system
1884 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1885 (defface my-group-face-1
1886 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1887 (defface my-group-face-2
1888 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1889 (defface my-group-face-3
1890 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1891 (defface my-group-face-4
1892 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1893 (defface my-group-face-5
1894 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1896 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1897 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1898 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1899 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1900 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1901 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1904 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1906 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1913 The number of unread articles in the group.
1917 Whether the group is a mail group.
1919 The level of the group.
1921 The score of the group.
1923 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1925 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1926 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1928 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1929 topic being inserted.
1932 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1933 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1934 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1936 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1937 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1938 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1939 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1940 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1943 @node Group Maneuvering
1944 @section Group Maneuvering
1945 @cindex group movement
1947 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1948 expected, hopefully.
1954 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1955 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1956 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1962 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1963 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1964 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1968 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1969 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1973 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1974 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1978 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1979 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1980 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1984 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1985 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1986 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1989 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1995 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1996 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1997 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2002 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2003 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2004 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2008 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2009 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2010 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2013 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2014 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2015 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2016 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2020 @node Selecting a Group
2021 @section Selecting a Group
2022 @cindex group selection
2027 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2028 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2029 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2030 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2031 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2032 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2033 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2034 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2035 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2036 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2038 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2039 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2040 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2042 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2043 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2048 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2049 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2050 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2051 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2052 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2056 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2057 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2058 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2059 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2060 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2061 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2062 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2063 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2064 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2065 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2068 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2069 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2070 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2071 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2072 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2075 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2076 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2077 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2078 doing any processing of its contents
2079 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2080 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2081 manner will have no permanent effects.
2085 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2086 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2087 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2088 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2089 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2090 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2091 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2092 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2095 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2096 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2097 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2098 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2099 Which article this is is controlled by the
2100 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2106 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2109 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2112 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2114 @item unseen-or-unread
2115 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2116 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2120 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2124 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2125 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2127 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2128 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2129 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2130 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2134 @node Subscription Commands
2135 @section Subscription Commands
2136 @cindex subscription
2144 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2145 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2146 Toggle subscription to the current group
2147 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2153 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2154 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2155 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2156 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2162 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2163 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2164 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2170 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2171 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2174 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2175 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2176 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2177 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2178 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2184 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2185 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2189 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2190 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2193 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2194 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2195 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2196 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2197 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2198 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2199 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2200 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2201 @file{.newsrc} file.
2205 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2215 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2216 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2217 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2218 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2219 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2220 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2225 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2226 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2227 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2231 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2232 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2233 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2235 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2236 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2237 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2238 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2239 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2240 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2247 @section Group Levels
2251 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2252 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2253 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2254 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2255 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2257 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2263 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2264 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2265 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2266 prompted for a level.
2269 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2270 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2271 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2272 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2273 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2274 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2275 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2276 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2277 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2278 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2279 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2280 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2281 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2282 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2283 reasons of efficiency.
2285 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2286 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2288 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2289 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2290 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2291 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2292 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2293 groups are hidden, in a way.
2295 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2296 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2297 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2298 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2299 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2300 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2302 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2303 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2304 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2305 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2306 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2307 list of killed groups.)
2309 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2310 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2311 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2313 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2314 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2315 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2316 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2317 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2318 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2319 relevant valid ranges.
2321 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2322 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2323 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2324 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2325 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2326 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2329 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2330 one with the best level.
2332 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2333 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2334 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2337 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2338 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2339 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2340 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2343 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2344 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2345 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2346 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2348 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2349 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2350 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2351 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2352 to 5. The default is 6.
2356 @section Group Score
2361 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2362 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2363 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2366 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2367 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2368 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2369 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2370 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2371 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2372 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2373 least significant part.))
2375 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2376 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2377 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2378 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2379 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2380 action after each summary exit, you can add
2381 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2382 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2383 slow things down somewhat.
2386 @node Marking Groups
2387 @section Marking Groups
2388 @cindex marking groups
2390 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2391 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2392 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2393 bidding on those groups.
2395 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2396 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2397 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2405 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2406 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2412 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2413 Remove the mark from the current group
2414 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2418 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2419 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2423 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2424 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2428 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2429 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2433 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2434 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2435 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2438 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2440 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2441 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2442 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2443 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2444 the command to be executed.
2447 @node Foreign Groups
2448 @section Foreign Groups
2449 @cindex foreign groups
2451 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2452 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2453 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2454 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2461 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2462 @cindex making groups
2463 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2464 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2465 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2469 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2470 @cindex renaming groups
2471 Rename the current group to something else
2472 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2473 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2479 @findex gnus-group-customize
2480 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2485 @cindex renaming groups
2486 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2487 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2492 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2493 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2498 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2499 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2505 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2506 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2512 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2516 @cindex (ding) archive
2517 @cindex archive group
2518 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2519 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2520 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2521 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2522 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2523 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2524 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2530 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2531 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2532 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2533 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2537 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2539 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2540 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2541 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2545 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2546 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2548 Make a group based on some file or other
2549 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2550 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2551 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2552 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2553 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2554 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2555 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2556 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2557 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2561 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2562 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2563 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2564 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2568 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2573 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2574 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2575 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2576 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2577 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2578 @xref{Web Searches}.
2580 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2581 to a particular group by using a match string like
2582 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2585 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2586 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2587 This function will delete the current group
2588 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2589 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2590 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2591 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2592 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2596 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2597 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2598 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2602 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2603 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2604 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2607 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2610 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2611 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2612 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2613 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2614 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2615 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2619 @node Group Parameters
2620 @section Group Parameters
2621 @cindex group parameters
2623 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2624 Here's an example group parameter list:
2627 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2631 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2632 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2633 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2634 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2636 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2637 is an alist of regexps and values.
2639 The following group parameters can be used:
2644 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2647 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2650 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2651 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2652 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2653 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2654 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2656 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2657 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2658 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2659 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2660 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2661 list address instead.
2663 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2667 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2670 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2673 It is totally ignored
2674 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2675 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2677 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2678 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2679 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2680 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2681 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2683 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2684 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2685 sending the message.
2687 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2688 @cindex Mail List Groups
2689 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2690 entering summary buffer.
2692 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2697 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2698 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2699 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2700 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2701 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2702 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2704 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2705 directly uses this group parameter.
2709 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2710 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2711 of whether it has any unread articles.
2713 @item broken-reply-to
2714 @cindex broken-reply-to
2715 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2716 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2717 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2718 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2719 broken behavior. So there!
2723 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2724 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2728 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2729 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2730 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2735 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2736 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2737 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2738 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2739 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2740 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2741 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2742 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2743 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2747 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2748 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2749 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2751 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2754 @cindex total-expire
2755 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2756 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2757 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2758 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2761 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2765 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2766 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2767 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2768 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2769 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2770 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2773 @cindex score file group parameter
2774 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2775 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2776 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2779 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2780 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2781 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2782 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2785 @cindex admin-address
2786 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2787 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2788 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2789 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2793 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2794 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2798 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2801 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2802 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2805 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2809 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2811 Here are some examples:
2815 Display only unread articles.
2818 Display everything except expirable articles.
2820 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2821 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2825 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2826 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2827 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2828 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2829 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2833 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2834 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2835 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2839 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2840 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2841 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2846 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2847 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2848 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2850 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2852 @item ignored-charsets
2853 @cindex ignored-charset
2854 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2855 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2856 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2858 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2861 @cindex posting-style
2862 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2863 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2864 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2865 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2866 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2868 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2869 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2870 like this in the group parameters:
2875 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2880 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2881 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2885 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2886 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2887 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2888 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2889 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2893 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2894 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2895 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2896 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2898 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2899 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2900 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2901 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2904 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2905 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2909 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2912 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2913 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2914 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2915 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2916 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2917 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2918 @code{eval}ed there.
2920 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2921 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2922 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2923 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2924 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2925 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2926 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2927 parameters for the group.
2930 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2931 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2932 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2933 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2934 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2938 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2939 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2940 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2941 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2942 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2944 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2945 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2949 (setq gnus-parameters
2951 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2952 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2953 (gnus-summary-line-format
2954 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2958 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2962 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2966 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2969 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2970 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2973 @node Listing Groups
2974 @section Listing Groups
2975 @cindex group listing
2977 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2985 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2986 List all groups that have unread articles
2987 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2988 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2989 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2990 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2997 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2998 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2999 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3000 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3001 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3002 unsubscribed groups).
3006 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3007 List all unread groups on a specific level
3008 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3009 with no unread articles.
3013 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3014 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3015 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3016 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3021 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3022 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3026 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3027 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3028 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3032 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3033 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3037 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3038 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3039 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3040 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3041 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3042 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3043 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3044 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3048 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3049 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3050 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3054 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3055 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3056 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3060 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3061 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3065 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3066 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3070 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3071 List groups limited within the current selection
3072 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3076 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3077 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3081 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3082 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3086 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3087 @cindex visible group parameter
3088 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3089 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3090 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3091 get the same effect.
3093 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3094 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3095 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3096 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3097 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3100 @node Sorting Groups
3101 @section Sorting Groups
3102 @cindex sorting groups
3104 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3105 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3106 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3107 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3108 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3109 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3114 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3115 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3116 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3118 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3119 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3120 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3122 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3123 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3124 Sort by group level.
3126 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3127 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3128 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3130 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3131 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3132 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3133 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3135 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3137 Sort by number of unread articles.
3139 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3140 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3141 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3143 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3144 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3145 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3150 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3151 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3155 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3156 some sorting criteria:
3160 @kindex G S a (Group)
3161 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3162 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3163 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3166 @kindex G S u (Group)
3167 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3168 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3169 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3172 @kindex G S l (Group)
3173 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3174 Sort the group buffer by group level
3175 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3178 @kindex G S v (Group)
3179 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3180 Sort the group buffer by group score
3181 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3184 @kindex G S r (Group)
3185 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3186 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3187 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3190 @kindex G S m (Group)
3191 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3192 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3193 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3197 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3198 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3200 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3201 commands will sort in reverse order.
3203 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3207 @kindex G P a (Group)
3208 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3209 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3210 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3213 @kindex G P u (Group)
3214 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3215 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3216 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3219 @kindex G P l (Group)
3220 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3221 Sort the groups by group level
3222 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3225 @kindex G P v (Group)
3226 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3227 Sort the groups by group score
3228 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3231 @kindex G P r (Group)
3232 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3233 Sort the groups by group rank
3234 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3237 @kindex G P m (Group)
3238 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3239 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3240 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3243 @kindex G P s (Group)
3244 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3245 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3249 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3253 @node Group Maintenance
3254 @section Group Maintenance
3255 @cindex bogus groups
3260 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3261 Find bogus groups and delete them
3262 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3266 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3267 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3268 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3269 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3270 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3274 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3275 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3276 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3277 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3278 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3279 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3282 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3283 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3284 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3285 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3290 @node Browse Foreign Server
3291 @section Browse Foreign Server
3292 @cindex foreign servers
3293 @cindex browsing servers
3298 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3299 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3300 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3301 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3304 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3305 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3306 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3307 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3309 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3314 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3315 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3319 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3320 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3323 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3324 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3325 Enter the current group and display the first article
3326 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3329 @kindex RET (Browse)
3330 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3331 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3335 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3336 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3337 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3343 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3344 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3348 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3349 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3350 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3355 @section Exiting gnus
3356 @cindex exiting gnus
3358 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3363 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3364 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3365 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3366 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3370 @findex gnus-group-exit
3371 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3372 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3376 @findex gnus-group-quit
3377 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3378 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3381 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3382 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3383 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3384 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3385 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3390 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3391 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3392 trying to customize meta-variables.
3397 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3398 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3399 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3405 @section Group Topics
3408 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3409 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3410 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3411 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3412 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3413 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3417 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3418 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3429 2: alt.religion.emacs
3432 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3434 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3435 13: comp.sources.unix
3438 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3440 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3441 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3442 is a toggling command.)
3444 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3445 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3446 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3447 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3450 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3451 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3452 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3455 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3459 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3460 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3461 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3462 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3463 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3467 @node Topic Commands
3468 @subsection Topic Commands
3469 @cindex topic commands
3471 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3472 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3473 definitions slightly.
3475 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3476 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3477 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3478 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3479 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3480 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3482 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3489 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3490 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3491 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3495 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3497 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3498 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3499 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3500 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3503 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3504 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3505 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3506 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3510 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3511 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3512 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3513 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3519 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3520 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3521 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3525 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3526 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3527 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3530 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3531 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3532 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3533 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3534 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3536 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3537 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3541 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3542 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3549 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3551 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3552 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3553 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3554 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3555 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3556 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3560 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3566 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3567 Move the current group to some other topic
3568 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3569 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3573 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3574 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3578 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3579 Copy the current group to some other topic
3580 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3581 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3585 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3586 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3587 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3591 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3592 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3593 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3597 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3598 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3599 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3600 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3601 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3602 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3603 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3606 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3607 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3611 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3612 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3613 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3617 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3618 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3619 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3623 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3624 Toggle hiding empty topics
3625 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3629 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3630 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3631 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3634 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3635 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3636 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3637 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3640 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3641 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3642 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3643 expiry process (if any)
3644 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3648 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3649 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3652 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3653 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3654 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3658 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3659 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3660 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3663 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3664 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3665 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3668 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3669 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3670 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3674 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3675 @cindex group parameters
3676 @cindex topic parameters
3678 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3679 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3684 @node Topic Variables
3685 @subsection Topic Variables
3686 @cindex topic variables
3688 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3689 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3691 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3692 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3693 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3706 Number of groups in the topic.
3708 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3710 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3713 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3714 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3715 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3718 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3719 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3721 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3722 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3723 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3727 @subsection Topic Sorting
3728 @cindex topic sorting
3730 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3736 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3737 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3738 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3739 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3742 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3743 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3744 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3745 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3748 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3749 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3750 Sort the current topic by group level
3751 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3754 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3755 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3756 Sort the current topic by group score
3757 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3760 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3761 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3762 Sort the current topic by group rank
3763 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3766 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3767 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3768 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3769 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3772 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3773 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3774 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3775 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3779 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3780 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3781 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3782 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3786 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3787 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3791 @node Topic Topology
3792 @subsection Topic Topology
3793 @cindex topic topology
3796 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3802 2: alt.religion.emacs
3805 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3807 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3808 13: comp.sources.unix
3811 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3812 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3813 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3818 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3819 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3823 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3824 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3825 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3826 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3827 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3828 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3830 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3831 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3832 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3835 @node Topic Parameters
3836 @subsection Topic Parameters
3837 @cindex topic parameters
3839 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3840 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3841 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3843 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3848 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3849 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3850 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3853 @item subscribe-level
3854 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3855 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3856 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3860 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3861 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3862 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3863 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3869 2: alt.religion.emacs
3873 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3875 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3876 13: comp.sources.unix
3880 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3881 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3882 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3883 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3884 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3885 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3887 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3888 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3889 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3890 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3891 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3893 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3894 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3895 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3896 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3897 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3898 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3899 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3900 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3903 @node Misc Group Stuff
3904 @section Misc Group Stuff
3907 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3908 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3909 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3910 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3911 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3918 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3919 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3920 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3924 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3925 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3926 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3927 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3928 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3929 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3930 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3934 @findex gnus-group-mail
3935 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3936 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3937 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3938 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3942 @findex gnus-group-news
3943 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3944 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3945 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3947 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3948 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3949 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3950 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3951 for this to work though.
3955 Variables for the group buffer:
3959 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3960 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3961 is called after the group buffer has been
3964 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3965 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3966 is called after the group buffer is
3967 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3970 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3971 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3972 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3973 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3975 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3976 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3977 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3978 whether they are empty or not.
3980 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3981 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3982 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3983 non-ASCII group names.
3987 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3988 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3991 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3992 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3993 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3994 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3995 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3996 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4000 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4001 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4006 @node Scanning New Messages
4007 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4008 @cindex new messages
4009 @cindex scanning new news
4015 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4016 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4017 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4018 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4019 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4020 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4025 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4026 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4027 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4028 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4029 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4030 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4031 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4033 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4034 @cindex activating groups
4036 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4037 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4042 @findex gnus-group-restart
4043 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4044 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4045 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4049 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4050 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4052 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4053 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4057 @node Group Information
4058 @subsection Group Information
4059 @cindex group information
4060 @cindex information on groups
4067 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4068 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4071 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4072 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4073 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4074 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4075 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4076 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4077 for fetching the file.
4079 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4080 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4084 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4086 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4087 @cindex describing groups
4088 @cindex group description
4089 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4090 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4091 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4095 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4096 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4097 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4104 @findex gnus-version
4105 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4109 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4110 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4113 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4116 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4117 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4121 @node Group Timestamp
4122 @subsection Group Timestamp
4124 @cindex group timestamps
4126 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4127 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4128 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4131 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4134 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4136 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4137 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4140 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4141 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4144 This will result in lines looking like:
4147 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4148 0: custom 19961002T012713
4151 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4152 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4156 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4157 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4160 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4161 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4165 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4166 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4167 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4168 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4170 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4176 @subsection File Commands
4177 @cindex file commands
4183 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4184 @vindex gnus-init-file
4185 @cindex reading init file
4186 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4187 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4191 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4192 @cindex saving .newsrc
4193 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4194 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4195 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4198 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4199 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4200 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4205 @node Sieve Commands
4206 @subsection Sieve Commands
4207 @cindex group sieve commands
4209 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4210 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4211 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4212 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4213 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4215 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4216 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4217 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4218 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4219 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4220 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4221 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4222 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4223 regenerate the Sieve script.
4225 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4226 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4227 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4228 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4229 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4230 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4231 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4232 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4233 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4234 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4237 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4238 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4243 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4249 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4250 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4251 @cindex generating sieve script
4252 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4253 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4257 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4258 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4259 @cindex updating sieve script
4260 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4261 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4262 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4267 @node Summary Buffer
4268 @chapter Summary Buffer
4269 @cindex summary buffer
4271 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4272 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4274 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4275 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4277 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4280 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4281 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4282 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4283 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4284 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4285 * Delayed Articles::
4286 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4287 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4288 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4289 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4290 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4291 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4292 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4293 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4294 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4295 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4296 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4297 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4298 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4299 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4300 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4301 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4302 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4303 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4304 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4305 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4306 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4307 or reselecting the current group.
4308 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4309 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4310 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4311 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4315 @node Summary Buffer Format
4316 @section Summary Buffer Format
4317 @cindex summary buffer format
4321 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4322 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4323 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4329 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4330 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4331 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4332 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4335 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4336 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4337 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4338 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4339 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4340 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4341 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4342 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4343 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4344 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4345 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4346 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4347 other function instead:
4350 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4351 'mail-extract-address-components)
4354 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4355 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4356 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4357 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4360 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4361 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4363 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4364 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4365 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4366 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4367 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4369 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4370 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4371 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4372 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4373 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4374 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4376 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4378 The following format specification characters and extended format
4379 specification(s) are understood:
4385 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4386 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4388 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4389 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4390 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4392 Full @code{From} header.
4394 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4396 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4397 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4399 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4400 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4401 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4402 may be more thorough.
4404 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4407 Number of lines in the article.
4409 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4410 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4412 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4414 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4417 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4418 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4420 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4421 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4423 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4424 for adopted articles.
4426 One space for each thread level.
4428 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4430 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4433 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4434 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4435 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4438 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4440 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4441 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4442 default level. If the difference between
4443 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4444 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4452 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4454 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4460 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4461 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4463 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4464 article has any children.
4470 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4471 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4473 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4474 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4475 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4476 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4477 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4478 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4481 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4482 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4483 There can only be one such area.
4485 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4486 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4487 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4488 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4489 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4490 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4492 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4493 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4495 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4498 @node To From Newsgroups
4499 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4503 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4504 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4505 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4506 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4507 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4511 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4512 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4513 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4517 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4518 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4521 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4522 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4525 @findex gnus-extra-header
4526 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4527 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4528 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4531 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4535 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4536 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4537 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4538 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4539 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4540 headers are used instead.
4544 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4545 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4546 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4547 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4550 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4551 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4552 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4553 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4555 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4559 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4561 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4562 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4563 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4564 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4568 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4571 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4572 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4579 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4580 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4583 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4584 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4586 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4587 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4588 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4589 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4591 Here are the elements you can play with:
4597 Unprefixed group name.
4599 Current article number.
4601 Current article score.
4605 Number of unread articles in this group.
4607 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4610 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4611 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4612 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4613 and no unselected ones.
4615 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4616 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4618 Subject of the current article.
4620 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4622 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4624 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4626 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4628 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4630 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4634 @node Summary Highlighting
4635 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4639 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4640 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4641 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4642 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4643 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4645 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4646 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4647 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4648 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4650 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4651 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4652 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4653 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4655 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4656 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4657 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4658 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4659 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4660 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4663 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4664 ((> score default) . bold))
4666 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4667 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4671 @node Summary Maneuvering
4672 @section Summary Maneuvering
4673 @cindex summary movement
4675 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4676 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4678 None of these commands select articles.
4683 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4684 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4685 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4686 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4687 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4691 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4692 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4693 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4694 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4695 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4698 @kindex G g (Summary)
4699 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4700 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4701 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4704 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4705 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4706 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4707 to the group buffer.
4709 Variables related to summary movement:
4713 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4714 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4715 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4716 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4717 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4718 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4719 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4720 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4721 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4722 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4723 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4724 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4725 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4726 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4728 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4729 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4730 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4731 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4732 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4733 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4734 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4736 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4738 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4739 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4740 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4741 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4742 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4744 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4745 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4746 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4747 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4748 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4749 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4750 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4751 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4754 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4755 the given number of lines from the top.
4760 @node Choosing Articles
4761 @section Choosing Articles
4762 @cindex selecting articles
4765 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4766 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4770 @node Choosing Commands
4771 @subsection Choosing Commands
4773 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4774 and they all select and display an article.
4776 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4777 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4781 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4782 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4783 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4784 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4789 @kindex G n (Summary)
4790 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4791 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4792 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4797 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4798 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4799 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4804 @kindex G N (Summary)
4805 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4806 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4811 @kindex G P (Summary)
4812 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4813 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4816 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4817 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4818 Go to the next article with the same subject
4819 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4822 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4823 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4824 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4825 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4829 @kindex G f (Summary)
4831 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4832 Go to the first unread article
4833 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4837 @kindex G b (Summary)
4839 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4840 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4841 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4842 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4847 @kindex G l (Summary)
4848 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4849 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4852 @kindex G o (Summary)
4853 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4855 @cindex article history
4856 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4857 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4858 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4859 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4860 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4861 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4866 @kindex G j (Summary)
4867 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4868 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4869 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4874 @node Choosing Variables
4875 @subsection Choosing Variables
4877 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4880 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4881 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4882 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4883 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4884 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4885 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4887 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4888 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4889 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4890 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4892 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4893 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4894 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4895 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4896 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4897 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4898 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4899 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4900 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4901 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4902 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4903 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4904 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4905 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4910 @node Paging the Article
4911 @section Scrolling the Article
4912 @cindex article scrolling
4917 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4918 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4919 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4920 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4921 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4924 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4925 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4926 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4929 @kindex RET (Summary)
4930 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4931 Scroll the current article one line forward
4932 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4935 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4936 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4937 Scroll the current article one line backward
4938 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4942 @kindex A g (Summary)
4944 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4945 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4946 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4947 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4948 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4949 the way it came from the server.
4951 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4952 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4953 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4956 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4961 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4966 @kindex A < (Summary)
4967 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4968 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4969 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4974 @kindex A > (Summary)
4975 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4976 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4980 @kindex A s (Summary)
4982 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4983 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4984 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4988 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4989 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4994 @node Reply Followup and Post
4995 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4998 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4999 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5000 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5001 * Canceling and Superseding::
5005 @node Summary Mail Commands
5006 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5008 @cindex composing mail
5010 Commands for composing a mail message:
5016 @kindex S r (Summary)
5018 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5019 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5020 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5021 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5022 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5027 @kindex S R (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5029 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5030 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5031 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5032 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5035 @kindex S w (Summary)
5036 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5037 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5038 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5039 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5040 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5043 @kindex S W (Summary)
5044 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5045 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5046 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5047 the process/prefix convention.
5050 @kindex S v (Summary)
5051 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5052 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5053 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5054 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5055 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5056 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5060 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5061 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5062 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5063 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5064 Forward the current article to some other person
5065 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5066 headers of the forwarded article.
5071 @kindex S m (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5073 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5074 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5075 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5076 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5081 @kindex S i (Summary)
5082 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5083 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5084 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5085 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5087 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5088 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5089 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5090 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5091 for this to work though.
5094 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5096 @cindex bouncing mail
5097 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5098 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5099 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5100 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5101 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5102 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5103 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5104 very well fail, though.
5107 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5108 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5109 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5110 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5111 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5112 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5113 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5114 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5115 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5116 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5118 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5119 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5120 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5121 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5122 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5124 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5125 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5128 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5130 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5131 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5132 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5135 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5136 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5137 @cindex crossposting
5138 @cindex excessive crossposting
5139 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5140 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5142 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5143 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5144 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5145 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5146 command understands the process/prefix convention
5147 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5151 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5152 Manual}, for more information.
5155 @node Summary Post Commands
5156 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5158 @cindex composing news
5160 Commands for posting a news article:
5166 @kindex S p (Summary)
5167 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5168 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5169 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5170 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5171 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5176 @kindex S f (Summary)
5177 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5178 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5179 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5183 @kindex S F (Summary)
5185 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5186 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5187 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5188 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5189 process/prefix convention.
5192 @kindex S n (Summary)
5193 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5194 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5195 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5198 @kindex S N (Summary)
5199 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5200 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5201 message through mail and include the original message
5202 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5203 the process/prefix convention.
5206 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5207 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5208 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5209 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5210 headers of the forwarded article.
5213 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5216 @cindex making digests
5217 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5218 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5219 process/prefix convention.
5222 @kindex S u (Summary)
5223 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5224 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5225 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5226 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5229 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5230 Manual}, for more information.
5233 @node Summary Message Commands
5234 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5238 @kindex S y (Summary)
5239 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5240 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5241 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5242 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5243 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5248 @node Canceling and Superseding
5249 @subsection Canceling Articles
5250 @cindex canceling articles
5251 @cindex superseding articles
5253 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5254 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5256 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5258 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5260 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5261 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5262 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5263 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5264 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5265 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5267 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5268 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5271 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5272 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5273 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5275 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5276 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5277 your original article.
5279 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5281 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5282 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5283 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5286 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5287 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5288 have posted almost the same article twice.
5290 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5291 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5292 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5293 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5294 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5295 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5296 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5297 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5298 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5299 canceled/superseded.
5301 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5303 @node Delayed Articles
5304 @section Delayed Articles
5305 @cindex delayed sending
5306 @cindex send delayed
5308 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5309 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5310 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5311 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5314 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5317 @findex gnus-delay-article
5318 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5319 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5320 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5321 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5325 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5326 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5327 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5328 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5331 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5332 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5333 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5336 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5337 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5338 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5339 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5340 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5341 that means a time tomorrow.
5344 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5345 couple of variables:
5348 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5349 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5350 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5351 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5353 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5354 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5355 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5356 formats described above.
5358 @item gnus-delay-group
5359 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5360 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5361 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5362 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5364 @item gnus-delay-header
5365 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5366 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5367 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5368 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5371 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5372 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5373 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5374 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5375 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5377 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5378 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5379 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5380 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5381 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5382 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5385 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5386 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5387 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5388 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5389 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5390 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5391 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5392 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5394 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5395 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5396 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5397 forget to set that up :-)
5401 @node Marking Articles
5402 @section Marking Articles
5403 @cindex article marking
5404 @cindex article ticking
5407 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5409 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5410 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5411 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5413 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5416 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5417 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5418 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5422 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5426 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5427 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5428 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5432 @node Unread Articles
5433 @subsection Unread Articles
5435 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5440 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5441 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5443 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5444 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5445 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5446 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5447 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5448 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5449 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5452 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5453 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5455 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5456 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5457 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5458 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5462 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5463 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5465 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5470 @subsection Read Articles
5471 @cindex expirable mark
5473 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5478 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5479 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5480 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5483 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5484 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5487 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5488 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5489 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5492 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5493 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5496 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5497 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5500 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5501 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5504 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5505 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5508 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5509 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5512 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5513 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5516 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5517 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5521 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5522 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5523 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5527 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5528 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5530 One more special mark, though:
5534 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5535 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5537 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5538 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5539 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5540 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5546 @subsection Other Marks
5547 @cindex process mark
5550 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5556 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5557 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5558 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5559 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5560 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5563 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5564 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5565 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5566 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5569 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5570 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5571 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5574 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5575 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5576 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5579 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5580 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5581 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5582 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5585 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5586 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5587 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5588 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5589 mark, in which case it simply never appears.
5592 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5593 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5594 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5597 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5598 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5599 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5600 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5601 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5604 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5605 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5606 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5607 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5608 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5609 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5613 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5614 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5615 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5617 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5618 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5619 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5623 @subsection Setting Marks
5624 @cindex setting marks
5626 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5631 @kindex M c (Summary)
5632 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5633 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5634 @cindex mark as unread
5635 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5636 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5642 @kindex M t (Summary)
5643 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5644 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5645 @xref{Article Caching}.
5650 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5651 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5652 Mark the current article as dormant
5653 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5657 @kindex M d (Summary)
5659 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5660 Mark the current article as read
5661 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5665 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5666 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5667 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5672 @kindex M k (Summary)
5673 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5674 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5675 and then select the next unread article
5676 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5680 @kindex M K (Summary)
5681 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5682 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5683 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5684 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5687 @kindex M C (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5689 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5690 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5693 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5694 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5695 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5696 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5699 @kindex M H (Summary)
5700 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5701 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5702 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5705 @kindex M h (Summary)
5706 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5707 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5708 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5711 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5712 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5713 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5714 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5717 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5718 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5719 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5720 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5724 @kindex M e (Summary)
5726 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5727 Mark the current article as expirable
5728 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5731 @kindex M b (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5733 Set a bookmark in the current article
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5737 @kindex M B (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5739 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5740 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5743 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5745 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5746 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5749 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5751 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5752 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5755 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5757 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5758 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5759 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5762 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5763 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5764 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5765 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5766 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5767 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5768 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5769 The default is @code{t}.
5772 @node Generic Marking Commands
5773 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5775 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5776 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5777 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5778 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5779 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5782 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5783 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5786 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5787 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5788 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5789 to list in this manual.
5791 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5792 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5793 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5794 article, you could say something like:
5797 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5798 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5799 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5805 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5806 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5810 @node Setting Process Marks
5811 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5812 @cindex setting process marks
5819 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5820 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5821 Mark the current article with the process mark
5822 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5823 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5827 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5828 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5829 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5830 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5833 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5835 Remove the process mark from all articles
5836 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5839 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5840 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5841 Invert the list of process marked articles
5842 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5845 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5846 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5847 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5848 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5851 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5852 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5853 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5854 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5857 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5858 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5859 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5862 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5863 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5864 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5865 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5868 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5870 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5871 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5874 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5875 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5876 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5877 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5880 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5882 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5885 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5887 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5888 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5891 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5892 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5893 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5896 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5897 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5898 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5899 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5902 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5904 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5905 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5908 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5910 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5911 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5914 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5915 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5916 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5917 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5921 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5922 set process marks based on article body contents.
5929 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5930 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5931 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5934 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5935 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5936 additional articles.
5942 @kindex / / (Summary)
5943 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5944 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5945 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5949 @kindex / a (Summary)
5950 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5951 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5952 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5956 @kindex / x (Summary)
5957 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5958 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5959 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5960 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5965 @kindex / u (Summary)
5967 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5968 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5969 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5970 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5971 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5974 @kindex / m (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5976 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5977 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5980 @kindex / t (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5982 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5983 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5984 articles younger than that number of days.
5987 @kindex / n (Summary)
5988 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5989 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5990 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5991 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5994 @kindex / w (Summary)
5995 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5996 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5997 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6001 @kindex / v (Summary)
6002 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6003 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6004 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6007 @kindex / p (Summary)
6008 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6009 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6010 group parameter predicate
6011 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6012 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6016 @kindex M S (Summary)
6017 @kindex / E (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6019 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6020 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6023 @kindex / D (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6025 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6029 @kindex / * (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6031 Include all cached articles in the limit
6032 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6035 @kindex / d (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6037 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6038 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6041 @kindex / M (Summary)
6042 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6043 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6046 @kindex / T (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6048 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6051 @kindex / c (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6053 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6054 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6057 @kindex / C (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6059 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6060 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6061 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6064 @kindex / N (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6066 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6067 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6070 @kindex / o (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6072 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6073 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6081 @cindex article threading
6083 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6084 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6085 hierarchical fashion.
6087 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6088 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6089 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6090 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6091 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6092 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6093 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6095 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6099 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6102 A tree-like article structure.
6105 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6108 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6109 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6110 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6111 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6112 called loose threads.
6114 @item thread gathering
6115 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6117 @item sparse threads
6118 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6119 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6125 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6126 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6130 @node Customizing Threading
6131 @subsection Customizing Threading
6132 @cindex customizing threading
6135 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6136 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6137 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6138 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6143 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6146 @cindex loose threads
6149 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6150 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6151 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6152 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6153 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6154 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6156 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6157 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6158 There are four possible values:
6162 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6163 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6164 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6165 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6166 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6171 @cindex adopting articles
6176 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6177 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6178 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6179 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6182 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6183 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6184 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6185 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6186 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6187 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6188 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6191 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6192 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6193 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6197 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6198 display them after one another.
6201 Don't gather loose threads.
6204 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6205 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6206 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6207 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6208 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6209 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6210 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6211 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6212 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6213 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6214 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6216 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6217 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6218 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6221 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6222 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6223 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6224 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6225 simplification is used.
6227 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6228 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6229 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6230 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6232 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6234 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6240 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6241 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6242 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6243 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6248 (mapconcat 'identity
6249 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6251 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6254 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6257 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6258 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6259 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6260 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6261 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6262 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6264 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6267 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6268 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6269 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6271 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6272 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6275 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6276 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6277 Remove excessive whitespace.
6280 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6283 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6284 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6285 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6286 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6287 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6288 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6289 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6290 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6292 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6293 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6294 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6295 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6296 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6297 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6298 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6299 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6300 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6304 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6305 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6306 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6307 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6309 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6310 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6311 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6314 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6318 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6319 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6325 @node Filling In Threads
6326 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6329 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6330 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6331 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6332 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6333 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6334 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6335 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6336 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6337 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6338 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6339 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6340 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6343 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6344 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6345 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6347 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6348 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6349 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6350 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6351 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6352 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6353 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6354 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6355 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6356 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6357 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6358 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6359 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6360 @code{nil} by default.
6362 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6363 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6364 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6365 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6366 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6367 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6368 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6370 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6371 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6372 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6377 @node More Threading
6378 @subsubsection More Threading
6381 @item gnus-show-threads
6382 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6383 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6384 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6385 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6386 slower and more awkward.
6388 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6389 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6390 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6393 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6394 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6395 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6400 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6401 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6402 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6405 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6406 unread, but you get my drift.)
6409 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6410 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6411 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6412 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6413 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6414 threads are expunged.
6416 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6417 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6418 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6421 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6422 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6423 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6424 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6425 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6426 result in a new thread.
6428 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6429 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6430 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6433 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6434 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6435 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6436 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6437 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6438 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6439 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6440 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6441 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6442 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6443 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6448 @node Low-Level Threading
6449 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6453 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6454 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6455 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6456 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6457 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6458 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6460 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6461 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6462 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6463 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6464 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6465 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6466 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6467 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6468 meaningful. Here's one example:
6471 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6473 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6474 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6476 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6478 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6485 @node Thread Commands
6486 @subsection Thread Commands
6487 @cindex thread commands
6493 @kindex T k (Summary)
6494 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6496 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6497 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6498 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6503 @kindex T l (Summary)
6504 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6505 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6506 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6507 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6510 @kindex T i (Summary)
6511 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6512 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6513 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6516 @kindex T # (Summary)
6517 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6518 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6519 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6522 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6523 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6524 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6525 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6528 @kindex T T (Summary)
6529 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6530 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6533 @kindex T s (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6535 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6536 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6539 @kindex T h (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6541 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6544 @kindex T S (Summary)
6545 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6546 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6549 @kindex T H (Summary)
6550 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6551 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6554 @kindex T t (Summary)
6555 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6556 Re-thread the current article's thread
6557 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6558 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6561 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6562 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6563 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6564 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6568 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6569 understand the numeric prefix.
6574 @kindex T n (Summary)
6576 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6578 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6579 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6580 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6583 @kindex T p (Summary)
6585 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6587 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6588 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6589 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6592 @kindex T d (Summary)
6593 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6594 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6597 @kindex T u (Summary)
6598 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6599 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6602 @kindex T o (Summary)
6603 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6604 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6607 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6608 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6609 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6610 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6611 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6612 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6613 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6614 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6615 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6616 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6617 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6618 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6622 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6623 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6625 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6626 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6627 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6628 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6629 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6630 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6631 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6632 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6633 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6634 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6635 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6636 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6638 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6639 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6640 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6641 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6642 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6643 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date} and
6644 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6646 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6647 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6648 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6650 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6651 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6652 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6653 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6654 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6655 ascending article order.
6657 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6658 by number, you could do something like:
6661 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6662 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6663 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6664 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6667 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6668 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6669 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6670 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6671 which the articles arrived.
6673 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6677 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6679 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6680 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6683 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6684 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6685 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6686 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6689 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6690 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6691 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6692 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6693 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6694 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6695 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6696 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6697 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6698 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6699 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6700 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6701 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6703 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6707 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6708 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6709 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6714 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6715 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6716 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6717 @cindex article pre-fetch
6720 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6721 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6722 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6723 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6724 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6726 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6727 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6729 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6730 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6731 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6732 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6733 connection is blocked.
6735 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6736 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6737 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6738 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6740 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6741 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6742 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6743 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6746 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6749 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6750 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6751 happen automatically.
6753 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6754 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6755 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6756 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6757 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6758 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6759 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6761 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6762 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6763 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6764 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6765 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6766 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6767 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6768 data structure as the only parameter.
6770 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6773 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6774 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6775 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6776 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6779 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6782 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6783 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6784 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6786 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6787 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6788 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6789 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6793 Remove articles when they are read.
6796 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6799 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6801 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6802 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6803 @c from the next group.
6806 @node Article Caching
6807 @section Article Caching
6808 @cindex article caching
6811 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6812 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6813 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6814 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6815 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6817 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6819 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6820 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6821 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6822 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6823 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6824 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6825 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6826 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6828 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6829 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6830 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6831 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6832 as dormant, and don't worry.
6834 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6836 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6837 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6838 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6839 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6840 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6841 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6842 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6843 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6844 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6845 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6847 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6848 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6849 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6850 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6851 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6852 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6853 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6854 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6855 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6856 not then be downloaded by this command.
6858 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6859 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6860 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6861 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6862 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6863 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6865 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6866 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6867 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6868 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6869 variables, the group is not cached.
6871 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6872 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6873 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6874 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6875 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6876 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6877 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6878 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6879 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6882 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6883 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6884 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6885 where, isn't that cool?
6887 @node Persistent Articles
6888 @section Persistent Articles
6889 @cindex persistent articles
6891 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6892 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6893 useful in my opinion.
6895 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6896 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6897 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6898 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6899 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6900 the expiry going on at the news server.
6902 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6903 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6904 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6910 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6911 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6914 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6915 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6916 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6917 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6921 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6923 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6924 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6925 interested in persistent articles:
6928 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6932 @node Article Backlog
6933 @section Article Backlog
6935 @cindex article backlog
6937 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6938 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6939 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6940 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6941 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6942 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6943 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6944 increase memory usage some.
6946 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6947 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6948 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6949 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6950 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6951 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6952 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6954 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6957 @node Saving Articles
6958 @section Saving Articles
6959 @cindex saving articles
6961 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6962 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6963 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6964 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6965 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6967 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
6968 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
6969 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
6971 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6972 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6973 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6975 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6976 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6977 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6978 deleted before saving.
6984 @kindex O o (Summary)
6986 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6987 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6988 Save the current article using the default article saver
6989 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6992 @kindex O m (Summary)
6993 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6994 Save the current article in mail format
6995 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6998 @kindex O r (Summary)
6999 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7000 Save the current article in rmail format
7001 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7004 @kindex O f (Summary)
7005 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7006 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7007 Save the current article in plain file format
7008 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7011 @kindex O F (Summary)
7012 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7013 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7014 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7017 @kindex O b (Summary)
7018 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7019 Save the current article body in plain file format
7020 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7023 @kindex O h (Summary)
7024 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7025 Save the current article in mh folder format
7026 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7029 @kindex O v (Summary)
7030 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7031 Save the current article in a VM folder
7032 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7036 @kindex O p (Summary)
7038 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7039 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7040 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7043 @kindex O P (Summary)
7044 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7045 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7046 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7047 external program Muttprint (see
7048 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7049 options to use is controlled by the variable
7050 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7054 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7055 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7056 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7057 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7058 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7059 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7060 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7061 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7062 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7063 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7064 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7065 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7069 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7070 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7071 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7072 functions below, or you can create your own.
7076 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7077 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7078 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7079 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7080 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7081 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7082 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7084 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7085 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7086 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7087 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7088 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7089 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7091 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7092 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7093 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7094 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7095 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7096 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7097 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7099 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7100 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7101 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7102 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7103 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7104 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7106 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7107 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7108 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7109 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7110 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7112 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7113 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7114 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7115 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7116 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7119 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7120 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7121 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7122 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7123 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7125 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7126 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7127 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7128 reader to use this setting.
7131 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7132 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7133 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7134 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7137 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7138 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7139 available functions that generate names:
7143 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7144 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7145 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7147 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7148 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7149 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7151 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7152 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7153 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7155 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7156 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7157 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7159 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7160 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7161 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7164 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7165 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7166 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7167 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7168 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7172 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7173 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7174 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7175 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7178 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7179 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7180 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7181 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7182 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7183 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7184 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7185 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7186 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7188 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7189 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7190 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7191 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7193 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7194 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7195 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7198 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7199 lots of mail groups called things like
7200 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7201 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7202 following will do just that:
7205 (defun my-save-name (group)
7206 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7207 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7209 (setq gnus-split-methods
7210 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7215 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7216 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7217 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7218 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7219 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7220 all the files in the top level directory
7221 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7222 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7223 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7224 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7226 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7227 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7228 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7229 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7230 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7233 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7237 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7238 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7239 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7242 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7243 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7244 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7245 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7248 @node Decoding Articles
7249 @section Decoding Articles
7250 @cindex decoding articles
7252 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7253 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7256 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7257 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7258 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7259 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7260 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7261 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7265 @cindex article series
7266 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7267 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7268 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7269 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7270 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7272 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7273 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7274 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7276 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7277 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7278 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7280 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7281 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7282 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7285 @node Uuencoded Articles
7286 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7288 @cindex uuencoded articles
7293 @kindex X u (Summary)
7294 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7295 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7296 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7299 @kindex X U (Summary)
7300 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7301 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7302 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7305 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7306 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7307 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7310 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7311 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7312 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7313 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7317 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7318 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7319 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7320 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7321 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7323 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7324 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7325 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7326 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7329 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7330 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7331 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7332 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7333 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7334 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7338 @node Shell Archives
7339 @subsection Shell Archives
7341 @cindex shell archives
7342 @cindex shared articles
7344 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7345 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7346 some commands to deal with these:
7351 @kindex X s (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7353 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7356 @kindex X S (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7358 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7361 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7363 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7366 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7367 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7368 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7369 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7373 @node PostScript Files
7374 @subsection PostScript Files
7380 @kindex X p (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7382 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7385 @kindex X P (Summary)
7386 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7387 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7388 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7391 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7392 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7393 View the current PostScript series
7394 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7397 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7398 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7399 View and save the current PostScript series
7400 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7405 @subsection Other Files
7409 @kindex X o (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7411 Save the current series
7412 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7415 @kindex X b (Summary)
7416 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7417 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7418 doesn't really work yet.
7422 @node Decoding Variables
7423 @subsection Decoding Variables
7425 Adjective, not verb.
7428 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7429 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7430 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7434 @node Rule Variables
7435 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7436 @cindex rule variables
7438 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7439 variables are of the form
7442 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7449 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7450 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7452 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7453 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7456 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7457 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7460 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7461 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7462 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7463 user and default view rules.
7465 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7466 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7467 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7472 @node Other Decode Variables
7473 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7476 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7478 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7479 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7480 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7481 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7482 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7486 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7487 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7490 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7491 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7492 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7495 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7496 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7497 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7498 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7499 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7502 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7503 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7504 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7506 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7507 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7508 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7509 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7510 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7513 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7514 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7515 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7517 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7518 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7519 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7520 looking for files to display.
7522 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7523 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7524 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7527 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7528 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7529 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7532 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7533 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7534 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7537 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7538 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7539 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7542 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7543 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7544 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7545 decoded articles as unread.
7547 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7548 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7549 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7550 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7552 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7553 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7554 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7556 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7557 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7559 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7560 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7561 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7562 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7564 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7565 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7566 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7567 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7568 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7569 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7570 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7571 simply dropped them.
7576 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7577 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7581 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7582 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7583 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7584 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7585 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7586 for you when you post the article.
7588 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7589 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7590 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7591 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7593 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7594 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7595 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7596 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7597 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7598 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7599 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7601 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7602 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7603 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7604 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7605 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7606 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7607 Default is @code{t}.
7613 @subsection Viewing Files
7614 @cindex viewing files
7615 @cindex pseudo-articles
7617 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7618 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7619 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7620 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7621 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7622 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7623 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7625 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7626 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7627 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7628 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7630 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7631 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7632 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7634 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7635 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7636 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7637 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7638 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7640 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7641 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7642 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7643 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7644 a list of parameters to that command.
7646 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7647 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7648 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7650 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7651 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7652 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7655 @node Article Treatment
7656 @section Article Treatment
7658 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7659 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7660 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7661 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7662 these articles easier.
7665 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7666 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7667 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7668 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7669 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7670 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7671 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7672 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7673 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7674 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7678 @node Article Highlighting
7679 @subsection Article Highlighting
7680 @cindex highlighting
7682 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7683 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7688 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7689 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7690 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7691 Do much highlighting of the current article
7692 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7693 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7696 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7697 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7698 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7699 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7700 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7701 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7702 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7703 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7704 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7705 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7706 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7707 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7710 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7711 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7712 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7714 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7717 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7719 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7720 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7721 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7723 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7724 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7725 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7727 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7728 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7729 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7730 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7731 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7732 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7734 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7735 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7736 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7738 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7739 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7740 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7742 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7743 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7744 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7745 that it's a citation.
7747 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7748 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7749 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7751 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7752 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7753 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7755 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7756 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7757 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7758 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7764 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7765 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7766 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7767 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7768 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7769 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7770 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7771 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7776 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7779 @node Article Fontisizing
7780 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7782 @cindex article emphasis
7784 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7785 @kindex W e (Summary)
7786 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7787 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7788 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7789 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7791 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7792 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7793 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7794 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7795 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7796 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7797 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7798 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7802 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7803 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7804 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7813 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7814 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7815 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7816 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7817 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7818 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7819 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7820 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7821 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7822 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7823 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7824 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7825 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7827 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7828 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7829 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7833 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7836 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7838 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7839 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7840 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7841 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7843 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7846 @node Article Hiding
7847 @subsection Article Hiding
7848 @cindex article hiding
7850 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7851 too much cruft in most articles.
7856 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7857 @findex gnus-article-hide
7858 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7859 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7860 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7863 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7864 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7865 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7869 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7870 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7871 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7872 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7875 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7876 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7877 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7881 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7882 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7883 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7884 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7885 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7886 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7887 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7888 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7892 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7893 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7894 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7895 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7900 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7901 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7902 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7903 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7904 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7905 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7906 articles that have signatures in them do:
7908 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7910 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7912 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7913 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7915 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7918 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7923 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7924 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7925 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7926 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7929 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7930 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7933 @cindex stripping advertisements
7934 @cindex advertisements
7935 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7936 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7937 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7938 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7939 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7940 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7941 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7942 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7943 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7944 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7948 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7949 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7950 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7951 customizing the hiding:
7955 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7956 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7957 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7958 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7959 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7960 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7961 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7966 Starting point of the hidden text.
7968 Ending point of the hidden text.
7970 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7972 Number of lines of hidden text.
7975 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7976 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7977 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7978 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7979 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7984 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7985 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7987 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7988 following two variables:
7991 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7992 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7993 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7994 50), hide the cited text.
7996 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7997 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7998 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8003 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8004 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8005 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8006 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8007 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8008 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8012 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8013 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8014 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8016 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8017 citation customization.
8019 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8023 @node Article Washing
8024 @subsection Article Washing
8026 @cindex article washing
8028 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8029 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8031 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8032 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8035 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8036 articles by default.
8041 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8042 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8046 @kindex W l (Summary)
8047 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8048 Remove page breaks from the current article
8049 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8053 @kindex W r (Summary)
8054 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8055 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8056 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8057 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8058 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8059 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8061 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8062 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8063 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8064 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8068 @kindex W t (Summary)
8070 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
8071 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8072 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
8075 @kindex W v (Summary)
8076 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8077 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8078 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8081 @kindex W m (Summary)
8082 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8083 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8084 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8087 @kindex W o (Summary)
8088 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8089 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8092 @kindex W d (Summary)
8093 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8094 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8096 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8098 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8099 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8100 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8101 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8104 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8105 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8106 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8107 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8110 @kindex W k (Summary)
8111 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8112 @cindex Outlook Express
8113 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8114 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8117 @kindex W w (Summary)
8118 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8119 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8121 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8125 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8126 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8127 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8130 @kindex W C (Summary)
8131 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8132 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8133 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8136 @kindex W c (Summary)
8137 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8138 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8139 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8140 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8141 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8144 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8145 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8146 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8147 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8148 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8149 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8150 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8152 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8155 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8156 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8157 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8158 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8159 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8162 @kindex W u (Summary)
8163 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8164 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8165 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8166 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8167 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8170 @kindex W h (Summary)
8171 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8172 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that the this is
8173 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8174 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8176 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8178 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8179 The default is to use w3 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is
8180 controlled by the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable.
8181 Pre-defined functions you can use include:
8184 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8185 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8186 Use w3 (this is the default).
8188 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8189 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8190 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8195 @kindex W b (Summary)
8196 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8197 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8198 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8201 @kindex W B (Summary)
8202 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8203 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8204 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8207 @kindex W p (Summary)
8208 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8209 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8210 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8211 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8212 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8213 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8214 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8217 @kindex W s (Summary)
8218 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8219 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8220 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8223 @kindex W a (Summary)
8224 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8225 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8226 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8229 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8230 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8231 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8232 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8235 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8236 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8237 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8238 lines with a single empty line.
8239 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8242 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8243 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8244 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8245 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8248 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8249 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8250 Do all the three commands above
8251 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8254 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8255 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8256 Remove all blank lines
8257 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8260 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8261 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8262 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8263 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8266 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8267 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8268 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8269 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8273 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8276 @node Article Header
8277 @subsection Article Header
8279 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8284 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8285 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8286 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8289 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8290 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8291 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8292 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8295 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8296 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8297 Fold all the message headers
8298 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8302 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8303 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8304 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8309 @node Article Buttons
8310 @subsection Article Buttons
8313 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8314 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8315 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8316 button on these references.
8318 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8319 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8320 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8325 @item gnus-button-alist
8326 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8327 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8330 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8336 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8337 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8338 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8341 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8342 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8343 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8346 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8347 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8348 avoid false matches.
8351 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8354 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8355 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8359 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8362 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8365 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8366 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8367 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8368 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8369 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8372 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8375 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8377 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8378 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8379 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8380 default values of the variables above.
8382 @item gnus-article-button-face
8383 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8384 Face used on buttons.
8386 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8387 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8388 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8392 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8396 @subsection Article Date
8398 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8399 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8400 when the article was sent.
8405 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8406 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8407 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8408 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8411 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8412 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8414 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8415 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8418 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8419 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8420 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8423 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8424 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8425 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8426 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8429 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8430 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8431 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8432 @findex format-time-string
8433 Display the date using a user-defined format
8434 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8435 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8436 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8437 for a list of possible format specs.
8440 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8441 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8442 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8443 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8444 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8445 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8448 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8451 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8452 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8455 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8456 into wonderful absurdities.
8458 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8461 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8464 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8465 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8469 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8470 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8471 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8472 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8473 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8474 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8475 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8479 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8480 preferred format automatically.
8483 @node Article Display
8484 @subsection Article Display
8489 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8490 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8492 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8493 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8495 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8496 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8498 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8499 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8501 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8506 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8507 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8508 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8509 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8512 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8513 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8514 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8517 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8518 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8519 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8522 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8524 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8525 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8528 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8530 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8531 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8534 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8536 Remove all images from the article buffer
8537 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8543 @node Article Signature
8544 @subsection Article Signature
8546 @cindex article signature
8548 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8549 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8550 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8551 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8552 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8553 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8554 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8555 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8556 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8559 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8560 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8561 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8562 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8563 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8564 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8565 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8566 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8569 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8572 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8573 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8574 signature when displaying articles.
8578 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8581 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8584 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8585 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8587 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8588 in question is not a signature.
8591 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8592 listed above. Here's an example:
8595 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8596 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8599 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8600 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8601 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8602 signature after all.
8605 @node Article Miscellania
8606 @subsection Article Miscellania
8610 @kindex A t (Summary)
8611 @findex gnus-article-babel
8612 Translate the article from one language to another
8613 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8619 @section MIME Commands
8620 @cindex MIME decoding
8622 @cindex viewing attachments
8624 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8625 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8631 @kindex K v (Summary)
8632 View the @sc{mime} part.
8635 @kindex K o (Summary)
8636 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8639 @kindex K c (Summary)
8640 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8643 @kindex K e (Summary)
8644 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8647 @kindex K i (Summary)
8648 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8651 @kindex K | (Summary)
8652 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8655 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8660 @kindex K b (Summary)
8661 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8662 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8666 @kindex K m (Summary)
8667 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8668 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8669 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8670 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8671 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8674 @kindex X m (Summary)
8675 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8676 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8677 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8678 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8681 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8682 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8683 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8684 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8687 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8688 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8689 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8692 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8693 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8694 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8696 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8697 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8698 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8699 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8700 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8701 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8704 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8705 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8706 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8713 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8714 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8715 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8716 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8719 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8722 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8726 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8727 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8728 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8729 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8730 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8731 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8734 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8735 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8736 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8737 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8738 displayed. This variable overrides
8739 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8741 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8742 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8743 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8745 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8746 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8747 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8748 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8749 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8750 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8751 save all jpegs into some directory).
8753 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8756 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8757 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8759 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8760 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8761 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8762 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8763 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8766 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8767 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8768 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8770 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8771 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8772 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8773 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8775 Ready-made functions include@*
8776 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8777 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8778 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8779 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8780 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8781 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8782 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8783 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8784 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8785 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8786 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8787 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8789 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8790 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8792 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8793 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8794 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8797 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8798 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8799 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8800 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8804 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8813 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8814 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8815 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8816 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8817 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8818 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8819 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8821 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8822 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8823 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8824 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8826 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8827 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8828 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8829 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8830 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8831 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8832 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8833 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8835 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8836 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8837 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8838 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8839 quoted-printable header encoding.
8841 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8842 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8843 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8847 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8850 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8851 means encode all charsets),
8853 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8854 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8855 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8862 @cindex coding system aliases
8863 @cindex preferred charset
8865 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8867 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8868 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8871 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8872 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8875 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8876 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8878 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8881 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8884 This will almost do the right thing.
8886 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8890 (codepage-setup 1251)
8891 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8895 @node Article Commands
8896 @section Article Commands
8903 @kindex A P (Summary)
8904 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8905 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8906 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8907 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8908 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8909 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8914 @node Summary Sorting
8915 @section Summary Sorting
8916 @cindex summary sorting
8918 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8919 can't really see why you'd want that.
8924 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8925 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8926 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8929 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8930 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8931 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8934 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8935 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8936 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8939 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8940 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8941 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8944 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8945 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8946 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8949 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8950 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8951 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8954 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8955 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8956 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8959 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8960 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8961 Sort using the default sorting method
8962 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8965 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8966 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8967 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8968 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8969 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8973 @node Finding the Parent
8974 @section Finding the Parent
8975 @cindex parent articles
8976 @cindex referring articles
8981 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8982 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8983 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8984 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8985 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8986 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8987 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8988 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8989 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8991 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8992 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8993 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8994 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8995 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8999 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9000 @kindex A R (Summary)
9001 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9002 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9005 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9006 @kindex A T (Summary)
9007 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9008 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9009 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9010 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9011 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9012 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9013 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9015 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9016 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9017 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9018 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9019 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9020 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9023 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9024 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9026 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9027 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9028 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9029 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9030 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9031 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9032 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9035 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9036 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9037 by giving this command a prefix.
9039 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9040 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9041 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9042 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9043 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9044 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9047 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9048 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9049 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9052 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9053 then ask Deja if that fails:
9056 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9058 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
9061 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9062 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9063 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9064 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9065 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9066 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9067 support this at all.
9070 @node Alternative Approaches
9071 @section Alternative Approaches
9073 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9074 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9077 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9078 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9083 @subsection Pick and Read
9084 @cindex pick and read
9086 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9087 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9088 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9089 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9091 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9092 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9093 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9094 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9095 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9096 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9098 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9103 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9104 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9105 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9106 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9107 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9108 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9109 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9110 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9113 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9114 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9115 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9116 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9120 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9121 Unpick the thread or article
9122 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9123 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9124 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9125 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9126 the thread or article at that line.
9130 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9131 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9132 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9133 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9134 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9135 will still be visible when you are reading.
9139 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9140 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9141 which is mapped to the same function
9142 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9144 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9147 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9150 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9151 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9153 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9154 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9155 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9157 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9158 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9159 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9160 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9161 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9162 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9163 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9167 @subsection Binary Groups
9168 @cindex binary groups
9170 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9171 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9172 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9173 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9174 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9175 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9176 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9179 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9180 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9181 command, when you have turned on this mode
9182 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9184 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9185 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9189 @section Tree Display
9192 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9193 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9194 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9195 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9198 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9201 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9202 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9203 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9205 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9206 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9207 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9208 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9209 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9211 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9212 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9213 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9214 default is @code{modeline}.
9216 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9217 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9218 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9219 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9220 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9221 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9222 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9228 The name of the poster.
9230 The @code{From} header.
9232 The number of the article.
9234 The opening bracket.
9236 The closing bracket.
9241 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9243 Variables related to the display are:
9246 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9247 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9248 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9249 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9250 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9251 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9253 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9254 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9255 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9256 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9260 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9261 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9262 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9263 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9264 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9265 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9266 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9267 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9268 other windows displayed next to it.
9270 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9274 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9275 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9278 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9279 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9280 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9281 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9282 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9283 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9284 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9288 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9291 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9301 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9305 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9306 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9308 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9310 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9315 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9316 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9317 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9320 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9321 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9322 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9323 (gnus-add-configuration
9327 (summary 0.75 point)
9332 @xref{Window Layout}.
9335 @node Mail Group Commands
9336 @section Mail Group Commands
9337 @cindex mail group commands
9339 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9340 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9342 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9343 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9348 @kindex B e (Summary)
9349 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9350 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9351 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9352 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9353 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9356 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9357 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9358 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9359 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9360 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9361 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9364 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9365 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9366 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9367 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9368 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9369 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9372 @kindex B m (Summary)
9374 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9375 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9376 Move the article from one mail group to another
9377 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9378 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9381 @kindex B c (Summary)
9383 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9384 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9385 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9386 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9387 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9390 @kindex B B (Summary)
9391 @cindex crosspost mail
9392 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9393 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9394 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9395 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9396 be properly updated.
9399 @kindex B i (Summary)
9400 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9401 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9402 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9403 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9406 @kindex B I (Summary)
9407 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9408 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9409 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9410 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9413 @kindex B r (Summary)
9414 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9415 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9416 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9417 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9418 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9419 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9420 (which is the default).
9424 @kindex B w (Summary)
9426 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9427 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9428 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9429 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9430 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9431 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9432 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9435 @kindex B q (Summary)
9436 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9437 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9438 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9439 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9442 @kindex B t (Summary)
9443 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9444 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9445 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9448 @kindex B p (Summary)
9449 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9450 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9451 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9452 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9453 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9454 article from your news server (or rather, from
9455 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9456 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9457 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9458 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9459 just not have arrived yet.
9462 @kindex K E (Summary)
9463 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9464 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9465 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9466 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9467 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9471 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9472 @cindex moving articles
9473 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9474 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9475 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9476 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9477 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9478 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9479 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9482 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9483 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9484 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9485 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9489 @node Various Summary Stuff
9490 @section Various Summary Stuff
9493 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9494 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9495 * Summary Generation Commands::
9496 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9500 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9501 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9502 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9504 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9505 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9506 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9507 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9508 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9509 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9512 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9513 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9514 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9515 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9516 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9518 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9519 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9520 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9523 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9524 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9525 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9526 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9527 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9528 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9529 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9530 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9531 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9532 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9534 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9535 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9536 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9537 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9538 list of articles to be selected.
9540 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9541 the list in one particular group:
9544 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9545 (if (string= group "some.group")
9546 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9550 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9551 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9552 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9553 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9554 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9555 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9556 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9557 buffers. For example:
9560 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9561 '(message-use-followup-to
9562 (gnus-visible-headers .
9563 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9569 @node Summary Group Information
9570 @subsection Summary Group Information
9575 @kindex H f (Summary)
9576 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9577 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9578 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9579 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9580 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9581 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9582 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9583 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9584 be used for fetching the file.
9587 @kindex H d (Summary)
9588 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9589 Give a brief description of the current group
9590 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9591 rereading the description from the server.
9594 @kindex H h (Summary)
9595 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9596 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9597 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9600 @kindex H i (Summary)
9601 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9602 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9606 @node Searching for Articles
9607 @subsection Searching for Articles
9612 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9613 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9614 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9615 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9618 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9620 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9621 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9625 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9626 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9627 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9628 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9629 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9630 search backward instead.
9632 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9633 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9636 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9637 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9638 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9639 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9642 @node Summary Generation Commands
9643 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9648 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9649 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9650 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9653 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9654 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9655 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9656 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9661 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9662 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9668 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9669 @kindex A D (Summary)
9670 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9671 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9672 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9673 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9674 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9675 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9676 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9677 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9681 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9682 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9683 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9684 several documents into one biiig group
9685 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9686 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9687 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9688 command understands the process/prefix convention
9689 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9692 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9693 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9694 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9695 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9696 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9697 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9701 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9702 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9703 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9706 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9707 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9708 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9709 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9712 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9713 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9714 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9715 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9720 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9721 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9722 @cindex summary exit
9723 @cindex exiting groups
9725 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9726 group and return you to the group buffer.
9732 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9734 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9735 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9736 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9737 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9738 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9739 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9740 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9741 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9742 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9743 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9744 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9748 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9750 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9751 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9752 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9756 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9758 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9759 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9760 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9761 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9764 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9765 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9766 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9767 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9770 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9771 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9772 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9773 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9776 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9777 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9778 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9779 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9780 all articles, both read and unread.
9784 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9785 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9786 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9787 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9788 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9789 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9790 articles, both read and unread.
9793 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9794 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9795 Exit the group and go to the next group
9796 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9799 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9800 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9801 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9802 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9805 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9806 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9807 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9808 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9809 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9810 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9813 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9814 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9815 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9816 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9818 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9819 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9820 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9821 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9822 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9823 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9824 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9825 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9826 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9827 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9828 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9829 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9831 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9833 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9834 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9835 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9836 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9837 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9838 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9839 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9840 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9841 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9844 @node Crosspost Handling
9845 @section Crosspost Handling
9849 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9850 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9851 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9852 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9853 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9854 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9857 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9858 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9859 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9860 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9861 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9863 @cindex cross-posting
9866 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9867 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9868 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9869 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9870 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9871 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9872 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9873 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9874 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9875 the cross reference mechanism.
9877 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9878 @cindex overview.fmt
9879 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9880 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9881 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9882 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9883 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9884 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9887 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9888 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9889 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9894 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9897 @node Duplicate Suppression
9898 @section Duplicate Suppression
9900 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9901 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9902 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9903 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9908 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9909 is evil and not very common.
9912 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9913 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9916 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9917 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9920 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9923 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9924 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9926 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9927 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9928 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9929 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9930 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9931 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9932 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9935 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9936 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9937 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9938 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9939 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9943 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9944 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9945 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9947 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9948 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9949 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9950 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9951 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9952 session are suppressed.
9954 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9955 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9956 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9957 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9959 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9960 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9961 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9962 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9965 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9966 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9967 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9968 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9969 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9970 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9971 to you to figure out, I think.
9976 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9977 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
9978 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
9982 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
9983 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
9986 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
9987 or newer is recommended.
9991 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9992 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
9995 @item mm-verify-option
9996 @vindex mm-verify-option
9997 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9998 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9999 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10001 @item mm-decrypt-option
10002 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10003 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10004 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10005 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10010 @section Mailing List
10012 @kindex A M (summary)
10013 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10014 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10015 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10016 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10017 summary buffer, or say:
10020 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10023 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10028 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10029 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10030 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10033 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10034 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10035 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10038 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10039 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10040 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10044 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10045 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10046 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10049 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10050 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10051 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10054 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10055 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10056 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10060 @node Article Buffer
10061 @chapter Article Buffer
10062 @cindex article buffer
10064 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10065 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10066 tell gnus otherwise.
10069 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10070 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10071 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10072 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10073 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10077 @node Hiding Headers
10078 @section Hiding Headers
10079 @cindex hiding headers
10080 @cindex deleting headers
10082 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10083 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10085 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10086 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10087 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10088 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10089 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10090 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10091 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10092 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10093 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10095 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10099 @item gnus-visible-headers
10100 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10101 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10102 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10103 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10105 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10106 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10109 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10112 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10115 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10116 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10117 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10118 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10119 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10120 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10122 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10123 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10126 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10129 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10132 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10133 variable will have no effect.
10137 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10138 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10139 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10140 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10141 the headers are to be displayed.
10143 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10144 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10147 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10150 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10151 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10153 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10154 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10155 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10156 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10157 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10158 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10159 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10162 These conditions are:
10165 Remove all empty headers.
10167 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10168 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10170 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10171 @code{From} header.
10173 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10176 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10177 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10179 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10182 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10184 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10187 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10190 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10191 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10194 This is also the default value for this variable.
10198 @section Using MIME
10201 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10202 while people stand around yawning.
10204 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10205 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10207 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10208 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10209 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10211 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10212 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10213 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10214 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10215 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10216 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10217 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10218 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10219 not existed yet, sorry).
10221 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10222 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10223 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10224 These can't be avoided.
10226 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10227 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10228 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10229 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10230 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10231 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10232 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10233 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10234 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10237 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10239 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10240 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10241 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10242 buffer when there are nobody else.
10244 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10247 @node Customizing Articles
10248 @section Customizing Articles
10249 @cindex article customization
10251 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10252 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10253 called automatically when you select the articles.
10255 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10256 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10257 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10258 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10260 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10261 for sensible values.
10265 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10268 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10271 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10274 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10277 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10281 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10282 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10283 regexps in the list.
10286 A list where the first element is not a string:
10288 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10289 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10290 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10294 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10298 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10303 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10304 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10305 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10306 considered to contain just a single part.
10308 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10309 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10310 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10311 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10312 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10313 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10314 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10316 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10317 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10318 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10319 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10322 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10323 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10325 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10327 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10328 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10329 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10330 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10331 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10332 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10333 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10334 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10335 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10336 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10337 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10339 @xref{Article Washing}.
10341 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10342 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10343 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10344 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10345 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10346 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10347 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10349 @xref{Article Date}.
10351 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10352 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10353 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10357 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10359 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10361 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10362 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10363 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10367 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10371 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10372 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10373 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10374 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10375 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10376 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10377 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10378 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10380 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10382 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10383 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10384 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10386 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10388 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10389 @item gnus-treat-translate
10390 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10392 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10393 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10394 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10395 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10397 @xref{Article Header}.
10402 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10403 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10404 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10405 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10406 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10410 @node Article Keymap
10411 @section Article Keymap
10413 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10414 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10415 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10416 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10419 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10424 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10425 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10426 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10429 @kindex DEL (Article)
10430 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10431 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10434 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10435 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10436 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10437 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10438 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10441 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10442 @findex gnus-article-mail
10443 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10444 given a prefix, include the mail.
10447 @kindex s (Article)
10448 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10449 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10450 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10453 @kindex ? (Article)
10454 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10455 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10456 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10459 @kindex TAB (Article)
10460 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10461 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10462 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10465 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10466 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10467 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10470 @kindex R (Article)
10471 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10472 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10473 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10474 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10478 @kindex F (Article)
10479 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10480 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10481 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10482 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10490 @section Misc Article
10494 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10495 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10496 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10497 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10500 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10501 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10503 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10504 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10506 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10507 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10508 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10509 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10510 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10511 the contents of the article buffer.
10513 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10514 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10515 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10517 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10518 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10519 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10520 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10522 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10523 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10524 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10525 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10526 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10532 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10533 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10534 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10539 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10542 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10545 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10546 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10547 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10550 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10553 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10556 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10561 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10565 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10567 @item gnus-break-pages
10568 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10569 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10570 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10571 paging will not be done.
10573 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10574 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10575 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10580 @node Composing Messages
10581 @chapter Composing Messages
10582 @cindex composing messages
10585 @cindex sending mail
10590 @cindex using s/mime
10591 @cindex using smime
10593 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10594 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10595 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10596 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10597 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10598 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10601 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10602 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10603 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10604 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10605 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10606 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10607 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10608 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10611 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10612 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10618 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10621 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10622 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10623 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10624 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10626 @item gnus-add-to-list
10627 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10628 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10629 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10634 @node Posting Server
10635 @section Posting Server
10637 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10638 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10640 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10642 It can be quite complicated.
10644 @vindex gnus-post-method
10645 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10646 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10647 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10648 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10649 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10650 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10651 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10652 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10653 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10656 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10659 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10660 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10661 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10662 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10664 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10665 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10667 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10668 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10671 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10672 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10674 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10675 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10676 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10677 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10678 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10679 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10680 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10681 package correctly. An example:
10684 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10685 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10688 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10689 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10690 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10692 @node Mail and Post
10693 @section Mail and Post
10695 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10699 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10700 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10701 @cindex mailing lists
10703 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10704 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10705 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10706 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10707 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10708 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10709 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10710 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10711 still a pain, though.
10715 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10716 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10717 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10720 @findex ispell-message
10722 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10725 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10726 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10729 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10733 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10734 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10736 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10739 Modify to suit your needs.
10742 @node Archived Messages
10743 @section Archived Messages
10744 @cindex archived messages
10745 @cindex sent messages
10747 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10748 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10749 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10750 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10753 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
10754 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
10757 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10758 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10759 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10762 (nnfolder "archive"
10763 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10764 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10765 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10766 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10769 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10770 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10771 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10772 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10775 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10776 '(nnfolder "archive"
10777 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10778 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10779 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10782 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10784 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10785 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10786 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10788 This variable can be used to do the following:
10793 Messages will be saved in that group.
10795 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10796 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10797 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10798 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10799 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10800 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10801 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10802 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10806 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10808 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10809 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10812 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10817 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10819 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10822 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10824 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10827 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10829 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10830 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10831 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10832 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10835 More complex stuff:
10837 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10838 '((if (message-news-p)
10843 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10844 messages in one file per month:
10847 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10848 '((if (message-news-p)
10850 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10853 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10854 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10856 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10857 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10858 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10859 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10860 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10861 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10862 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10863 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10864 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10865 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10867 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10868 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10869 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10870 this will disable archiving.
10873 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10874 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10875 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10876 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10877 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10880 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10881 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10882 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10885 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10886 but the latter is the preferred method.
10888 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10889 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10890 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10892 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10893 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10894 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
10895 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
10896 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
10897 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
10898 changed in the future.
10903 @node Posting Styles
10904 @section Posting Styles
10905 @cindex posting styles
10908 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10910 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10911 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10912 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10915 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10916 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10917 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10918 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10919 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10924 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10925 (organization "What me?"))
10927 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10928 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10929 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10932 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10933 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10934 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10935 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10936 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10937 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10938 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10939 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10941 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10942 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10943 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
10944 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
10945 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. If it's a function symbol, that
10946 function will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol,
10947 then the variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list
10948 will be @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil}
10949 value, then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10951 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10952 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10953 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10954 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
10955 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
10956 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
10957 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
10958 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
10959 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
10960 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
10963 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10964 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10965 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10966 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10967 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10968 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
10969 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
10970 references chars lines xref extra.
10972 @vindex message-reply-headers
10974 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10975 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10976 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10978 @findex message-mail-p
10979 @findex message-news-p
10981 So here's a new example:
10984 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10986 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10988 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10989 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10991 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10992 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
10993 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10994 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
10995 (signature my-news-signature))
10996 (window-system ;; A value symbol
10997 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
10998 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
10999 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
11000 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11001 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11002 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11003 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11004 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11005 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11007 (From (save-excursion
11008 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11009 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11011 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11014 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11015 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11016 if you fill many roles.
11023 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11024 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11025 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11026 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11027 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11029 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11030 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11031 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11032 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11033 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11037 @vindex nndraft-directory
11038 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11039 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11040 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11041 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11042 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11043 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11045 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11046 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11049 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11050 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11051 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11052 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11053 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11054 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11055 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11056 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11057 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11058 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11059 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11060 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11061 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11062 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11064 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11065 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11066 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11068 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11069 @kindex D e (Draft)
11070 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11071 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11072 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11074 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11077 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11078 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11079 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11080 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11081 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11082 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11083 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11086 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11087 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11088 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11091 @node Rejected Articles
11092 @section Rejected Articles
11093 @cindex rejected articles
11095 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11096 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11097 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11098 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11100 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11101 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11102 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11103 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11104 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11106 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11107 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11108 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11110 @node Signing and encrypting
11111 @section Signing and encrypting
11113 @cindex using s/mime
11114 @cindex using smime
11116 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11117 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11118 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11119 (@pxref{Security}).
11121 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11122 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11123 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11125 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11126 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11127 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11132 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11133 @findex mml-secure-sign-smime
11135 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11138 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11139 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11141 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11144 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11145 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11147 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11150 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11151 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-smime
11153 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11156 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11157 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgp
11159 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11162 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11163 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime
11165 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11168 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11169 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11170 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11174 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11176 @node Select Methods
11177 @chapter Select Methods
11178 @cindex foreign groups
11179 @cindex select methods
11181 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11182 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11183 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11184 personal mail group.
11186 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11187 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11188 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11189 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11190 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11191 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11193 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11194 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11196 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11199 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11200 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11201 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11202 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11203 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11205 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11208 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11209 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11210 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11211 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11212 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11213 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11214 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11215 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11219 @node Server Buffer
11220 @section Server Buffer
11222 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11223 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11224 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11225 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11226 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11227 back end represents a virtual server.
11229 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11230 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11231 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11232 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11234 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11235 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11236 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11237 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11238 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11239 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11240 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11242 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11243 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11246 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11247 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11248 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11249 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11250 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11251 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11252 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11255 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11256 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11259 @node Server Buffer Format
11260 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11261 @cindex server buffer format
11263 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11264 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11265 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11266 variable, with some simple extensions:
11271 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11274 The name of this server.
11277 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11280 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11283 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11284 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11285 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11286 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11296 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11299 @node Server Commands
11300 @subsection Server Commands
11301 @cindex server commands
11307 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11308 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11312 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11313 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11316 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11317 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11318 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11322 @findex gnus-server-exit
11323 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11327 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11328 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11332 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11333 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11337 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11338 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11342 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11343 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11347 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11348 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11349 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11354 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11355 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11356 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11357 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11362 @node Example Methods
11363 @subsection Example Methods
11365 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11368 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11371 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11377 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11378 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11381 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11382 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11384 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11385 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11389 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11392 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11393 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11395 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11396 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11397 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11401 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11404 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11407 Here's the method for a public spool:
11411 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11412 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11418 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11419 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11420 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11421 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11422 should probably look something like this:
11426 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11427 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11428 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11429 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11432 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11433 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11434 configuration to the example above:
11437 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11440 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11441 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11442 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11446 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11447 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11448 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11449 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11452 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11453 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11454 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11455 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11458 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11459 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11461 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11462 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11464 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11465 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11466 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11468 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11470 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11471 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11472 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11473 will contain the following:
11483 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11484 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11485 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11488 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11489 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11490 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11493 @node Server Variables
11494 @subsection Server Variables
11496 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11497 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11498 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11499 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11500 won't change the "derived" variables.
11502 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11503 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11504 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11505 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11506 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11507 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11508 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11509 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11510 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11514 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11515 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11516 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11520 @node Servers and Methods
11521 @subsection Servers and Methods
11523 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11524 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11525 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11526 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11530 @node Unavailable Servers
11531 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11533 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11534 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11535 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11536 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11537 actually the case or not.
11539 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11540 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11541 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11542 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11543 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11544 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11545 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11546 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11548 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11549 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11551 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11552 with the following commands:
11558 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11559 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11560 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11564 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11565 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11566 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11570 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11571 Mark the current server as unreachable
11572 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11575 @kindex M-o (Server)
11576 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11577 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11578 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11581 @kindex M-c (Server)
11582 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11583 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11584 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11588 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11589 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11590 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11594 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11595 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11601 @section Getting News
11602 @cindex reading news
11603 @cindex news back ends
11605 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11606 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11607 or it can read from a local spool.
11610 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11611 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11619 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11620 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11621 server as the, uhm, address.
11623 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11624 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11625 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11626 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11628 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11629 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11630 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11632 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11637 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11638 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11639 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11641 @cindex authentification
11642 @cindex nntp authentification
11643 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11644 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11645 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11646 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11647 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11648 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11649 present in this hook.
11651 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11652 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11653 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11654 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11655 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11656 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11657 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11658 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11659 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11660 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11661 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11662 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11666 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11669 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11671 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11672 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11673 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11674 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11675 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11676 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11677 @samp{force} is explained below.
11681 Here's an example file:
11684 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11685 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11688 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11689 have to be first, for instance.
11691 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11692 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11693 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11694 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11695 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11696 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11697 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11699 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11700 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11706 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11707 previously mentioned.
11709 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11711 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11712 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11713 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11714 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11715 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11718 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11719 '(("innd" (ding))))
11722 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11724 The default value is
11727 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11728 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11729 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11732 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11733 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11735 @item nntp-maximum-request
11736 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11737 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11738 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11739 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11740 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11741 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11742 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11744 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11745 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11746 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11747 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11748 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11749 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11750 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11751 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11752 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11753 no timeouts are done.
11755 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11756 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11757 @c @cindex PPP connections
11758 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11759 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11760 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11761 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11762 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11763 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11764 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11765 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11766 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11767 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11769 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11770 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11771 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11772 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11773 @c described above.
11775 @item nntp-server-hook
11776 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11777 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11780 @item nntp-buggy-select
11781 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11782 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11784 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11785 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11786 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11787 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11790 @item nntp-xover-commands
11791 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11794 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11795 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11799 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11800 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11801 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11802 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11803 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11804 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11805 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11806 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11807 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11808 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11809 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11811 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11812 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11813 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11815 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11816 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11817 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11818 server closes connection.
11820 @item nntp-record-commands
11821 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11822 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11823 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11824 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11825 that doesn't seem to work.
11827 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11828 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11829 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11830 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11831 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11832 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11833 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11834 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11836 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11837 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11838 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11839 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11840 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11841 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11842 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11845 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11848 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11849 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11851 @item nntp-list-options
11852 @vindex nntp-list-options
11853 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11854 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11855 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11856 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11857 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11861 (setq gnus-select-method
11862 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11863 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11866 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11867 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11868 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11869 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11870 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11871 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11872 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11875 (setq gnus-select-method
11876 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11877 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11880 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11881 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11882 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11883 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11884 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11885 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11886 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11889 (setq gnus-select-method
11890 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11891 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11896 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11897 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11898 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11902 @node Direct Functions
11903 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11904 @cindex direct connection functions
11906 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11907 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11908 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11909 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11912 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11913 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11914 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11917 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11918 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11919 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11920 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11921 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11922 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11923 define a server as follows:
11926 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11928 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11930 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11931 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11932 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11933 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11936 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11937 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11938 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11939 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11940 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11941 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11942 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11943 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11947 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11948 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11949 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11952 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11953 session, which is not a good idea.
11957 @node Indirect Functions
11958 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11959 @cindex indirect connection functions
11961 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11962 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11963 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11964 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11965 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11966 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11969 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11970 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11971 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11972 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11973 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11975 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11978 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11979 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11980 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11981 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11984 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11985 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11986 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11987 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11989 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11992 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11993 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11994 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11997 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11998 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11999 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12000 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12002 @item nntp-via-user-password
12003 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12004 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12006 @item nntp-via-envuser
12007 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12008 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12009 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12010 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12012 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12013 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12014 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12015 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12022 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12027 @item nntp-via-user-name
12028 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12029 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12031 @item nntp-via-address
12032 @vindex nntp-via-address
12033 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12038 @node Common Variables
12039 @subsubsection Common Variables
12041 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12042 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12047 @item nntp-pre-command
12048 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12049 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12050 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12051 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12052 wrapper for instance.
12055 @vindex nntp-address
12056 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12058 @item nntp-port-number
12059 @vindex nntp-port-number
12060 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12062 @item nntp-end-of-line
12063 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12064 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12065 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12066 using a non native connection function.
12068 @item nntp-telnet-command
12069 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12070 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12071 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12072 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12074 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12075 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12076 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12083 @subsection News Spool
12087 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12088 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12089 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12092 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12093 anything else) as the address.
12095 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12096 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12097 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12098 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12102 @item nnspool-inews-program
12103 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12104 Program used to post an article.
12106 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12107 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12108 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12110 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12111 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12112 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12113 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12115 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12116 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12117 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12118 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12120 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12121 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12122 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12124 @item nnspool-active-file
12125 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12126 The path to the active file.
12128 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12129 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12130 The path to the group descriptions file.
12132 @item nnspool-history-file
12133 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12134 The path to the news history file.
12136 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12137 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12138 The path to the active date file.
12140 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12141 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12142 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12145 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12146 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12148 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12149 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12150 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12156 @section Getting Mail
12157 @cindex reading mail
12160 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12164 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12165 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12166 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12167 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12168 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12169 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12170 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12171 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12172 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12173 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12174 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12175 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12176 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12180 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12181 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12183 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12184 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12185 of a culture shock.
12187 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12188 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12190 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12191 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12192 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12193 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12195 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12197 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12198 deleted? How awful!
12200 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12201 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12202 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12203 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12206 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12207 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12208 they want to treat a message.
12210 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12211 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12212 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12213 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12214 archived somewhere else.
12216 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12217 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12218 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12219 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12220 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12222 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12223 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12224 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12226 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12227 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12230 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12231 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12232 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12233 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12234 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12236 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12237 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12238 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12239 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12240 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12241 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12245 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12246 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12248 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12249 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12250 and things will happen automatically.
12252 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12253 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12256 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12259 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12260 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12261 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12262 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12263 like any other group.
12265 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12268 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12269 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12270 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12274 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12275 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12276 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12279 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12280 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12281 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12284 @node Splitting Mail
12285 @subsection Splitting Mail
12286 @cindex splitting mail
12287 @cindex mail splitting
12289 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12290 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12291 to be split into groups.
12294 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12295 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12296 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12297 ("mail.other" "")))
12300 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12301 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12302 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12303 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12304 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12305 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12306 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12309 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12312 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12313 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12314 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12315 mail belongs in that group.
12317 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12318 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12319 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12320 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12321 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12322 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12324 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12325 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12326 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12327 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12328 thinks should carry this mail message.
12330 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12331 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12332 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12333 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12335 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12336 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12337 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12338 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12339 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12341 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12344 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12345 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12346 links. If that's the case for you, set
12347 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12348 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12350 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12351 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12352 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12353 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12354 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12355 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12358 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12359 Header lines longer than the value of
12360 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12363 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12364 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12365 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12366 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12367 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12368 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12369 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12370 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12371 month's rent money.
12375 @subsection Mail Sources
12377 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12378 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12382 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12383 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12384 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12388 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12389 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12391 @cindex mail server
12394 @cindex mail source
12396 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12397 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12402 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12405 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12406 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12407 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12410 The following mail source types are available:
12414 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12420 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12421 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12424 An example file mail source:
12427 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12430 Or using the default path:
12436 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12437 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12438 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12441 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12445 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12448 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12452 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12455 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12457 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12460 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12464 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12465 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12466 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12467 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12468 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12469 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12470 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12471 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12477 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12481 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12485 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12486 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12487 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12488 predicate are considered.
12492 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12496 An example directory mail source:
12499 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12504 Get mail from a POP server.
12510 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12511 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12514 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12515 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12516 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12517 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12518 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12521 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12525 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12529 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12530 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12533 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12536 The valid format specifier characters are:
12540 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12541 included in this string.
12544 The name of the server.
12547 The port number of the server.
12550 The user name to use.
12553 The password to use.
12556 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12557 corresponding keywords.
12560 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12561 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12564 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12565 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12568 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12569 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12572 @item :authentication
12573 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12574 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12578 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
12579 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
12580 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
12581 programs and libraries:
12585 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
12586 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
12587 library @samp{ssl.el}.
12589 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
12590 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
12595 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
12596 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
12600 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12601 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12603 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12604 default user name, and default fetcher:
12610 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12613 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12614 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12617 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12620 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12624 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12625 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12626 contains exactly one mail.
12632 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12633 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12636 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12637 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12639 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12640 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12641 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12644 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12645 from locking problems).
12649 Two example maildir mail sources:
12652 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12653 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12657 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12662 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12663 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12664 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12665 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12668 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12669 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12675 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12676 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12679 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12680 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12683 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12687 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12691 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12692 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12693 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12694 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12696 @item :authentication
12697 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12698 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12699 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12700 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12703 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12704 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12705 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12711 The valid format specifier characters are:
12715 The name of the server.
12718 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12721 The port number of the server.
12724 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12725 corresponding keywords.
12728 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12729 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12732 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12733 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12734 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12735 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12736 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12737 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
12740 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12741 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12742 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12743 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
12746 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12747 after finishing the fetch.
12751 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12754 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12756 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12760 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
12761 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
12762 @uref{www.my-deja.com}.
12764 NOTE: Now @uref{mail.yahoo.com} provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12767 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12768 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12770 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12776 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12777 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12780 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12784 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12788 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12789 folder after finishing the fetch.
12793 An example webmail source:
12796 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12798 :password "secret")
12803 @item Common Keywords
12804 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12810 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12811 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12815 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12820 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12821 useful when you use local mail and news.
12826 @subsubsection Function Interface
12828 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12829 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12830 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12831 consider the following mail-source setting:
12834 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12835 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12838 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12839 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12840 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12841 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12842 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12844 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12847 @node Mail Source Customization
12848 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12850 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12851 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12855 @item mail-source-crash-box
12856 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12857 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12858 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12860 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12861 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12862 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12864 @item mail-source-directory
12865 @vindex mail-source-directory
12866 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12867 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12868 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12871 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12872 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12873 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12874 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12875 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12876 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12878 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12879 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12880 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12882 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12883 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12884 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12885 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12890 @node Fetching Mail
12891 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12893 @vindex mail-sources
12894 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12895 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12896 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12897 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12899 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12900 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12903 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12904 mail server, you'd say something like:
12909 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12910 :password "secret")))
12913 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12917 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12918 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12921 :password "secret")))
12925 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12926 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12927 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12928 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12929 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12930 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12934 @node Mail Back End Variables
12935 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12937 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12941 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12942 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12943 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12944 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12946 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12947 @item nnmail-split-hook
12948 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12949 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12950 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12951 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12952 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12953 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12954 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12955 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12956 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12959 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12960 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12961 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12962 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12963 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12964 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12965 starting to handle the new mail) and
12966 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12967 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12968 default file modes the new mail files get:
12971 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12972 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12974 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12975 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12978 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12979 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12980 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12981 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12982 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12983 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12984 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12986 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12987 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12988 @findex delete-file
12989 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12991 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12992 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12993 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12994 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12995 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13000 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13001 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13002 @cindex mail splitting
13003 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13005 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13006 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13007 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13008 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13009 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13010 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13012 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13015 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13016 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13017 ;; from real errors.
13018 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13020 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13021 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13022 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13023 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13024 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13025 ;; Other mailing lists...
13026 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13027 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13028 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13029 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13030 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13031 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13032 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13033 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13035 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13036 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13040 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13041 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13042 the five possible split syntaxes:
13047 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13048 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13052 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13053 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13054 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13055 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13056 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13057 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13058 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13059 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13062 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13063 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13064 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13065 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13068 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13069 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13072 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13073 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13076 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13077 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13078 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13079 function should return a @var{split}.
13082 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13083 body of the messages:
13086 (defun split-on-body ()
13088 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13089 (goto-char (point-min))
13090 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13094 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13095 when the @code{:} function is run.
13098 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13099 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13100 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13104 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13108 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13109 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13110 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13111 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13112 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13114 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13115 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13116 are expanded as specified by the variable
13117 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13118 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13121 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13122 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13123 when all this splitting is performed.
13125 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13126 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13127 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13130 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13133 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13134 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13136 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13137 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13138 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13139 groupings 1 through 9.
13141 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13142 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13143 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13144 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13145 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13146 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13147 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13148 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13149 it once per thread.
13151 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13152 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13153 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13156 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13157 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13158 ;; other splits go here
13162 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13163 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13164 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13165 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13166 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13167 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13168 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13169 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13170 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13171 unless the group name matches the regexp
13172 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13173 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13174 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13175 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13176 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13177 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13178 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13179 messages goes into the new group.
13182 @node Group Mail Splitting
13183 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13184 @cindex mail splitting
13185 @cindex group mail splitting
13187 @findex gnus-group-split
13188 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13189 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13190 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13191 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13192 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13193 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13194 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13195 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13197 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13198 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13199 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13200 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13202 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13203 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13204 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13205 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13206 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13207 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13208 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13210 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13211 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13212 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13213 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13214 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13215 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13216 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13218 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13219 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13220 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13221 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13222 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13223 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13224 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13225 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13226 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13227 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13228 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13229 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13230 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13232 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13237 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13238 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13240 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13241 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13242 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13243 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13245 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13248 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13249 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13250 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13253 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13254 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13255 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13259 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13260 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13261 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13265 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13268 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13269 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13270 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13271 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13272 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13273 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13274 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13275 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13276 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13278 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13279 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13280 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13281 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13282 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13283 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13284 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13285 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13286 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13288 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13289 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13290 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13291 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13292 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13293 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13296 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13299 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13300 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13301 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13302 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13303 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13306 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13307 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13308 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13309 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13311 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13312 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13313 @cindex incorporating old mail
13314 @cindex import old mail
13316 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13317 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13318 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13321 Doing so can be quite easy.
13323 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13324 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13325 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13326 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13327 your @code{nnml} groups.
13333 Go to the group buffer.
13336 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13337 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13340 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13343 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13344 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13347 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13348 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13351 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13352 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13353 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13354 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13355 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13357 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13358 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13359 using the new mail back end.
13362 @node Expiring Mail
13363 @subsection Expiring Mail
13364 @cindex article expiry
13366 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13367 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13368 different approach to mail reading.
13370 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13371 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13372 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13373 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13374 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13375 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13378 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13379 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13380 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13381 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13382 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13383 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13384 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13385 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13387 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13388 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13389 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13390 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13391 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13392 column in the summary buffer.
13394 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13395 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13396 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13397 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13400 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13402 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13403 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13404 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13407 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13408 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13409 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13410 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13411 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13413 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13414 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13417 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13418 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13421 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13422 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13424 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13425 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13426 don't really mix very well.
13428 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13429 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13430 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13431 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13434 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13435 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13436 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13437 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13440 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13442 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13444 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13446 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13448 ((string= group "important")
13454 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13455 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13457 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13458 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13459 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13462 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13463 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13465 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13466 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13467 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13468 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13469 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13470 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13471 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13472 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13473 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13474 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13475 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13476 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13477 name or @code{delete}.
13479 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13481 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13484 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13485 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13486 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13487 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13488 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13491 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13492 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13493 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13494 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13495 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13498 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13499 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13500 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13501 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13502 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13503 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13505 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13506 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13507 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13508 easier for procmail users.
13510 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13511 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13512 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13513 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13514 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13515 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13516 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13517 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13518 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13519 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13520 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13521 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13522 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13525 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13527 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13528 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13529 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13530 auto-expire turned on.
13534 @subsection Washing Mail
13535 @cindex mail washing
13536 @cindex list server brain damage
13537 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13539 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13540 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13541 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13542 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13543 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13544 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13546 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13547 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13548 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13551 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13552 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13553 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13554 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13557 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13558 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13559 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13560 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13561 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13564 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13565 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13566 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13567 Emacs running on MS machines.
13571 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13572 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13573 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13574 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13577 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13578 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13579 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13580 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13582 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13583 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13584 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13585 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13586 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13587 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13588 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13591 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13592 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13595 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13596 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13599 This can also be done non-destructively with
13600 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13602 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13603 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13604 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13606 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13607 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13609 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13610 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13611 @code{References} headers.
13615 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13616 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13617 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13621 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13622 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13623 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13630 @subsection Duplicates
13632 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13633 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13634 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13635 @cindex duplicate mails
13636 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13637 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13638 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13639 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13640 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13641 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13642 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13643 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13644 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13645 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13646 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13647 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13648 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13650 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13651 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13652 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13653 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13655 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13658 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13659 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13663 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13664 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13665 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13666 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13667 (any mail "mail.misc")
13674 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13675 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13680 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13681 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13682 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13683 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13684 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13687 @node Not Reading Mail
13688 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13690 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13691 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13692 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13694 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13695 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13696 mail, which should help.
13698 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13699 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13700 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13701 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13702 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13703 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13704 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13705 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13706 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13707 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13708 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13710 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13711 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13715 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13716 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13718 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13719 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13720 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13722 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13723 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13724 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13725 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13726 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13727 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13728 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13731 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13732 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13733 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13734 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13735 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13736 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13740 @node Unix Mail Box
13741 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13743 @cindex unix mail box
13745 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13746 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13747 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13748 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13749 which group it belongs in.
13751 Virtual server settings:
13754 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13755 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13756 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13759 @item nnmbox-active-file
13760 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13761 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13762 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13764 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13765 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13766 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13767 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13772 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13776 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13777 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13778 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13779 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13780 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13782 Virtual server settings:
13785 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13786 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13787 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13789 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13790 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13791 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13792 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13794 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13795 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13796 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13802 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13804 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13806 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13807 format. It should be used with some caution.
13809 @vindex nnml-directory
13810 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13811 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13812 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13813 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13815 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13818 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13819 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13820 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13821 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13822 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13823 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13824 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13825 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13827 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13828 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13829 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
13830 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
13832 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13834 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13835 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13836 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13837 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13838 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13839 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13840 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13841 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13844 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13845 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13846 them next time it starts.
13848 Virtual server settings:
13851 @item nnml-directory
13852 @vindex nnml-directory
13853 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13854 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13857 @item nnml-active-file
13858 @vindex nnml-active-file
13859 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13860 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13862 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13863 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13864 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13865 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13867 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13868 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13869 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13872 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13873 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13874 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13875 default is @code{nil}.
13877 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13878 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13879 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13881 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13882 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13883 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13885 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13886 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13887 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13888 default is @code{nil}.
13890 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13891 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13892 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13894 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
13895 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
13896 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
13901 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13902 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13903 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13904 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13905 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13906 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13907 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13912 @subsubsection MH Spool
13914 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13916 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13917 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13918 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13919 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13921 Virtual server settings:
13924 @item nnmh-directory
13925 @vindex nnmh-directory
13926 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13927 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13930 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13931 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13932 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13936 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13937 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13938 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13939 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13940 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13941 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13942 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13947 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13949 @cindex mbox folders
13950 @cindex mail folders
13952 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13953 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13954 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13957 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13959 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13960 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13961 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13962 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13963 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13964 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13965 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13966 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13967 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13968 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13970 Virtual server settings:
13973 @item nnfolder-directory
13974 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13975 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13976 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13979 @item nnfolder-active-file
13980 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13981 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13983 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13984 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13985 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13986 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13988 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13989 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13990 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13993 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13994 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13995 @cindex backup files
13996 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13997 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13998 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13999 your @file{.emacs} file:
14002 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14003 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14005 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14008 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14009 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14010 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14011 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14012 extract some information from it before removing it.
14014 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14015 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14016 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14017 default is @code{nil}.
14019 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14020 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14021 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14023 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14024 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14025 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14026 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14028 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14029 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14030 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14031 default is @code{nil}.
14033 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14034 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14035 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14037 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14038 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14039 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14040 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14045 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14046 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14047 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14048 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14049 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14050 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14053 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14054 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14056 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14057 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14058 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14059 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14060 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14062 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14063 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14064 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14065 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14066 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14067 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14068 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14069 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14072 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14073 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14074 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14075 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14080 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14081 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14082 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14083 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14084 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14085 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14086 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14087 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14088 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14089 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14090 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14091 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14092 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14097 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14098 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14099 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14100 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14101 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14102 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14103 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14104 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14105 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14106 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14107 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14108 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14109 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14110 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14112 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14113 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14118 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14119 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14120 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14121 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14122 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14123 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14124 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14125 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14126 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14127 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14128 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14129 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14130 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14131 provided by the active file and overviews.
14133 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14134 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14135 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14136 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14137 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14140 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14141 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14146 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14147 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14148 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14149 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14150 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14151 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14152 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14156 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14157 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14158 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14159 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14160 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14161 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14162 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14163 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14164 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14166 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14167 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14168 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14169 friendly mail back end all over.
14173 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14174 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14175 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14176 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14177 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14178 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14179 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14180 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14183 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14184 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14185 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14186 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14187 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14188 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14189 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14190 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14191 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14192 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14193 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14195 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14196 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14197 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14198 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14199 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14200 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14201 This will probably be changed in the future.
14203 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14204 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14205 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14206 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14207 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14210 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14211 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14213 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14214 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14215 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14216 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14217 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14218 would) to make it use less memory.
14220 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14221 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14222 depending in part on your filesystem.
14224 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14225 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14230 @node Browsing the Web
14231 @section Browsing the Web
14233 @cindex browsing the web
14237 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14238 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14239 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14240 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14241 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14242 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14243 even know what a news group is.
14245 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14246 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14247 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14248 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14249 you mad in the end.
14251 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14254 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14255 interfaces to these sources.
14259 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14260 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14261 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14262 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14263 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14264 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14267 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14269 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14270 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14271 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14272 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14273 though, you should be ok.
14275 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14276 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14277 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14278 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14279 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14281 @node Archiving Mail
14282 @subsection Archiving Mail
14283 @cindex archiving mail
14284 @cindex backup of mail
14286 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14287 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14288 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14289 marks is fairly simple.
14291 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14292 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14295 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14296 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14297 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14298 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14299 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14300 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14301 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14302 before you restore the data.
14304 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14305 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14306 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14307 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14308 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14309 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14310 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14311 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14312 is unnecessary in that case.
14315 @subsection Web Searches
14319 @cindex InReference
14320 @cindex Usenet searches
14321 @cindex searching the Usenet
14323 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14324 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14325 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14326 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14327 searches without having to use a browser.
14329 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14330 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14331 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14332 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14333 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14335 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14336 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14337 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14338 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14339 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14340 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14341 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14342 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14343 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14344 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14347 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14348 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14349 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14350 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14351 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14352 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14354 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14355 to use @code{nnweb}.
14357 Virtual server variables:
14362 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14363 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
14367 @vindex nnweb-search
14368 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14370 @item nnweb-max-hits
14371 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14372 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14375 @item nnweb-type-definition
14376 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14377 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14378 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14383 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14387 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14390 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14393 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14397 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14404 @subsection Slashdot
14408 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14409 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14410 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14412 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14413 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14416 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14417 '((nnslashdot "")))
14420 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14421 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14422 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14423 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14424 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14427 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14428 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14430 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14431 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14432 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14433 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14434 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14435 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14438 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14441 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14442 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14443 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14444 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14445 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14446 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14447 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14449 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14450 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14451 The login name to use when posting.
14453 @item nnslashdot-password
14454 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14455 The password to use when posting.
14457 @item nnslashdot-directory
14458 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14459 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14460 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14462 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14463 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14464 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14465 news articles and comments. The default is
14466 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14468 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14469 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14470 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14472 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14474 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14475 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14476 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14478 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14480 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14481 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14482 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14484 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14485 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14486 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14487 updated. The default is 0.
14494 @subsection Ultimate
14496 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14498 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14499 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14500 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14501 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14503 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14504 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14505 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14506 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14507 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14508 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14509 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14511 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14514 @item nnultimate-directory
14515 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14516 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14517 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14522 @subsection Web Archive
14524 @cindex Web Archive
14526 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14527 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14528 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14529 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14532 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14533 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14534 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14535 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14536 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14537 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14538 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14540 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14543 @item nnwarchive-directory
14544 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14545 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14546 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14548 @item nnwarchive-login
14549 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14550 The account name on the web server.
14552 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14553 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14554 The password for your account on the web server.
14562 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14563 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14564 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14567 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14568 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14571 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14574 @item nnrss-directory
14575 @vindex nnrss-directory
14576 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14577 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14581 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14582 the summary buffer.
14585 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14586 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14588 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14590 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14591 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14594 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14597 (require 'browse-url)
14599 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14601 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14604 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14605 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14607 (browse-url (cdr url))
14608 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14610 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14611 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14612 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14613 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14616 @node Customizing w3
14617 @subsection Customizing w3
14623 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14624 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14625 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14627 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14628 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14629 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14632 (eval-after-load "w3"
14634 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14635 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14636 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14637 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14639 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14642 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14643 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14652 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14653 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14654 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14655 specify the network address of the server.
14657 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14658 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14659 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14660 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14661 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14663 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14664 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14665 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14666 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14668 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14669 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14670 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14671 usage explained in this section.
14673 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14674 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14675 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14678 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14679 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14680 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14682 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14683 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14684 ; a UW server running on localhost
14686 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14687 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14688 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14689 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14690 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14691 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14692 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14693 (nnimap-stream network))
14694 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14696 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14697 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14698 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14701 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14706 @item nnimap-address
14707 @vindex nnimap-address
14709 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14710 server name if not specified.
14712 @item nnimap-server-port
14713 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14714 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14716 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14719 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14720 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14723 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14724 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14725 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14726 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14727 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14728 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14729 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14731 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14732 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14733 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14736 Example server specification:
14739 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14740 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14741 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14744 @item nnimap-stream
14745 @vindex nnimap-stream
14746 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14747 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14748 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14749 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14751 Example server specification:
14754 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14755 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14758 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14762 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14763 @samp{imtest} program.
14765 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14767 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14768 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14771 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14772 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14773 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14775 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14777 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14780 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14781 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14782 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14783 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14784 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14785 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14786 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14787 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14788 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14791 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14792 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14793 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14794 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14795 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14796 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14797 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14798 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14799 distribution, for instance).
14801 @vindex imap-shell-program
14802 @vindex imap-shell-host
14803 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14804 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14806 @item nnimap-authenticator
14807 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14809 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14810 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14812 Example server specification:
14815 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14816 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14819 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14823 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14824 external program @code{imtest}.
14826 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14829 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14830 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14832 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14834 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14836 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14839 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14841 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14842 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14843 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14844 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14845 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14846 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14849 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14850 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14851 running in circles yet?
14853 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14854 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14857 The possible options are:
14862 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14865 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14866 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14867 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14868 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14870 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14875 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14876 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14878 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other
14879 @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still
14880 (only) be marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand
14881 out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap} clients. (In other
14882 words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap} has only one.)
14884 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14885 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14888 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14889 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14890 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14891 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14894 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14895 as ticked for other users.
14897 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14899 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14901 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
14902 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14903 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14904 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14906 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14907 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14908 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14909 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14911 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14912 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14914 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14915 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14916 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14922 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14923 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14924 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14929 @node Splitting in IMAP
14930 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
14931 @cindex splitting imap mail
14933 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14934 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14935 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14936 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14937 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14941 Here are the variables of interest:
14945 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14946 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14948 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14950 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14951 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14953 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14955 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14956 @cindex splitting, inbox
14958 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14960 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14961 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14965 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14966 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14969 No nnmail equivalent.
14971 @item nnimap-split-rule
14972 @cindex Splitting, rules
14973 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14975 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14978 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14979 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14980 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14981 Neither did I, we need examples.
14984 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14986 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14987 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14988 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14991 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14992 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14993 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14995 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14996 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15000 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15003 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15004 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15005 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15006 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15008 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15009 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15010 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15011 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15012 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15013 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15015 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15016 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15017 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15019 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15020 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15021 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15023 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15025 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15026 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15027 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15030 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15031 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15032 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15033 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15034 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15035 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15038 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15039 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15040 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15041 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15042 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15043 group/function elements.
15045 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15047 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15049 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15051 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15052 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15054 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15055 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15056 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15059 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15060 @cindex splitting, fancy
15061 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15062 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15064 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15065 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15066 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15068 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15069 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15070 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15071 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15076 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15077 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15080 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15084 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15085 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15086 @cindex editing imap acls
15087 @cindex Access Control Lists
15088 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15090 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15092 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15093 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15094 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15097 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15098 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15099 editing window with detailed instructions.
15101 Some possible uses:
15105 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15106 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15107 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15109 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15110 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15111 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15115 @node Expunging mailboxes
15116 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15120 @cindex Manual expunging
15122 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15124 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15125 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15126 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15128 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15133 @node Other Sources
15134 @section Other Sources
15136 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15137 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15141 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15142 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15143 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15144 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15145 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15149 @node Directory Groups
15150 @subsection Directory Groups
15152 @cindex directory groups
15154 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15155 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15158 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15159 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15160 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15161 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15163 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15164 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15165 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15166 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15167 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15169 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15171 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15172 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15173 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15174 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15177 @node Anything Groups
15178 @subsection Anything Groups
15181 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15182 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15183 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15186 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15187 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15188 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15189 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15190 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15191 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15192 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15193 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15194 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15195 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15198 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15199 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15200 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15201 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15203 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15204 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15205 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15206 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15208 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15209 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15210 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15211 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15212 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15213 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15214 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15215 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15220 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15221 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15222 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15223 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15225 @item nneething-exclude-files
15226 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15227 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15228 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15230 @item nneething-include-files
15231 @vindex nneething-include-files
15232 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15233 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15235 @item nneething-map-file
15236 @vindex nneething-map-file
15237 Name of the map files.
15241 @node Document Groups
15242 @subsection Document Groups
15244 @cindex documentation group
15247 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15248 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15255 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15260 The standard Unix mbox file.
15262 @cindex MMDF mail box
15264 The MMDF mail box format.
15267 Several news articles appended into a file.
15270 @cindex rnews batch files
15271 The rnews batch transport format.
15272 @cindex forwarded messages
15275 Forwarded articles.
15278 Netscape mail boxes.
15281 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15283 @item standard-digest
15284 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15287 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15289 @item lanl-gov-announce
15290 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15292 @item rfc822-forward
15293 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15296 The Outlook mail box.
15299 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15302 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15305 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15308 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15314 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15317 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15323 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15324 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15325 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15328 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15329 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15330 group. And that's it.
15332 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15333 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15334 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15335 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15336 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15337 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15338 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15339 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15340 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15341 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15343 Virtual server variables:
15346 @item nndoc-article-type
15347 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15348 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15349 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15350 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15351 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15352 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15354 @item nndoc-post-type
15355 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15356 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15357 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15362 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15366 @node Document Server Internals
15367 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15369 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15370 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15371 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15372 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15374 First, here's an example document type definition:
15378 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15379 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15382 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15383 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15384 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15385 types can be defined with very few settings:
15388 @item first-article
15389 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15390 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15393 @item article-begin
15394 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15395 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15397 @item head-begin-function
15398 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15401 @item nndoc-head-begin
15402 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15405 @item nndoc-head-end
15406 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15407 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15409 @item body-begin-function
15410 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15414 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15417 @item body-end-function
15418 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15422 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15425 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15426 regexp will be totally ignored.
15430 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15431 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15432 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15433 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15434 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15437 @item prepare-body-function
15438 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15439 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15440 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15442 @item article-transform-function
15443 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15444 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15445 body of the article.
15447 @item generate-head-function
15448 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15449 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15450 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15451 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15455 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15460 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15461 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15462 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15463 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15464 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15465 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15466 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15467 (subtype digest guess))
15470 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15471 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15472 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15473 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15474 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15476 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15477 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15478 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15479 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15480 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
15481 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15482 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15483 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15484 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15485 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15493 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15494 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15495 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15497 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15498 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15499 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15502 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15503 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15504 that interested in doing things properly.
15506 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15507 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15510 First some terminology:
15515 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15516 get news and/or mail from.
15519 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15520 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15523 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15527 @item message packets
15528 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15529 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15530 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15532 @item response packets
15533 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15534 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15535 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15545 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15546 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15547 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15548 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15551 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15554 You put the packet in your home directory.
15557 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15558 the native or secondary server.
15561 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15562 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15565 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15569 You transfer this packet to the server.
15572 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15575 You then repeat until you die.
15579 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15580 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15583 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15584 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15585 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15589 @node SOUP Commands
15590 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15592 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15596 @kindex G s b (Group)
15597 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15598 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15599 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15600 process/prefix convention.
15603 @kindex G s w (Group)
15604 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15605 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15608 @kindex G s s (Group)
15609 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15610 Send all replies from the replies packet
15611 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15614 @kindex G s p (Group)
15615 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15616 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15619 @kindex G s r (Group)
15620 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15621 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15624 @kindex O s (Summary)
15625 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15626 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15627 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15628 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15633 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15638 @item gnus-soup-directory
15639 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15640 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15641 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15643 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15644 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15645 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15646 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15648 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15649 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15650 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15651 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15653 @item gnus-soup-packer
15654 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15655 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15656 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15658 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15659 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15660 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15661 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15663 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15664 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15665 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15667 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15668 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15669 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15670 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15676 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
15679 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15680 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15681 you can read them at leisure.
15683 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15687 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15688 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15689 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15690 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15692 @item nnsoup-directory
15693 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15694 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15695 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15697 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15698 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15699 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15700 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15702 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15703 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15704 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15705 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15706 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15708 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15709 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15710 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15711 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15713 @item nnsoup-active-file
15714 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15715 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15716 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15717 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15718 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15720 @item nnsoup-packer
15721 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15722 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15723 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15725 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15726 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15727 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15728 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15730 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15731 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15732 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15735 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15736 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15737 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15740 @item nnsoup-always-save
15741 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15742 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15748 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15750 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15751 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15752 more for that to happen.
15754 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15755 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15756 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15759 In specific, this is what it does:
15762 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15763 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15766 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15767 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15768 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15771 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15772 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15773 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15776 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15777 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15778 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15780 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15786 @item nngateway-address
15787 @vindex nngateway-address
15788 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15790 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15791 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15792 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15793 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15794 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15795 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15796 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15799 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15800 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15801 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15804 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15807 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15810 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15813 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15815 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15818 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15819 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15820 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15822 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15824 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15825 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15826 @code{nngateway-address}.
15831 (setq gnus-post-method
15833 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15834 (nngateway-header-transformation
15835 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15843 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15846 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15851 @node Combined Groups
15852 @section Combined Groups
15854 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15858 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15859 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15863 @node Virtual Groups
15864 @subsection Virtual Groups
15866 @cindex virtual groups
15867 @cindex merging groups
15869 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15872 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15873 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15874 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15876 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15877 regexp to match component groups.
15879 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15880 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15881 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15882 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15883 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15884 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15885 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15886 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15888 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15889 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15892 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15895 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15896 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15898 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15899 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15900 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15901 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15904 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15907 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15908 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15909 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15911 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15912 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15913 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15914 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15915 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15917 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15918 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15919 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15921 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15922 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15923 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15924 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15925 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15926 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15927 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15928 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15929 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15930 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15931 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15933 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15934 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15935 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15936 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15937 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15938 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15939 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15941 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15942 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15944 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
15945 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
15949 @node Kibozed Groups
15950 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15954 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15955 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15956 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15957 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15959 @kindex G k (Group)
15960 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15963 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15964 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15965 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15966 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15968 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15969 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15970 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15972 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15973 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15974 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15975 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15976 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15977 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15978 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15979 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15981 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15982 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15983 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15984 Stranger things have happened.
15986 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15987 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15989 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15990 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15991 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15992 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15993 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15994 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15996 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15997 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16000 @node Gnus Unplugged
16001 @section Gnus Unplugged
16006 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16008 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16009 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16010 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16011 read news. Believe it or not.
16013 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16014 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16015 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16016 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16017 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16019 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16020 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16021 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16022 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16023 reading news on a machine.
16025 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
16029 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
16030 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
16034 Then, put the following magical incantation in your @file{.gnus.el}
16038 (setq gnus-agent t)
16042 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
16044 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16047 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16048 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16049 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16050 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16051 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16052 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16053 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16054 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16055 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16056 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16061 @subsection Agent Basics
16063 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16065 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16066 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16067 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16068 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16070 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16071 connected to the net continuously.
16073 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16074 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16076 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16081 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16082 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16083 already fetched while in this mode.
16086 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16087 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16088 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16089 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16090 Source Specifiers}).
16093 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16094 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16095 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16096 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16097 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16100 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16101 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16102 then you read the news offline.
16105 And then you go to step 2.
16108 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16114 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16115 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16116 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16117 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16118 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
16119 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
16122 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16129 @node Agent Categories
16130 @subsection Agent Categories
16132 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16133 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16134 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16135 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16136 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16137 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16138 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16140 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16141 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16142 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16143 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16144 managing categories.
16147 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16148 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16149 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16153 @node Category Syntax
16154 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16156 A category consists of two things.
16160 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16161 are eligible for downloading; and
16164 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16165 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16166 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16169 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16170 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16171 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16172 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16174 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16175 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16176 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16178 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16179 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16180 operators sprinkled in between.
16182 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16184 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16185 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16191 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16192 short (for some value of ``short'').
16194 Here's a more complex predicate:
16203 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16204 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16207 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16208 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16209 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16211 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16212 you want to do, you can write your own.
16216 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16217 lines; default 100.
16220 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16221 lines; default 200.
16224 True iff the article has a download score less than
16225 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16228 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16229 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16232 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16233 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16234 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16243 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16244 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16245 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16248 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16249 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16250 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16251 something along the lines of the following:
16254 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16255 "Say whether an article is old."
16256 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16257 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16260 with the predicate then defined as:
16263 (not my-article-old-p)
16266 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16267 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16271 (require 'gnus-agent)
16272 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16273 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16274 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16277 and simply specify your predicate as:
16283 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16284 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16285 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16286 just don't give a damn.
16288 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16289 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16290 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16291 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16292 parameters like so:
16295 (agent-predicate . short)
16298 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16299 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16300 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16302 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16305 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16308 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16309 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16310 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16313 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16314 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16315 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16316 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16317 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16318 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16320 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16321 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16322 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16323 if it's to be specific to that group.
16325 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16332 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16333 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16339 Category specification
16343 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16349 Group Parameter specification
16352 (agent-score ("from"
16353 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16358 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16364 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16371 Category specification
16374 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16380 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16384 Group Parameter specification
16387 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16390 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16395 Use @code{normal} score files
16397 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16398 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16399 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16400 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16402 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16403 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16404 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16405 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16409 Category Specification
16416 Group Parameter specification
16419 (agent-score . file)
16424 @node Category Buffer
16425 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16427 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16428 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16429 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16431 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16435 @kindex q (Category)
16436 @findex gnus-category-exit
16437 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16440 @kindex k (Category)
16441 @findex gnus-category-kill
16442 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16445 @kindex c (Category)
16446 @findex gnus-category-copy
16447 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16450 @kindex a (Category)
16451 @findex gnus-category-add
16452 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16455 @kindex p (Category)
16456 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16457 Edit the predicate of the current category
16458 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16461 @kindex g (Category)
16462 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16463 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16464 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16467 @kindex s (Category)
16468 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16469 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16470 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16473 @kindex l (Category)
16474 @findex gnus-category-list
16475 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16479 @node Category Variables
16480 @subsubsection Category Variables
16483 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16484 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16485 Hook run in category buffers.
16487 @item gnus-category-line-format
16488 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16489 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16490 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16494 The name of the category.
16497 The number of groups in the category.
16500 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16501 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16502 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16504 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16505 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16506 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16508 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16509 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16510 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16512 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16513 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16514 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16517 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16518 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16519 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16525 @node Agent Commands
16526 @subsection Agent Commands
16528 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16529 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16530 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16534 * Group Agent Commands::
16535 * Summary Agent Commands::
16536 * Server Agent Commands::
16539 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16540 following incantation:
16542 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16544 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16549 @node Group Agent Commands
16550 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16554 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16555 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16556 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16557 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16560 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16561 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16562 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16565 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16566 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16567 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16568 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16571 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16572 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16573 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16574 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16577 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16578 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16579 Add the current group to an Agent category
16580 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16581 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16584 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16585 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16586 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16587 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16588 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16591 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16592 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16593 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16599 @node Summary Agent Commands
16600 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16604 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16605 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16606 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16609 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16610 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16611 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16612 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16615 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16616 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16617 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16620 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16621 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16622 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16625 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16626 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16627 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16628 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16633 @node Server Agent Commands
16634 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16638 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16639 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16640 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16641 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16644 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16645 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16646 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16647 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16653 @subsection Agent Expiry
16655 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16656 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16657 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16658 @cindex Agent expiry
16659 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16662 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16663 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16664 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16665 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16666 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16667 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16669 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16670 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16671 expiry in different groups.
16674 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16680 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16681 method---it must always match all groups.
16683 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16684 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16685 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16686 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16687 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16689 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
16690 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
16691 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
16692 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
16694 @node Agent and IMAP
16695 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16697 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16698 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16699 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16700 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16702 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16703 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16704 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16705 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16707 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16708 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16709 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16710 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16711 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16713 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16714 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16715 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16716 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16717 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16718 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16720 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16721 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16722 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16723 in the group buffer by default.
16725 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16726 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16731 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16734 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16738 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16739 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16740 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16741 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16742 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16743 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16744 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16745 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16748 @node Outgoing Messages
16749 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16751 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16752 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16753 after posting, and edit them at will.
16755 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16756 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16757 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16758 messages in the draft group.
16762 @node Agent Variables
16763 @subsection Agent Variables
16766 @item gnus-agent-directory
16767 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16768 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16769 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16771 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16772 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16773 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16774 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16775 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16778 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16779 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16780 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16782 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16783 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16784 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16786 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16787 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16788 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16790 @item gnus-agent-cache
16791 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16792 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and articles when
16795 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16796 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16797 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16798 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16799 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16800 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16801 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16807 @node Example Setup
16808 @subsection Example Setup
16810 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16811 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16812 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16815 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16816 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16817 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16819 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16820 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16821 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16823 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16824 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16826 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16827 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
16828 (setq gnus-agent t)
16831 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16832 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16835 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16836 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16837 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16838 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16839 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16842 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16843 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16844 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16845 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16846 back all the killed groups.)
16848 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16849 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16850 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16853 @node Batching Agents
16854 @subsection Batching Agents
16856 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16857 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16858 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16862 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16866 @node Agent Caveats
16867 @subsection Agent Caveats
16869 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16870 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16874 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16878 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16880 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16884 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16885 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16886 locally stored articles.
16893 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16894 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16895 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16898 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16899 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16900 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16901 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16902 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16904 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16905 before generating the summary buffer.
16907 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16908 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16909 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16911 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16912 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16913 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16914 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16917 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16918 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16919 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16920 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16921 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16922 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16923 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16924 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16925 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16926 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16927 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16928 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16929 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16930 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16931 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16932 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16933 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16937 @node Summary Score Commands
16938 @section Summary Score Commands
16939 @cindex score commands
16941 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16942 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16943 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16944 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16945 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16947 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16948 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16949 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16950 score file the current one.
16952 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16957 @kindex V s (Summary)
16958 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16959 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16962 @kindex V S (Summary)
16963 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16964 Display the score of the current article
16965 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16968 @kindex V t (Summary)
16969 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16970 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16971 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16974 @kindex V w (Summary)
16975 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
16976 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
16979 @kindex V R (Summary)
16980 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16981 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16982 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16983 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16984 effect you're having.
16987 @kindex V c (Summary)
16988 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16989 Make a different score file the current
16990 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16993 @kindex V e (Summary)
16994 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16995 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16996 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17000 @kindex V f (Summary)
17001 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17002 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17003 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17006 @kindex V F (Summary)
17007 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17008 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17009 after editing score files.
17012 @kindex V C (Summary)
17013 @findex gnus-score-customize
17014 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17015 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17019 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17024 @kindex V m (Summary)
17025 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17026 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17027 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17030 @kindex V x (Summary)
17031 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17032 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17033 expunge all articles below this score
17034 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17037 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17038 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17041 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17042 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17046 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17047 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17049 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17050 keys are available:
17054 Score on the author name.
17057 Score on the subject line.
17060 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17063 Score on the @code{References} line.
17069 Score on the number of lines.
17072 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17075 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17076 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17079 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17080 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17081 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17090 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17096 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17097 what headers you are scoring on.
17109 Substring matching.
17112 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17141 Greater than number.
17146 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17147 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17148 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17153 Temporary score entry.
17156 Permanent score entry.
17159 Immediately scoring.
17163 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17164 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17165 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17169 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17170 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17171 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17172 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17174 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17175 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17176 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17177 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17178 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17180 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17181 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17182 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17183 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17184 current score file.
17186 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17187 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17188 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17191 @node Group Score Commands
17192 @section Group Score Commands
17193 @cindex group score commands
17195 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17200 @kindex W f (Group)
17201 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17202 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17203 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17204 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17208 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17210 @findex gnus-batch-score
17211 @cindex batch scoring
17213 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17217 @node Score Variables
17218 @section Score Variables
17219 @cindex score variables
17223 @item gnus-use-scoring
17224 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17225 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17226 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17228 @item gnus-kill-killed
17229 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17230 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17231 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17232 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17233 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17234 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17235 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17237 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17238 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17239 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17240 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17241 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17243 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17244 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17245 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17246 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17248 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17249 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17250 @cindex score cache
17251 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17252 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17253 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
17254 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17255 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17256 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17259 @item gnus-save-score
17260 @vindex gnus-save-score
17261 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17262 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17263 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17265 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17266 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17267 across group visits.
17269 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17270 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17271 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17272 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17273 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17274 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17275 manually entered data.
17277 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17278 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17279 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17281 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17282 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17283 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17284 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17285 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17286 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17288 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17289 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17290 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17291 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17293 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17294 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17295 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17296 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17298 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17299 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17300 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17301 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17303 Predefined functions available are:
17306 @item gnus-score-find-single
17307 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17308 Only apply the group's own score file.
17310 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17311 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17312 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17313 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17314 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17315 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17316 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17317 then a regexp match is done.
17319 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17320 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17322 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17323 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17324 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17325 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17327 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17328 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17329 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17330 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17331 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17335 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17336 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17337 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17338 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17339 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17340 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17341 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17344 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17345 overall score file, you could use the value
17347 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17348 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17351 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17352 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17353 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17354 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17355 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17357 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17358 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17359 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17360 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17361 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17362 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17363 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17364 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17366 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17367 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17368 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17370 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17371 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17372 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17373 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17374 threading---according to the current value of
17375 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17376 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17377 simplified in this manner.
17382 @node Score File Format
17383 @section Score File Format
17384 @cindex score file format
17386 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17387 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17388 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17390 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17394 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17396 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17398 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17400 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17405 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17409 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17410 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17411 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17412 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17416 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17417 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17419 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17420 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17421 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17423 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17428 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17429 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17430 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17431 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17432 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17433 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17434 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17435 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17436 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17437 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17438 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17439 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17440 to articles that matches these score entries.
17442 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17443 score entry has one to four elements.
17447 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17448 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17452 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17453 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17454 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17455 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17456 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17457 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17460 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17461 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17462 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17463 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17464 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17467 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17468 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17469 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17470 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17473 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17474 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17475 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17476 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17477 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17478 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17479 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17480 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17481 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17482 instead, if you feel like.
17485 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17486 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17487 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17488 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17489 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17490 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17493 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17497 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17498 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17500 These predicates are true if
17503 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17506 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17507 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17514 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17515 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17516 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17517 it's not. I think.)
17519 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17520 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17521 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17522 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17525 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17526 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17527 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17528 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17529 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17530 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17531 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17535 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17536 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17537 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17538 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17539 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17540 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17541 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17542 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17545 @item Head, Body, All
17546 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17550 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17551 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17552 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17553 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17554 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17555 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17556 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17560 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17561 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17562 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17563 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17564 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17565 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17566 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17567 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17568 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17569 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17570 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17574 @cindex Score File Atoms
17576 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17577 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17580 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17581 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17583 @item mark-and-expunge
17584 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17585 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17588 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17589 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17590 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17591 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17592 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17595 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17596 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17599 @item exclude-files
17600 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17601 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17605 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17606 ignored when handling global score files.
17609 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17610 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17611 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17612 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17615 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17616 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17617 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17618 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17620 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17624 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17627 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17628 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17629 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17630 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17631 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17633 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17634 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17635 scoring rules exist.
17638 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17639 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17640 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17641 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17642 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17643 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17644 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17645 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17646 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17647 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17648 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17652 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17653 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17654 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17655 file for a number of groups.
17658 @cindex local variables
17659 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17660 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17661 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17662 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17663 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17667 @node Score File Editing
17668 @section Score File Editing
17670 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17671 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17672 with a mode for that.
17674 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17675 additional commands:
17680 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17681 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17682 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17683 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17686 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17687 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17688 Insert the current date in numerical format
17689 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17690 you were wondering.
17693 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17694 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17695 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17696 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17697 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17702 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17704 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17705 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17707 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17708 e} to begin editing score files.
17711 @node Adaptive Scoring
17712 @section Adaptive Scoring
17713 @cindex adaptive scoring
17715 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17716 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17717 stupidity, to be precise.
17719 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17720 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17721 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17722 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17723 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17724 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17725 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17726 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17727 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17729 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17730 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17731 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17732 might look something like this:
17735 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17736 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17737 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17738 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17739 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17740 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17741 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17742 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17743 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17744 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17745 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17746 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17749 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17750 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17751 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17752 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17753 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17754 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17757 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17758 will be applied to each article.
17760 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17761 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17762 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17763 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17765 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17766 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17767 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17768 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17770 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17771 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17772 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17773 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17775 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17776 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17777 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17778 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17779 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17780 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17782 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17783 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17784 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17785 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17786 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17787 aspirins afterwards.)
17789 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17790 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17791 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17793 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17794 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17795 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17797 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17798 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17799 let you use different rules in different groups.
17801 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17802 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17803 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17806 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17807 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17808 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17809 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17810 the length of the match is less than
17811 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17812 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17815 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17816 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17817 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17818 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17819 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17822 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17823 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17824 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17825 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17826 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17829 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17830 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17831 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17832 score with 30 points.
17834 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17835 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17836 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17837 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17838 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17840 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17841 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17842 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17843 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17844 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17846 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17847 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17848 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17849 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17851 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17852 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17853 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17854 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17856 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17857 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17858 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17859 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17860 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17862 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17863 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17864 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17866 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17867 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17868 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17869 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17872 @node Home Score File
17873 @section Home Score File
17875 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17876 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17877 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17878 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17880 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17881 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17882 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17884 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17885 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17890 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17894 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17895 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17899 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17903 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17904 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17907 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17908 the home score file.
17911 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17914 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17919 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17922 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17923 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17926 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17927 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17929 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17931 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17932 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17935 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17936 Other functions include
17939 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17940 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17941 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17942 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17946 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17947 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17948 their own home score files:
17951 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17952 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17953 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17954 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17955 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17958 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17959 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17960 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17961 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17962 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17964 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17965 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17966 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17967 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17968 precedence over this variable.
17971 @node Followups To Yourself
17972 @section Followups To Yourself
17974 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17975 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17976 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17977 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17978 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17979 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17983 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17984 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17985 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17988 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17989 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17990 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17994 @vindex message-sent-hook
17995 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17996 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17998 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18002 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18003 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18007 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18008 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18011 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18012 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18017 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18021 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18022 is system-dependent.
18025 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18026 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18027 @cindex scoring on other headers
18029 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18030 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18031 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18032 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18033 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18035 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18036 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18037 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18038 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18039 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18041 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18044 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18045 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18048 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18049 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18050 time if you have much mail.
18052 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18053 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18059 @section Scoring Tips
18060 @cindex scoring tips
18066 @cindex scoring crossposts
18067 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18068 the @code{Xref} header.
18070 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18073 @item Multiple crossposts
18074 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18075 more than, say, 3 groups:
18078 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18082 @item Matching on the body
18083 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18084 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18085 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18086 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18087 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18088 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18089 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18092 @item Marking as read
18093 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18094 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18095 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18099 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18101 @item Negated character classes
18102 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18103 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18104 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18108 @node Reverse Scoring
18109 @section Reverse Scoring
18110 @cindex reverse scoring
18112 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18113 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18114 like this in your score file:
18118 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18123 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18124 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18127 @node Global Score Files
18128 @section Global Score Files
18129 @cindex global score files
18131 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18132 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18133 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18135 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18136 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18137 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18139 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18140 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18141 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18142 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18143 files are applicable to which group.
18145 To use the score file
18146 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18147 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18151 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18152 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18153 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18156 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18158 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18159 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18160 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18161 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18163 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18164 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18166 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18167 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18168 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18169 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18170 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18171 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18173 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18179 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18181 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18183 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18185 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18186 lowered out of existence.
18188 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18189 articles completely.
18192 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18193 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18194 old articles for a long time.
18197 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18198 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18199 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18200 holding our breath yet?
18204 @section Kill Files
18207 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18208 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18209 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18211 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18212 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18213 files into score files.
18215 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18216 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18217 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18218 that isn't a very good idea.
18220 Normal kill files look like this:
18223 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18224 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18228 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18229 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18231 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18232 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18235 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18240 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18241 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18242 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18245 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18246 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18247 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18250 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18255 @kindex M-k (Group)
18256 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18257 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18260 @kindex M-K (Group)
18261 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18262 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18265 Kill file variables:
18268 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18269 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18270 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18271 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18272 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18273 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18274 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18276 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18277 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18278 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18279 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18282 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18283 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18284 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18285 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18286 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18287 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18288 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18289 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18290 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18292 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18293 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18294 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18299 @node Converting Kill Files
18300 @section Converting Kill Files
18302 @cindex converting kill files
18304 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18305 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18306 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18309 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18310 You can fetch it from
18311 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18313 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18314 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18315 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18323 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18324 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18325 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18326 news articles generated every day.
18328 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18329 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18330 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18331 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18332 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18333 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18334 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18335 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18338 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18339 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18342 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18343 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18344 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18345 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18349 @node Using GroupLens
18350 @subsection Using GroupLens
18352 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18354 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18355 better bit in town at the moment.
18357 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18361 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18362 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18363 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18364 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18366 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18367 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18368 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18369 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18371 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18372 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18373 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18377 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18378 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18379 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18380 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18381 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18382 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18385 @node Rating Articles
18386 @subsection Rating Articles
18388 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18389 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18390 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18391 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18394 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18399 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18400 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18401 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18404 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18405 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18406 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18407 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18408 threads in rec.humor.
18412 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18413 the score of the article you're reading.
18418 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18419 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18420 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18423 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18424 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18425 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18429 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18430 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18433 @node Displaying Predictions
18434 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18436 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18437 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18438 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18439 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18440 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18442 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18443 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18444 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18445 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18446 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18447 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18448 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18449 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18450 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18451 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18452 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18453 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18454 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18456 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18457 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18458 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18459 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18461 The following are valid values for that variable.
18464 @item prediction-spot
18465 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18468 @item confidence-interval
18469 A numeric confidence interval.
18471 @item prediction-bar
18472 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18474 @item confidence-bar
18475 Numerical confidence.
18477 @item confidence-spot
18478 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18480 @item prediction-num
18481 Plain-old numeric value.
18483 @item confidence-plus-minus
18484 Prediction +/- confidence.
18489 @node GroupLens Variables
18490 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18494 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18495 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18496 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18497 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18500 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18501 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18504 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18505 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18507 @item grouplens-score-offset
18508 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18509 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18512 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18513 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18514 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18519 @node Advanced Scoring
18520 @section Advanced Scoring
18522 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18523 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18524 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18525 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18526 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18528 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18532 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18533 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18534 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18538 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18539 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18541 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18542 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18543 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18544 non-@code{nil} value.
18546 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18547 operator, and various match operators.
18554 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18555 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18556 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18561 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18562 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18563 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18568 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18569 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18573 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18574 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18575 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18576 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18577 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18578 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18579 the ancestry you want to go.
18581 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18582 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18583 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18584 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18585 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18588 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18589 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18591 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18592 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18595 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18596 when he's talking about Gnus:
18600 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18601 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18607 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18611 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18618 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18619 really don't want to read what he's written:
18623 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18624 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18628 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18629 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18630 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18637 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18638 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18639 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18640 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18644 The possibilities are endless.
18647 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18648 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18650 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18651 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18652 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18653 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18654 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18655 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18656 @samp{subject}) first.
18658 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18659 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18670 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18671 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18677 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18684 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18685 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18690 @section Score Decays
18691 @cindex score decays
18694 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18695 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18696 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18697 use them in any sensible way.
18699 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18700 @findex gnus-decay-score
18701 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18702 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18703 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18704 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18705 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18706 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18707 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18708 definition of that function:
18711 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18713 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18714 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18717 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18719 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18721 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18724 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18725 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18726 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18727 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18731 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18734 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18737 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18741 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18742 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18743 the new score, which should be an integer.
18745 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18746 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18751 @include message.texi
18752 @chapter Emacs MIME
18753 @include emacs-mime.texi
18755 @include sieve.texi
18763 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18764 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18765 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18766 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18767 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18768 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18769 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18770 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18771 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18772 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18773 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18774 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18775 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18776 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18777 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18778 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18779 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18780 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18781 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18785 @node Process/Prefix
18786 @section Process/Prefix
18787 @cindex process/prefix convention
18789 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18790 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18792 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18793 command to be performed on.
18797 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18798 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18799 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18800 with the current one.
18802 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18803 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18804 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18806 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18807 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18810 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18811 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18813 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18816 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18817 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18818 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18819 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18821 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18822 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18823 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18824 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18825 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18826 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18827 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18828 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18830 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18831 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18832 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18833 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18834 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18838 @section Interactive
18839 @cindex interaction
18843 @item gnus-novice-user
18844 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18845 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18846 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18847 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18848 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18851 @item gnus-expert-user
18852 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18853 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18854 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18855 matter how strange.
18857 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18858 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18859 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18860 is @code{t} by default.
18862 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18863 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18864 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18869 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18870 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18871 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18873 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18874 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18875 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18876 rule of 900 to the current article.
18878 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18879 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18880 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18881 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18882 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18883 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18884 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18886 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18887 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18888 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18889 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18890 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18891 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18892 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18893 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18894 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18896 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18897 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18898 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18900 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18904 @node Formatting Variables
18905 @section Formatting Variables
18906 @cindex formatting variables
18908 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18909 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18910 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18911 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18912 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18915 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18916 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18917 lots of percentages everywhere.
18920 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18921 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18922 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18923 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18924 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18925 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18926 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18927 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18930 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18931 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18932 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18933 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18934 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18935 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18936 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18937 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18939 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18940 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18942 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18943 @findex gnus-update-format
18944 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18945 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18946 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18947 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18951 @node Formatting Basics
18952 @subsection Formatting Basics
18954 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18955 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18956 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18958 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18959 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18960 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18961 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18962 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18965 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18966 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18967 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18968 less than 4 characters wide.
18970 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18971 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18974 @node Mode Line Formatting
18975 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18977 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18978 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18979 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18980 with the following two differences:
18985 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18988 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18989 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18990 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18991 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18992 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18993 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18994 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18999 @node Advanced Formatting
19000 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19002 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19003 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19004 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19005 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19007 These are the valid modifiers:
19012 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19016 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19021 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19024 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19029 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19032 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19035 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19038 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19044 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19049 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19050 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19051 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19052 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19053 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19054 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19055 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19057 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19058 last operation, padding.
19060 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19061 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
19062 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
19063 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
19064 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
19065 the look of your lines.
19066 @xref{Compilation}.
19069 @node User-Defined Specs
19070 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19072 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19073 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19074 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19075 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19076 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19077 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19078 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19079 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19080 should protect against that.
19082 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19083 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19085 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19086 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19087 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19088 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19092 @node Formatting Fonts
19093 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19095 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19096 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19097 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19098 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19101 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19102 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19103 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19104 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19105 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19106 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19108 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
19109 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
19110 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
19111 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
19112 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
19113 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
19114 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
19115 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
19117 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19120 ;; Create three face types.
19121 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19122 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19124 ;; We want the article count to be in
19125 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19126 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19127 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19129 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19130 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19132 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19133 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19134 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19137 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19138 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19140 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19141 mode-line variables.
19143 @node Positioning Point
19144 @subsection Positioning Point
19146 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19147 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19148 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19150 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19152 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19153 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19154 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19156 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19157 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19158 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19163 @subsection Tabulation
19165 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19166 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19167 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19168 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19170 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19171 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19173 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19174 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19175 This is the soft tabulator.
19177 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19178 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19179 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19182 @node Wide Characters
19183 @subsection Wide Characters
19185 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19186 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19187 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19189 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19190 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19191 these coutries, that's not true.
19193 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19194 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19195 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19196 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
19200 @node Window Layout
19201 @section Window Layout
19202 @cindex window layout
19204 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19206 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19207 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19208 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19209 @code{t} by default.
19211 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19212 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19214 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19215 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19216 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19219 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19220 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19221 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19225 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19226 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19227 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19228 possible names is listed below.
19230 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19231 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19234 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19238 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19239 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19240 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19241 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19242 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19243 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19244 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19245 size spec per split.
19247 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19248 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19249 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19250 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19251 present) gets focus.
19253 Here's a more complicated example:
19256 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19257 (summary 0.25 point)
19258 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19262 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19263 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19264 occupy, not a percentage.
19266 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19267 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19268 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19269 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19270 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19273 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19276 (article (horizontal 1.0
19281 (summary 0.25 point)
19286 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19287 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19289 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19290 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19291 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19292 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19293 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19295 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19296 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19297 lines from the splits.
19299 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19303 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19304 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19305 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19306 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19307 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19308 size = number | frame-params
19309 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19312 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19313 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19314 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19315 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19317 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19318 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19319 @cindex window height
19320 @cindex window width
19321 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19322 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19323 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19324 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19325 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19326 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19328 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19329 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19330 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19331 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19333 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19334 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19335 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19336 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19337 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19338 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19339 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19340 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19341 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19342 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19343 configuration list.
19346 (gnus-configure-frame
19350 (article 0.3 point))
19358 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19359 @code{frame} split:
19362 (gnus-configure-frame
19365 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19367 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19368 (user-position . t)
19369 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19374 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19375 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19376 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19377 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19378 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19379 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19380 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19381 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19383 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19384 be found in its default value.
19386 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19387 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19388 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19392 (message (horizontal 1.0
19393 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19395 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19400 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19401 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19402 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19407 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19408 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19409 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19410 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19411 (name . "Message"))
19412 (message 1.0 point))))
19415 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19416 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19417 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19418 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19419 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19422 (gnus-add-configuration
19423 '(article (vertical 1.0
19425 (summary .25 point)
19429 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19430 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19431 Gnus has been loaded.
19433 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19434 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19435 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19436 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19437 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19439 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19440 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19441 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19444 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19448 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19449 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19464 (gnus-add-configuration
19467 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19469 (summary 0.16 point)
19472 (gnus-add-configuration
19475 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19476 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19482 @node Faces and Fonts
19483 @section Faces and Fonts
19488 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19489 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19490 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19495 @section Compilation
19496 @cindex compilation
19497 @cindex byte-compilation
19499 @findex gnus-compile
19501 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19502 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19503 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
19504 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
19505 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
19506 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19507 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19508 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19511 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19512 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19513 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19514 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
19515 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19518 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
19519 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19520 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
19521 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
19522 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
19527 @section Mode Lines
19530 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19531 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19532 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19533 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19534 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19535 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19536 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19539 @cindex display-time
19541 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19542 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19543 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19544 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19545 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19546 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19547 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19548 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19551 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19553 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19554 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19556 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19557 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19558 (length display-time-string)))))
19561 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19562 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19563 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19564 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19565 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19568 @node Highlighting and Menus
19569 @section Highlighting and Menus
19571 @cindex highlighting
19574 @vindex gnus-visual
19575 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19576 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19577 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19580 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19581 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19584 @item group-highlight
19585 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19586 @item summary-highlight
19587 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19588 @item article-highlight
19589 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19591 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19593 Create menus in the group buffer.
19595 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19597 Create menus in the article buffer.
19599 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19601 Create menus in the server buffer.
19603 Create menus in the score buffers.
19605 Create menus in all buffers.
19608 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19609 buffers, you could say something like:
19612 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19615 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19618 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19621 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19622 in all Gnus buffers.
19624 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19627 @item gnus-mouse-face
19628 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19629 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19630 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19634 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19638 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19639 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19640 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19642 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19643 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19644 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19646 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19647 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19648 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19650 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19651 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19652 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19654 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19655 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19656 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19658 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19659 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19660 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19671 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19672 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19673 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19674 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19675 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19679 @vindex gnus-carpal
19680 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19681 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19682 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19687 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19688 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19689 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19691 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19692 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19693 Face used on buttons.
19695 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19696 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19697 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19699 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19700 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19701 Buttons in the group buffer.
19703 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19704 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19705 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19707 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19708 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19709 Buttons in the server buffer.
19711 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19712 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19713 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19716 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19717 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19718 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19726 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19727 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19728 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19729 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19730 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19732 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19733 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19734 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19736 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19737 been idle for thirty minutes:
19740 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19743 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19747 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19750 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19751 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19752 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19754 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19755 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19756 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19757 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19759 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19760 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19761 @var{idle} minutes.
19763 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19764 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19767 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19768 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19769 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19771 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19772 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19773 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19774 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19776 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19777 your @file{.gnus} file:
19779 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19781 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19784 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19785 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19786 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19787 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19788 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19789 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19790 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19791 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19792 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19793 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19794 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19796 @findex gnus-demon-init
19797 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19798 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19799 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19800 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19801 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19803 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19804 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19805 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19814 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19815 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19817 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19818 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19819 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19820 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19823 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19824 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19825 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19826 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19828 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19829 this will make spam disappear.
19831 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19834 @item gnus-use-nocem
19835 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19836 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19839 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19840 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19841 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19842 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19843 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19845 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19846 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19847 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19848 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19849 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19850 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19852 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19853 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19855 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19856 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19857 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19858 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19859 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19860 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19861 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19862 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19863 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19864 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19866 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19867 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19870 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19873 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19874 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19877 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19880 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19883 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19884 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19886 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19887 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19888 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19889 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19891 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19892 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19895 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19897 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19905 This might be dangerous, though.
19907 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19908 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19909 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19910 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19912 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19913 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19914 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19915 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19916 might then see old spam.
19918 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19919 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19920 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19921 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19922 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19925 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19926 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19927 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19928 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19932 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19933 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19934 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19935 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19942 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19943 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19944 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19946 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19947 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19948 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19949 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19950 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19951 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19952 @code{undo} function.
19954 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19955 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19956 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19957 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19958 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19959 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19960 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19961 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19962 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19963 never be totally undoable.
19965 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19966 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19968 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19969 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19970 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19971 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19975 @node Predicate Specifiers
19976 @section Predicate Specifiers
19977 @cindex predicate specifiers
19979 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
19980 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
19981 to type all that much.
19983 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
19988 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
19989 gnus-article-unread-p)
19992 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
19993 functions all take one parameter.
19995 @findex gnus-make-predicate
19996 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
19997 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
19998 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20003 @section Moderation
20006 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20007 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20008 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20011 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20015 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20018 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20020 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20025 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20026 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20027 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20030 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20031 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20034 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20035 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20039 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20042 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20043 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20047 @node Image Enhancements
20048 @section Image Enhancements
20050 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20051 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20054 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20055 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20056 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20057 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20058 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20071 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20072 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20073 over your shoulder as you read news.
20076 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20077 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20078 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20079 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20080 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20085 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20087 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20096 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20097 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20098 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20099 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20100 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20101 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20102 @code{GIF} formats.
20105 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20106 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20107 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20108 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20109 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20111 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20112 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20113 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20114 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20115 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20116 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20118 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20119 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20122 @node Picon Requirements
20123 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20125 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20126 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20127 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20128 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20130 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20131 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20132 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20133 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20134 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20135 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20138 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20140 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20141 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20144 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20145 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20148 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20149 containing the Picons databases.
20151 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20154 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20155 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20160 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20168 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20169 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20170 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20171 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20172 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20177 @item gnus-picons-database
20178 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20179 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20180 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20181 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20182 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20183 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20185 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20186 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20187 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20188 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20189 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20190 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20191 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20193 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20194 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20195 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20196 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20197 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20198 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20199 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20200 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20202 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20203 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20204 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20209 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20210 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20212 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20213 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20216 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20218 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20219 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20220 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20221 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20223 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20224 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20225 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20226 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20232 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20233 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20241 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20242 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20243 don't need to worry about.
20247 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20248 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20249 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20250 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20252 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20253 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20254 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20255 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20257 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20258 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20259 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20260 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20261 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20263 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20264 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20265 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20266 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20267 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20268 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20269 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20270 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20272 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20273 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20274 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20275 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20276 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20278 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20279 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20280 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20281 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20282 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20283 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20284 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20286 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20287 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20288 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20289 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20291 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20292 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20293 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20294 Defaults to @code{t}.
20296 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20297 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20298 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20299 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20301 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20302 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20303 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20305 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20306 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20307 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20308 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20310 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20311 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20313 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20314 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20315 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20316 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20317 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20318 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20319 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20320 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20331 @subsection Smileys
20336 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20341 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20342 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20344 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20345 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20348 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20351 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20352 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20353 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20354 text and maps that to file names.
20356 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20357 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20358 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20359 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20360 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20361 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20363 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20364 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20366 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20367 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20368 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20370 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20371 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20375 @item smiley-data-directory
20376 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20377 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20379 @item smiley-flesh-color
20380 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20381 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20383 @item smiley-features-color
20384 @vindex smiley-features-color
20385 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20387 @item smiley-tongue-color
20388 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20389 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20391 @item smiley-circle-color
20392 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20393 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20395 @item smiley-mouse-face
20396 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20397 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20406 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20407 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20408 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20412 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20413 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20414 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20415 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20423 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20424 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20425 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20426 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20428 The variable that controls this is the
20429 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20430 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20431 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20432 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20433 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20435 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20436 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20437 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20438 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20441 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20442 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20443 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20444 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20445 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20446 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20447 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20448 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20450 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20453 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20454 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20456 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20457 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20458 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20459 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20460 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20461 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20463 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20464 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20465 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20467 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20468 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20471 (setq message-required-news-headers
20472 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20473 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20476 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20479 (setq message-required-news-headers
20480 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20481 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20482 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20483 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20488 @subsection Toolbar
20498 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20499 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20500 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20501 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20502 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20504 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20505 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20506 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20508 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20509 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20510 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20512 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20513 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20514 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20520 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20523 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20524 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20525 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20526 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20527 unusual directory structure.
20529 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20530 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20531 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20532 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20534 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20535 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20536 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20537 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20538 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20539 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20541 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20542 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20543 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20557 @node Fuzzy Matching
20558 @section Fuzzy Matching
20559 @cindex fuzzy matching
20561 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20562 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20564 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20565 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20566 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20568 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20569 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20570 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20571 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20572 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20575 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20576 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20580 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20582 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20583 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20584 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20585 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20586 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20587 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20588 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20589 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20592 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20593 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20594 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20595 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20596 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20597 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20601 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20602 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20604 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20605 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20606 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20607 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20608 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20609 part of the mail address.)
20612 (setq message-default-news-headers
20613 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20616 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20617 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20622 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20623 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20624 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20630 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20631 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20632 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20633 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20635 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
20636 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20637 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20638 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20639 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20640 your fancy split rule in this way:
20645 (to "larsi" "misc")
20649 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20650 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20651 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20652 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20653 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20655 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20656 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20657 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20658 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20659 cosmic balance somewhat.
20661 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20662 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20663 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20664 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20667 @node Various Various
20668 @section Various Various
20674 @item gnus-home-directory
20675 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20676 defaults to @file{~/}.
20678 @item gnus-directory
20679 @vindex gnus-directory
20680 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20681 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20682 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20684 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20685 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20686 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20687 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20689 @item gnus-default-directory
20690 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20691 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20692 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20693 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20694 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20695 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20696 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20699 @vindex gnus-verbose
20700 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20701 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20702 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20703 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20704 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20706 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20707 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20708 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20709 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20711 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20712 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20713 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20714 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20715 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20716 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20717 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20718 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20719 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20720 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20722 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20723 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20724 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20725 read when doing the operation described above.
20727 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20728 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20730 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20731 @cindex characters in file names
20732 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20733 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20734 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20737 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20741 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20742 Windows (phooey) systems.
20744 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20745 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20746 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20747 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20748 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20750 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20751 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20752 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20753 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20754 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20756 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20757 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20758 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20760 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20761 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20763 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20764 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20765 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20766 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20769 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20777 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20778 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20780 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20782 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20788 Not because of victories @*
20791 but for the common sunshine,@*
20793 the largess of the spring.
20797 but for the day's work done@*
20798 as well as I was able;@*
20799 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20800 but at the common table.@*
20805 @chapter Appendices
20808 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20809 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20810 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20811 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20812 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20813 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20814 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20815 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20816 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20823 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20825 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20826 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20827 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20828 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20829 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20836 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20837 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20839 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20840 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20841 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20842 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20843 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20845 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20846 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20847 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20848 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20849 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20850 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20852 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20853 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20854 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20855 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20858 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20859 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20860 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20861 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20862 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20863 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20864 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20865 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20866 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20870 @node Gnus Versions
20871 @subsection Gnus Versions
20873 @cindex September Gnus
20875 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20876 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20880 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20881 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20882 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20884 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20885 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20887 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20888 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20890 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20891 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20893 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20894 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20897 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20899 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20900 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20901 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20902 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20903 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20904 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20907 @node Other Gnus Versions
20908 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20911 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20912 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20913 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20914 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20916 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20917 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20918 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20919 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20926 What's the point of Gnus?
20928 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20929 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20930 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20931 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20932 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20933 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20934 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20935 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20936 keep track of millions of people who post?
20938 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20939 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20940 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20941 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20942 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20943 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20944 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20945 every one of you to explore and invent.
20947 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20948 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20951 @node Compatibility
20952 @subsection Compatibility
20954 @cindex compatibility
20955 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20956 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20957 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20962 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20966 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20969 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20972 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20973 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20974 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20975 important variables have their values copied into their global
20976 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20977 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20979 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20980 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20981 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20982 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20983 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20987 @cindex highlighting
20988 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20989 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20990 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20991 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20992 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20993 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20996 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20997 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20998 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20999 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
21001 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
21002 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
21003 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
21004 to stop doing it the old way.
21006 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
21008 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21010 @cindex reporting bugs
21012 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
21013 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
21014 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
21016 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
21017 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
21018 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
21019 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
21024 @subsection Conformity
21026 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
21027 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
21035 There are no known breaches of this standard.
21039 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
21041 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
21042 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
21043 We do have some breaches to this one.
21049 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
21050 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
21051 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
21052 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
21053 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
21058 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
21059 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
21060 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
21061 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
21063 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
21065 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
21067 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
21068 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
21070 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
21073 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
21074 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
21075 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
21076 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
21077 decoding (verification and decryption).
21079 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
21080 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
21081 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
21082 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
21084 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
21085 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
21087 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
21088 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
21089 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
21090 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
21091 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
21092 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
21093 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
21097 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
21098 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
21103 @subsection Emacsen
21109 Gnus should work on :
21117 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
21121 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
21122 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
21123 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
21124 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
21125 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
21127 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
21128 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
21129 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
21133 @node Gnus Development
21134 @subsection Gnus Development
21136 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
21137 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
21138 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
21139 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
21140 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
21141 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
21142 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
21143 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
21145 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
21146 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
21147 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
21148 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
21149 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
21152 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
21153 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
21154 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
21155 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
21156 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
21158 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
21159 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
21160 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
21161 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
21162 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
21163 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
21164 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
21165 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
21166 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
21167 can't be assumed to do so.
21172 @subsection Contributors
21173 @cindex contributors
21175 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
21176 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
21177 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
21178 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
21179 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
21180 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
21181 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
21182 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
21183 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
21184 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
21186 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
21192 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
21195 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
21196 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
21197 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
21198 functionality and stuff.
21201 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
21202 well as numerous other things).
21205 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
21208 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
21211 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
21214 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
21217 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
21218 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
21221 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
21224 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
21225 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21228 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
21231 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
21234 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
21237 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
21240 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
21241 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
21244 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
21247 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
21250 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
21253 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
21257 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
21260 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
21263 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21266 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21267 well as autoconf support.
21271 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21272 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21274 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21283 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21287 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21297 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21312 Massimo Campostrini,
21317 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21318 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21322 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21325 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21331 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21336 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21340 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21348 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21350 Michelangelo Grigni,
21354 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21356 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21358 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21365 François Felix Ingrand,
21366 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21367 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21369 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21380 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21381 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21383 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21384 Thor Kristoffersen,
21387 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21405 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21406 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21413 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21418 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21422 John McClary Prevost,
21428 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21433 Christian von Roques,
21436 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21443 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21445 Randal L. Schwartz,
21459 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21464 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21480 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21485 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21486 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21487 (550kB and counting).
21489 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21492 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21493 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21497 @subsection New Features
21498 @cindex new features
21501 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21502 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21503 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21504 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21505 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21508 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21509 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21510 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21513 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21515 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21520 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21521 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21524 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21525 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21528 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21531 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21532 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21533 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21536 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21537 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21538 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21539 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21542 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21543 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21546 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21547 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21548 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21551 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21552 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21555 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21556 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21557 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21560 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21561 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21562 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21565 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21566 the @file{.emacs} file.
21569 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21570 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21573 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21574 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21577 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21578 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21581 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21582 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21585 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21586 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21589 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21592 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21593 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21596 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21597 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21600 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21601 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21604 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21607 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21608 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21611 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21615 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21619 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21620 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21623 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21629 @node September Gnus
21630 @subsubsection September Gnus
21634 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21638 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21643 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21644 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21648 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21649 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21653 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21657 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21658 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21661 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21665 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21668 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21671 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21674 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21678 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21679 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21682 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21686 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21690 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21694 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21698 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21701 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21702 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21705 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21709 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21710 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21713 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21716 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21717 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21718 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21721 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21725 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21728 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21732 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21733 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21736 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21737 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21740 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21741 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21744 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21745 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21746 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21749 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21750 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21753 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21756 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21759 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21762 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21765 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21766 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21769 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21773 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21776 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21781 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21784 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21788 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21791 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21795 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21798 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21801 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21802 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21805 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21806 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21810 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21811 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21814 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21818 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21819 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21822 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21825 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21829 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21833 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21834 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21837 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21841 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21842 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21845 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21846 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21849 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21853 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21856 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21859 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21865 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21867 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21871 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21878 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21881 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21882 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21885 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21886 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21890 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21891 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21894 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21897 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21898 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21901 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21905 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21906 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21910 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21911 Server Internals}).
21914 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21918 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21921 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21922 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21925 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21926 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21927 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21930 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21931 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21934 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21935 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21938 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21942 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21943 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21946 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21947 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21950 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21954 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21957 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21961 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21962 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21965 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21966 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21969 A new command for reading collections of documents
21970 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21971 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21974 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21978 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21979 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21982 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21983 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21984 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21987 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21988 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21992 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21996 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
22000 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
22005 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
22009 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
22013 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
22014 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
22017 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
22023 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
22025 New features in Gnus 5.6:
22030 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
22031 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
22032 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
22035 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
22036 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
22037 group, which is created automatically.
22040 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
22044 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
22047 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
22048 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
22051 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
22055 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
22058 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
22059 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
22062 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
22065 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
22066 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
22069 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
22070 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
22073 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
22074 control over simplification.
22077 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
22080 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
22084 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
22087 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
22090 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
22091 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
22092 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
22095 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
22096 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
22099 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
22103 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
22104 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
22107 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
22108 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
22111 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
22115 A history of where mails have been split is available.
22118 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
22121 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
22122 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
22125 A new function for citing in Message has been
22126 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
22129 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
22132 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
22136 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
22137 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
22140 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
22141 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
22144 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
22147 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
22151 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
22152 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
22154 New features in Gnus 5.8:
22159 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
22160 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
22162 If you used procmail like in
22165 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
22166 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
22167 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
22168 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
22171 this now has changed to
22175 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
22179 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
22180 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
22183 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
22184 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
22187 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
22188 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
22191 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
22192 called to position point.
22195 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
22196 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
22199 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
22200 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
22203 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
22204 subtly different manner.
22207 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
22208 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
22209 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
22212 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
22220 @section The Manual
22224 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
22225 either @code{texi2dvi}
22227 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
22228 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
22230 to get what you hold in your hands now.
22232 The following conventions have been used:
22237 This is a @samp{string}
22240 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
22243 This is a @file{file}
22246 This is a @code{symbol}
22250 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
22254 (setq flargnoze "yes")
22257 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
22260 (setq flumphel 'yes)
22263 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
22264 ever get them confused.
22268 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22269 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22270 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22271 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22272 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22273 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22274 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22280 @node On Writing Manuals
22281 @section On Writing Manuals
22283 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22284 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22285 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22286 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22287 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22288 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22291 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22292 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22293 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22296 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22297 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22302 @section Terminology
22304 @cindex terminology
22309 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22310 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22311 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22312 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22313 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22317 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22318 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22319 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22320 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22324 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22328 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22333 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22334 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22335 is all done by the back ends.
22339 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22340 default, way of getting news.
22344 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22345 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22350 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22351 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22355 A message that has been posted as news.
22358 @cindex mail message
22359 A message that has been mailed.
22363 A mail message or news article
22367 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22372 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22377 A line from the head of an article.
22381 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22382 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22386 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22387 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22388 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22389 normal @sc{head} format.
22393 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22394 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22395 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22396 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22397 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22398 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22400 @item killed groups
22401 @cindex killed groups
22402 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22403 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22405 @item zombie groups
22406 @cindex zombie groups
22407 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22410 @cindex active file
22411 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22412 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22413 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22416 @cindex bogus groups
22417 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22418 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22419 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22422 @cindex activating groups
22423 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22424 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22425 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22429 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22431 @item select method
22432 @cindex select method
22433 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22436 @item virtual server
22437 @cindex virtual server
22438 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22439 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22440 whole is a virtual server.
22444 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22445 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22448 @item ephemeral groups
22449 @cindex ephemeral groups
22450 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22451 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22452 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22455 @cindex solid groups
22456 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22457 group buffer are solid groups.
22459 @item sparse articles
22460 @cindex sparse articles
22461 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22462 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22466 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22467 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22471 @cindex thread root
22472 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22473 articles in the thread.
22477 An article that has responses.
22481 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22485 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22486 specified by RFC 1153.
22492 @node Customization
22493 @section Customization
22494 @cindex general customization
22496 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22497 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22498 for some quite common situations.
22501 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22502 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22503 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22504 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22508 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22509 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
22511 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22512 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22513 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22517 @item gnus-read-active-file
22518 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22519 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22520 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22521 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22522 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22524 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22525 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22526 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22527 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22531 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22532 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22534 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22535 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22536 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22540 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22541 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22542 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22543 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22544 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22546 @item gnus-visible-headers
22547 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22548 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22549 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22550 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22552 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22554 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22555 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22556 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22559 @item gnus-use-full-window
22560 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22561 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22562 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22563 want to read them anyway.
22565 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22566 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22570 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22571 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22572 lines, which might save some time.
22576 @node Little Disk Space
22577 @subsection Little Disk Space
22580 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22581 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22585 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22586 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22587 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22588 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22591 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22592 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22593 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22594 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22597 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22598 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22599 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22600 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22601 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22607 @subsection Slow Machine
22608 @cindex slow machine
22610 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22611 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22613 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22614 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22616 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22617 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22618 summary buffer faster.
22622 @node Troubleshooting
22623 @section Troubleshooting
22624 @cindex troubleshooting
22626 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22634 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22637 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22638 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22642 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22643 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
22644 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
22645 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
22646 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22649 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22653 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22654 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22655 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22656 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22657 something like that.
22660 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22663 @cindex reporting bugs
22665 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22667 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22668 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22669 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22670 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22672 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22673 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22674 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22675 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22678 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22679 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22680 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22681 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22682 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22683 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22685 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22686 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22687 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22691 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22692 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22694 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22695 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22697 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22698 @cindex ding mailing list
22699 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22700 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22704 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22705 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22707 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22708 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22709 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22710 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22713 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22714 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22715 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22716 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22717 and general methods of operation.
22720 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22721 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22722 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22723 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22724 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22725 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22726 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22727 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22728 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22732 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22733 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22734 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22735 @cindex utility functions
22737 @cindex internal variables
22739 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22740 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22741 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22745 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22746 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22747 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22749 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22750 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22751 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22753 @item gnus-group-real-name
22754 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22755 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22758 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22759 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22760 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22761 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22763 @item gnus-get-info
22764 @findex gnus-get-info
22765 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22767 @item gnus-group-unread
22768 @findex gnus-group-unread
22769 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22773 @findex gnus-active
22774 The active entry for @var{group}.
22776 @item gnus-set-active
22777 @findex gnus-set-active
22778 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22780 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22781 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22782 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22785 @item gnus-continuum-version
22786 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22787 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22788 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22791 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22792 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22793 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22795 @item gnus-news-group-p
22796 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22797 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22799 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22800 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22801 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22803 @item gnus-server-to-method
22804 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22805 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22807 @item gnus-server-equal
22808 @findex gnus-server-equal
22809 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22811 @item gnus-group-native-p
22812 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22813 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22815 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22816 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22817 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22819 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22820 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22821 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22823 @item group-group-find-parameter
22824 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22825 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22826 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22828 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22829 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22830 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22832 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22833 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22834 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22836 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22837 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22838 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22839 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22842 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22846 @item gnus-read-method
22847 @findex gnus-read-method
22848 Prompts the user for a select method.
22853 @node Back End Interface
22854 @subsection Back End Interface
22856 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22857 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22858 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22859 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22860 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22861 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22863 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22864 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22865 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22866 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22867 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22868 been opened, the function should fail.
22870 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22871 name. Take this example:
22875 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22876 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22879 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22880 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22882 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22883 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22884 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22886 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22887 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22888 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22890 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22891 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22892 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22893 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22894 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22895 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22898 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22899 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22900 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22901 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22904 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22905 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22906 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22907 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22908 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22909 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22910 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22911 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22912 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22913 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22915 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22916 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22917 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22918 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22919 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22920 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22921 of numbers as long as possible.
22923 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22926 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22929 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22930 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22931 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22932 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22933 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22934 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22938 @node Required Back End Functions
22939 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22943 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22945 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22946 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22947 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22948 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22950 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
22951 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22952 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22953 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22955 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22956 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22957 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22958 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22959 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22960 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22961 number, do maximum fetches.
22963 Here's an example HEAD:
22966 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22967 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22968 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22969 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22970 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22971 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22972 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22974 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22975 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22976 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22980 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22981 these in the data buffer.
22983 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22987 head = error / valid-head
22988 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22989 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22990 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22991 header = <text> eol
22994 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22995 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22999 nov-buffer = *nov-line
23000 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
23001 field = <text except TAB>
23004 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
23008 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
23010 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
23011 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
23013 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
23014 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
23015 server. In fact, it should do so.
23017 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
23018 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
23021 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
23023 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
23024 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
23027 There should be no data returned.
23030 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
23032 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
23033 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
23034 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
23035 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
23037 There should be no data returned.
23040 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
23042 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
23043 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
23044 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
23045 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
23047 There should be no data returned.
23050 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
23052 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
23054 There should be no data returned.
23057 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
23059 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
23060 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
23061 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
23062 it would be nice if that were possible.
23064 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
23065 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
23066 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
23067 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
23068 into its article buffer.
23070 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
23071 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
23072 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
23073 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
23074 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
23075 on successful article retrieval.
23078 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
23080 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
23081 making @var{group} the current group.
23083 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
23086 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
23089 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
23092 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
23093 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
23094 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
23095 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
23096 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
23097 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
23098 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
23099 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
23100 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
23104 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
23105 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
23106 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
23110 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23112 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
23113 a no-op on most back ends.
23115 There should be no data returned.
23118 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
23120 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
23123 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
23126 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
23127 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
23130 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
23131 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
23132 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
23133 and the highest as 0.
23136 active-file = *active-line
23137 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
23139 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
23142 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
23143 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
23144 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
23147 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
23149 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
23150 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
23151 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
23152 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
23153 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
23154 clear if the posting could not be completed.
23156 There should be no result data from this function.
23161 @node Optional Back End Functions
23162 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
23166 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
23168 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
23169 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
23170 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
23172 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
23173 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
23174 former is in the same format as the data from
23175 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
23176 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
23179 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
23183 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
23185 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
23186 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
23187 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
23188 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
23189 should return the (altered) group info.
23191 There should be no result data from this function.
23194 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
23196 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
23197 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
23198 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
23199 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
23200 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
23201 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
23202 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
23203 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
23205 There should be no result data from this function.
23208 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
23210 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
23211 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
23212 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
23213 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
23214 propagate the mark information to the server.
23216 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
23219 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
23222 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
23223 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
23224 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
23225 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
23226 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
23227 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
23228 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
23229 possible, not limit itself to these.
23231 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
23232 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
23233 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
23234 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
23236 An example action list:
23239 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
23240 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
23241 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
23244 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
23245 mark on (currently not used for anything).
23247 There should be no result data from this function.
23249 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
23251 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
23252 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
23253 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23254 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23255 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23257 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23258 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23259 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23262 There should be no result data from this function.
23265 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23267 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23268 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23269 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23270 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23271 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23272 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23273 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23275 There should be no result data from this function.
23278 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23280 The result data from this function should be a description of
23284 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23286 description = <text>
23289 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23291 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23292 groups available on the server.
23295 description-buffer = *description-line
23299 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23301 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23302 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23303 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23304 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23305 in the active buffer format.
23307 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23308 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23309 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23310 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23311 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
23312 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
23313 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
23316 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23318 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23320 There should be no return data.
23323 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23325 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23326 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23327 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23328 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23329 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23332 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23335 There should be no result data returned.
23338 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23341 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23342 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23344 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23345 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23346 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23347 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23348 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23349 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23351 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23352 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23355 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23356 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23358 There should be no data returned.
23361 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23363 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23364 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23365 this function in short order.
23367 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23368 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23370 There should be no data returned.
23373 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23375 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23376 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23378 There should be no data returned.
23381 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23383 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23384 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23385 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23387 There should be no data returned.
23390 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23392 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23393 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23395 There should be no data returned.
23400 @node Error Messaging
23401 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23403 @findex nnheader-report
23404 @findex nnheader-get-report
23405 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23406 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23407 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23408 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23409 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23410 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23413 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23415 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23418 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23419 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23420 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23421 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23423 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23424 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23425 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23428 @node Writing New Back Ends
23429 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23431 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23432 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23433 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23434 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23435 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23438 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23439 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23440 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23442 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23443 package called @code{nnoo}.
23445 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23446 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23452 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23453 parameters. For instance:
23456 (nnoo-declare nndir
23460 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23461 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23464 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23465 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23466 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23468 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23469 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23470 a function in those back ends.
23473 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23474 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23475 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23478 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23479 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23480 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23482 @item nnoo-define-basics
23483 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23487 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23491 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23492 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23493 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23495 @item nnoo-map-functions
23496 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23497 functions from the parent back ends.
23500 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23501 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23502 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23505 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23506 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23507 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23508 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23511 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23512 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23513 haven't already been defined.
23519 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23523 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23524 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23525 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23530 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23533 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23534 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23538 (require 'nnheader)
23542 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23544 (nnoo-declare nndir
23547 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23548 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23549 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23551 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23552 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23555 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23557 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23558 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23559 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23561 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23562 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23564 ;;; Interface functions.
23566 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23568 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23569 (setq nndir-directory
23570 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23572 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23573 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23574 (push `(nndir-current-group
23575 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23576 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23578 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23579 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23581 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23583 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23584 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23585 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23586 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23587 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23591 nnmh-status-message
23593 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23599 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23600 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23602 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23603 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23604 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23605 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23606 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23608 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23609 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23614 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23617 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23619 The abilities can be:
23623 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23625 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23627 This back end supports both mail and news.
23629 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23632 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23633 articles and groups.
23635 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23636 true for almost all back ends.
23637 @item prompt-address
23638 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23639 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23640 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23644 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23645 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23647 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23648 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
23649 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
23650 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23653 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23654 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23655 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23658 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23659 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23662 This function takes four parameters.
23666 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23669 @item exit-function
23670 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23672 @item temp-directory
23673 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23676 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23677 performed for one group only.
23680 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23681 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23682 find the article number assigned to this article.
23684 The function also uses the following variables:
23685 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23686 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23687 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23688 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23692 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23693 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23697 @node Score File Syntax
23698 @subsection Score File Syntax
23700 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23701 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23702 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23704 Here's a typical score file:
23708 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23715 BNF definition of a score file:
23718 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23719 element = rule / atom
23720 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23721 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23722 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23723 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23725 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23726 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23727 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23728 date-header = "date"
23729 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23730 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23731 score = "nil" / <integer>
23732 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23733 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23734 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23735 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23736 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23737 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23738 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23739 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23740 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23741 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23742 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23743 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23744 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23745 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23746 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23747 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23748 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23749 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23750 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23751 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23752 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23753 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23754 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23755 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23756 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23757 eval = "eval" space <form>
23758 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23761 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23764 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23765 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23766 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23767 one looong line, then that's ok.
23769 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23770 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23774 @subsection Headers
23776 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23777 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23778 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23779 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23781 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23782 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23783 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23784 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23785 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23786 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23787 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23789 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23790 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23791 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23792 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23793 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23795 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23796 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23802 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23803 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23805 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23806 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23807 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23808 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23810 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23814 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23817 is transformed into
23820 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23823 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23824 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23827 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23830 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23831 is slightly tricky:
23834 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23840 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23843 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23849 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23856 and is equal to the previous range.
23858 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23859 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23860 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23864 range = simple-range / normal-range
23865 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23866 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23867 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23868 number *[ " " contents ]
23871 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23872 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23873 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23874 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23875 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23880 @subsection Group Info
23882 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23883 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23884 describes the group.
23886 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23887 second is a more complex one:
23890 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23892 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23893 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23895 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23898 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23899 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23900 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23901 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23902 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23903 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23904 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23905 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23906 this section is about.
23908 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23909 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23910 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23912 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23915 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23916 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23917 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23918 group = quote <string> quote
23919 ralevel = rank / level
23920 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23921 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23922 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23924 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23925 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23926 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23927 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23930 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23931 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23934 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23935 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23938 @item gnus-info-group
23939 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23940 @findex gnus-info-group
23941 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23942 Get/set the group name.
23944 @item gnus-info-rank
23945 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23946 @findex gnus-info-rank
23947 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23948 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23950 @item gnus-info-level
23951 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23952 @findex gnus-info-level
23953 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23954 Get/set the group level.
23956 @item gnus-info-score
23957 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23958 @findex gnus-info-score
23959 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23960 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23962 @item gnus-info-read
23963 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23964 @findex gnus-info-read
23965 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23966 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23968 @item gnus-info-marks
23969 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23970 @findex gnus-info-marks
23971 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23972 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23974 @item gnus-info-method
23975 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23976 @findex gnus-info-method
23977 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23978 Get/set the group select method.
23980 @item gnus-info-params
23981 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23982 @findex gnus-info-params
23983 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23984 Get/set the group parameters.
23987 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23988 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23990 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23991 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23992 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23993 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23996 @node Extended Interactive
23997 @subsection Extended Interactive
23998 @cindex interactive
23999 @findex gnus-interactive
24001 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
24002 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
24003 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
24006 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
24007 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
24012 The best thing to do would have been to implement
24013 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
24014 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
24015 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
24016 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
24017 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
24018 @code{interactive}.
24020 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
24025 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
24026 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
24030 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
24031 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
24032 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
24035 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
24039 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
24043 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
24049 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
24050 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
24054 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
24055 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
24056 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
24058 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
24059 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
24060 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
24061 Gnus, that's very useful.
24063 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
24064 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
24065 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
24066 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
24067 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
24068 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
24069 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
24070 following function:
24073 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
24077 (,function ,@@args))
24081 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
24082 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
24083 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
24086 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
24087 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
24088 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
24090 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
24091 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
24092 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
24095 @node Various File Formats
24096 @subsection Various File Formats
24099 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
24100 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
24104 @node Active File Format
24105 @subsubsection Active File Format
24107 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
24108 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
24111 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
24114 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
24115 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
24116 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
24117 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
24118 no.general 1000 900 y
24121 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
24124 active = *group-line
24125 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
24126 group = <non-white-space string>
24128 high-number = <non-negative integer>
24129 low-number = <positive integer>
24130 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
24133 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
24134 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
24137 @node Newsgroups File Format
24138 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
24140 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
24141 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
24142 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
24145 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
24146 Here's the definition:
24150 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
24151 group = <non-white-space string>
24153 description = <string>
24158 @node Emacs for Heathens
24159 @section Emacs for Heathens
24161 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
24162 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
24163 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
24164 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
24165 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
24166 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
24167 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
24171 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
24172 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
24177 @subsection Keystrokes
24181 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
24184 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
24187 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
24188 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
24189 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
24190 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
24191 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
24192 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
24194 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
24195 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
24196 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
24197 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
24198 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
24199 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
24200 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
24202 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
24203 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
24204 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
24205 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
24206 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
24207 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
24208 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
24210 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
24211 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
24212 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
24213 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
24214 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
24220 @subsection Emacs Lisp
24222 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
24223 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
24224 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
24225 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
24227 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
24228 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
24229 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
24230 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
24231 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
24232 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
24233 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
24236 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
24237 write the following:
24240 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
24243 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
24244 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
24245 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
24248 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
24249 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
24250 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
24251 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
24252 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24254 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24255 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24256 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24260 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24264 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24267 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24268 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24271 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24274 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24275 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24278 @include gnus-faq.texi
24298 @c Local Variables:
24300 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24302 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24303 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24304 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24305 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24306 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref