4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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295 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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304 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
306 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
309 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
310 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
311 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
312 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
313 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
314 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
315 License'' in the Emacs manual.
317 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
318 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
319 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
321 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
322 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
323 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
324 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
332 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
334 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
335 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
337 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
338 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
339 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
340 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
341 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
342 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
343 License'' in the Emacs manual.
345 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
346 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
347 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
349 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
350 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
351 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
352 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
358 @title T-gnus 6.17 Manual
360 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
363 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
364 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
366 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
368 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
369 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
370 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
371 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
372 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
373 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
374 License'' in the Emacs manual.
376 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
377 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
378 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
380 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
381 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
382 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
383 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
392 @top The gnus Newsreader
396 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
397 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
398 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
401 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
402 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
403 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
404 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
405 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
406 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
408 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17.
419 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
420 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
422 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
423 being accused of plagiarism:
425 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
426 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
427 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
428 can even read news with it!
430 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
431 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
432 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
433 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
434 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
440 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
441 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
442 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
443 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
444 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
445 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
446 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
447 * Various:: General purpose settings.
448 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
449 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
450 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
451 * Key Index:: Key Index.
453 Other related manuals
455 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
456 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
457 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
458 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
459 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
462 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
466 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
467 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
468 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
469 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
470 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
471 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
472 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
473 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
474 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
475 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
476 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
480 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
481 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
482 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
486 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
487 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
488 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
489 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
490 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
491 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
492 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
493 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
494 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
495 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
496 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
497 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
498 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
499 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
500 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
501 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
502 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
506 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
507 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
508 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
512 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
513 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
514 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
515 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
516 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
520 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
521 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
522 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
523 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
524 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
528 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
529 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
530 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
531 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
532 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
533 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
534 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
535 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
536 * Threading:: How threads are made.
537 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
538 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
539 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
540 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
541 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
542 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
543 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
544 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
545 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
546 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
547 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
548 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
549 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
550 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
551 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
552 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
553 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
554 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
555 or reselecting the current group.
556 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
557 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
558 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
559 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
561 Summary Buffer Format
563 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
564 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
565 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
566 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
570 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
571 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
573 Reply, Followup and Post
575 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
576 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
577 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
578 * Canceling and Superseding::
582 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
583 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
584 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
588 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
589 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
590 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
594 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
595 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
597 Customizing Threading
599 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
600 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
601 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
602 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
606 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
607 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
608 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
609 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
610 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
611 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
615 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
616 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
617 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
621 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
622 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
623 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
624 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
625 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
626 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
627 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
628 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
629 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
630 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
631 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
633 Alternative Approaches
635 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
636 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
638 Various Summary Stuff
640 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
641 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
642 * Summary Generation Commands::
643 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
647 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
648 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
649 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
650 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
651 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
655 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
656 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
657 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
658 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
659 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
660 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
661 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
662 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
663 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
667 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
668 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
669 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
670 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
671 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
672 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
673 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
674 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
678 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
679 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
680 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
681 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
682 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
683 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
684 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
688 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
689 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
693 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
694 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
695 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
699 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
700 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
701 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
702 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
703 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
704 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
705 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
706 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
707 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
708 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
709 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
710 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
711 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
715 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
716 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
717 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
719 Choosing a Mail Back End
721 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
722 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
723 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
724 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
725 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
726 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
727 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
732 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
733 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
734 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
735 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
736 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
737 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
741 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
742 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
743 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
744 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
745 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
746 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
750 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
751 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
752 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
753 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
754 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
758 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
762 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
763 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
764 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
768 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
769 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
773 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
774 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
775 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
776 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
777 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
778 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
779 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
780 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
781 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
782 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
783 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
784 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
785 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
789 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
790 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
791 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
795 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
796 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
797 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
801 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
802 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
803 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
804 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
805 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
806 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
807 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
808 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
809 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
810 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
811 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
812 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
813 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
814 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
815 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
816 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
820 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
821 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
822 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
826 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
827 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
828 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
829 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
830 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
831 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
832 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
833 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
834 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
835 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
836 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
837 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
838 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
839 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
840 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
841 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
842 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
843 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
844 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
845 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
849 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
850 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
851 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
852 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
853 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
854 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
855 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
856 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
860 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
861 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
862 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
863 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
864 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
868 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
869 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
870 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
871 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
872 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
873 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
875 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
877 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
878 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
879 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
880 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
881 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
883 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
884 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
886 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
888 * ifile spam filtering::
889 * spam-stat spam filtering::
891 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
893 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
895 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
896 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
897 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
901 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
902 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
903 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
904 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
905 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
906 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
907 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
908 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
909 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
913 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
914 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
915 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
916 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
917 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
918 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
919 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
920 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
921 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
925 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
926 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
927 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
928 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
929 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
930 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
931 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
935 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
936 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
937 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
938 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
942 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
943 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
944 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
945 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
946 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
947 * Group Info:: The group info format.
948 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
949 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
950 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
954 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
955 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
956 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
957 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
958 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
959 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
963 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
964 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
968 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
969 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
975 @chapter Starting gnus
980 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
981 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
984 @findex gnus-other-frame
985 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
986 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
987 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
989 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
990 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
991 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
993 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
994 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
997 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
998 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
999 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
1000 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
1001 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
1002 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
1003 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
1004 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
1005 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
1006 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
1007 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
1011 @node Finding the News
1012 @section Finding the News
1013 @cindex finding news
1015 @vindex gnus-select-method
1017 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
1018 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1019 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1020 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1023 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1024 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1027 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1030 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1033 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1036 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1037 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1038 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1040 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1042 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1043 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1044 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1045 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1046 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1047 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1048 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1050 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1051 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1052 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1053 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1055 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1056 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1057 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1058 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1059 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1060 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1061 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1062 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1063 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1066 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1068 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1069 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1070 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1071 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1072 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1073 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1075 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1077 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1078 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1079 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1080 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1081 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1082 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1085 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1086 you would typically set this variable to
1089 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1093 @node The First Time
1094 @section The First Time
1095 @cindex first time usage
1097 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1098 be subscribed by default.
1100 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1101 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1102 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1103 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1106 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1107 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1108 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1110 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1111 help you with most common problems.
1113 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1114 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1118 @node The Server is Down
1119 @section The Server is Down
1120 @cindex server errors
1122 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1123 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1124 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1126 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1127 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1128 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1129 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1130 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1131 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1132 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1134 @findex gnus-no-server
1135 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1137 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1138 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1139 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1140 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1141 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1142 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1143 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1147 @section Slave Gnusae
1150 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1151 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1152 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1153 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1155 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1156 @file{.newsrc} file.
1158 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1159 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1160 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1161 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1162 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1163 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1164 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1167 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1168 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1169 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1170 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1171 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1172 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1173 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1174 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1176 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1177 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1179 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1180 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1181 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1182 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1183 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1185 @node Fetching a Group
1186 @section Fetching a Group
1187 @cindex fetching a group
1189 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1190 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1191 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1192 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1193 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1194 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1200 @cindex subscription
1202 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1203 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1204 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1205 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1206 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1207 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1208 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1209 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1210 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1213 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1214 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1215 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1219 @node Checking New Groups
1220 @subsection Checking New Groups
1222 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1223 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1224 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1225 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1226 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1227 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1228 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1229 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1230 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1231 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1233 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1234 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1235 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1236 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1237 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1238 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1239 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1240 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1241 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1242 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1243 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1245 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1246 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1247 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1248 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1249 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1250 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1253 @node Subscription Methods
1254 @subsection Subscription Methods
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1257 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1258 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1260 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1261 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1263 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1267 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1268 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1269 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1270 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1271 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1273 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1275 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1276 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1278 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1279 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1280 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1282 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1283 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1284 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1285 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1286 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1287 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1288 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1289 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1290 up. Or something like that.
1292 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1293 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1294 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1295 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1296 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1298 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1299 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1300 Kill all new groups.
1302 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1303 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1304 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1305 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1306 topic parameter that looks like
1312 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1315 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1320 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1321 A closely related variable is
1322 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1323 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1324 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1325 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1328 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1329 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1330 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1331 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1334 @node Filtering New Groups
1335 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1337 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1338 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1339 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1342 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1345 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1346 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1347 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1348 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1349 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1350 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1351 subscribing these groups.
1352 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1353 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1355 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1356 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1357 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1358 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1359 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1360 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1361 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1362 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1364 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1365 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1366 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1367 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1368 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1369 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1370 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1371 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1372 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1373 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1376 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1377 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1380 @node Changing Servers
1381 @section Changing Servers
1382 @cindex changing servers
1384 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1385 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1386 very flaky and you want to use another.
1388 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1389 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1393 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1394 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1395 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1396 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1399 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1400 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1401 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1402 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1404 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1405 @findex gnus-change-server
1406 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1407 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1408 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1409 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1410 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1412 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1413 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1414 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1415 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1416 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1418 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1419 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1420 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1421 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1422 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1423 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1425 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1426 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1427 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1428 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1430 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1431 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1432 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1433 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1434 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1435 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1436 cache for all groups).
1440 @section Startup Files
1441 @cindex startup files
1446 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1447 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1449 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1450 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1451 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1452 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1453 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1454 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1455 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1457 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1458 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1459 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1460 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1461 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1462 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1464 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1465 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1466 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1467 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1468 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1469 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1470 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1471 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1472 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1473 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1475 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1476 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1477 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1478 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1479 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1480 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1481 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1482 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1483 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1484 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1485 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1486 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1488 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1489 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1490 @vindex version-control
1491 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1492 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1493 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1494 If you want version control for this file, set
1495 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1496 @code{version-control} variable.
1498 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1499 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1500 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1501 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1502 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1503 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1504 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1505 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1506 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1507 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1510 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1511 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1513 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1514 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1517 @vindex gnus-init-file
1518 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1519 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1520 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1521 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1522 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1523 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1524 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1525 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1526 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1527 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1533 @cindex dribble file
1536 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1537 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1538 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1539 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1540 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1543 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1544 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1547 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1548 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1549 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1551 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1552 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1553 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1554 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1555 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1556 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1558 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1559 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1560 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1563 @node The Active File
1564 @section The Active File
1566 @cindex ignored groups
1568 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1569 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1570 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1572 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1573 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1574 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1575 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1576 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1577 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1578 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1581 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1582 @c if you set it to anything else.
1584 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1586 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1587 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1588 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1590 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1591 you actually subscribe to.
1593 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1594 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1595 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1596 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1598 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1599 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1600 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1601 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1602 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1603 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1605 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1606 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1607 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1610 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1611 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1612 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1613 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1614 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1615 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1617 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1618 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1620 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1621 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1623 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1624 secondary select methods.
1627 @node Startup Variables
1628 @section Startup Variables
1632 @item gnus-load-hook
1633 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1634 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1635 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1636 times you start gnus.
1638 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1639 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1640 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1642 @item gnus-startup-hook
1643 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1644 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1646 @item gnus-started-hook
1647 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1648 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1651 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1652 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1653 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1654 generating the group buffer.
1656 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1657 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1658 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1659 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1660 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1661 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1662 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1663 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1665 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1666 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1667 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1668 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1669 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1670 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1672 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1673 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1674 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1676 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1677 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1678 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1680 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1681 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1682 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1683 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1689 @chapter Group Buffer
1690 @cindex group buffer
1692 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1694 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1695 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1696 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1697 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1698 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1699 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1700 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1701 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1702 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1703 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1704 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1705 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1706 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1707 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1708 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1709 @c human rights at 9...
1712 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1713 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1714 long as gnus is active.
1718 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1719 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1720 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1721 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1722 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1723 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1724 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1725 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1731 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1732 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1733 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1734 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1735 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1736 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1737 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1738 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1739 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1740 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1741 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1742 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1743 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1744 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1745 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1746 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1747 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1751 @node Group Buffer Format
1752 @section Group Buffer Format
1755 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1756 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1757 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1761 @node Group Line Specification
1762 @subsection Group Line Specification
1763 @cindex group buffer format
1765 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1766 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1768 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1771 25: news.announce.newusers
1772 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1777 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1778 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1779 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1780 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1782 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1783 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1784 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1785 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1786 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1787 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1789 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1791 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1792 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1793 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1794 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1795 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1797 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1798 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1799 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1801 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1806 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1809 Whether the group is subscribed.
1812 Level of subscribedness.
1815 Number of unread articles.
1818 Number of dormant articles.
1821 Number of ticked articles.
1824 Number of read articles.
1827 Number of unseen articles.
1830 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1831 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1833 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1834 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1835 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1836 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1837 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1838 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1839 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1840 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1843 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1846 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1855 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1856 comment element in the group parameters.
1859 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1860 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1861 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1865 @samp{m} if moderated.
1868 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1874 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1880 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1884 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1887 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1888 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1889 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1890 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1891 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1894 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1896 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1900 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1903 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1907 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1908 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1909 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1910 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1913 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1914 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1915 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1916 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1917 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1918 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1923 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1924 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1925 group, or a bogus native group.
1928 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1929 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1930 @cindex group mode line
1932 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1933 The mode line can be changed by setting
1934 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1935 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1939 The native news server.
1941 The native select method.
1945 @node Group Highlighting
1946 @subsection Group Highlighting
1947 @cindex highlighting
1948 @cindex group highlighting
1950 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1951 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1952 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1953 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1954 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1956 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1960 (cond (window-system
1961 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1962 (defface my-group-face-1
1963 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1964 (defface my-group-face-2
1965 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1966 "Second group face")
1967 (defface my-group-face-3
1968 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1969 (defface my-group-face-4
1970 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1971 (defface my-group-face-5
1972 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1974 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1975 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1976 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1977 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1978 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1979 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1982 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1984 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1991 The number of unread articles in the group.
1995 Whether the group is a mail group.
1997 The level of the group.
1999 The score of the group.
2001 The number of ticked articles in the group.
2003 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
2004 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
2006 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
2007 topic being inserted.
2010 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
2011 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
2012 functions for snarfing info on the group.
2014 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
2015 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
2016 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2017 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2018 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2021 @node Group Maneuvering
2022 @section Group Maneuvering
2023 @cindex group movement
2025 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2026 expected, hopefully.
2032 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2033 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2034 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2041 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2042 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2046 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2047 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2051 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2052 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2057 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2058 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2062 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2063 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2064 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2067 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2073 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2074 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2075 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2080 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2081 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2082 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2086 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2087 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2088 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2091 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2092 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2093 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2094 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2098 @node Selecting a Group
2099 @section Selecting a Group
2100 @cindex group selection
2105 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2106 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2107 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2108 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2109 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2110 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2111 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2112 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2113 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2114 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2116 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2117 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2118 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2120 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2121 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2126 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2127 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2128 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2129 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2130 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2134 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2135 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2136 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2137 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2138 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2139 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2140 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2141 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2142 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2143 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2146 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2147 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2148 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2149 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2150 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2153 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2154 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2155 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2156 doing any processing of its contents
2157 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2158 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2159 manner will have no permanent effects.
2163 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2164 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2165 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2166 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2167 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2168 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2169 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2170 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2171 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2172 most recently will be fetched.
2174 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2175 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2176 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2179 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2180 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2181 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2182 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2183 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2184 Which article this is is controlled by the
2185 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2191 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2194 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2197 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2199 @item unseen-or-unread
2200 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2201 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2205 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2209 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2210 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2212 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2213 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2214 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2215 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2219 @node Subscription Commands
2220 @section Subscription Commands
2221 @cindex subscription
2229 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2230 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2231 Toggle subscription to the current group
2232 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2238 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2239 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2240 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2241 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2247 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2248 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2249 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2255 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2256 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2259 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2260 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2261 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2262 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2263 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2269 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2270 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2274 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2275 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2278 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2279 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2280 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2281 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2282 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2283 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2284 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2285 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2286 @file{.newsrc} file.
2290 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2300 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2301 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2302 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2303 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2304 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2305 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2310 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2311 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2312 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2316 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2317 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2318 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2320 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2321 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2322 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2323 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2324 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2325 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2332 @section Group Levels
2336 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2337 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2338 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2339 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2340 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2342 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2348 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2349 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2350 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2351 prompted for a level.
2354 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2355 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2356 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2357 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2358 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2359 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2360 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2361 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2362 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2363 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2364 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2365 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2366 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2367 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2368 reasons of efficiency.
2370 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2371 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2373 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2374 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2375 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2376 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2377 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2378 groups are hidden, in a way.
2380 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2381 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2382 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2383 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2384 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2385 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2387 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2388 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2389 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2390 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2391 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2392 list of killed groups.)
2394 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2395 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2396 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2398 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2399 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2400 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2401 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2402 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2403 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2404 relevant valid ranges.
2406 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2407 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2408 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2409 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2410 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2411 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2414 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2415 one with the best level.
2417 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2418 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2419 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2422 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2423 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2424 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2425 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2428 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2429 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2430 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2431 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2433 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2434 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2435 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2436 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2437 to 5. The default is 6.
2441 @section Group Score
2446 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2447 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2448 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2451 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2452 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2453 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2454 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2455 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2456 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2457 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2458 least significant part.))
2460 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2461 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2462 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2463 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2464 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2465 action after each summary exit, you can add
2466 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2467 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2468 slow things down somewhat.
2471 @node Marking Groups
2472 @section Marking Groups
2473 @cindex marking groups
2475 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2476 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2477 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2478 bidding on those groups.
2480 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2481 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2482 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2490 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2491 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2498 Remove the mark from the current group
2499 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2504 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2509 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2514 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2518 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2519 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2520 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2523 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2525 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2526 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2527 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2528 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2529 the command to be executed.
2532 @node Foreign Groups
2533 @section Foreign Groups
2534 @cindex foreign groups
2536 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2537 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2538 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2539 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2546 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2547 @cindex making groups
2548 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2549 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2550 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2554 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2555 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2556 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2560 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2561 @cindex renaming groups
2562 Rename the current group to something else
2563 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2564 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2570 @findex gnus-group-customize
2571 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2575 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2576 @cindex renaming groups
2577 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2578 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2582 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2583 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2584 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2588 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2589 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2590 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2594 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2596 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2597 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2602 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2603 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2607 @cindex (ding) archive
2608 @cindex archive group
2609 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2610 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2611 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2612 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2613 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2614 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2615 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2619 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2621 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2622 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2623 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2624 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2628 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2630 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2631 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2632 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2636 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2637 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2639 Make a group based on some file or other
2640 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2641 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2642 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2643 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2644 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2645 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2646 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2647 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2648 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2652 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2653 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2654 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2655 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2659 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2663 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2664 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2665 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2666 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2667 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2668 @xref{Web Searches}.
2670 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2671 to a particular group by using a match string like
2672 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2676 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2677 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2678 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2682 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2683 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2684 This function will delete the current group
2685 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2686 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2687 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2688 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2689 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2693 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2694 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2695 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2699 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2700 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2701 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2704 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2707 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2708 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2709 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2710 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2711 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2712 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2716 @node Group Parameters
2717 @section Group Parameters
2718 @cindex group parameters
2720 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2721 Here's an example group parameter list:
2724 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2728 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2729 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2730 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2731 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2733 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2734 is an alist of regexps and values.
2736 The following group parameters can be used:
2741 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2744 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2747 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2748 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2749 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2750 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2751 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2753 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2754 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2755 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2756 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2757 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2758 list address instead.
2760 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2764 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2767 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2770 It is totally ignored
2771 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2772 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2774 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2775 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2776 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2777 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2778 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2780 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2781 @cindex mail list groups
2782 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2783 entering summary buffer.
2785 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2790 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2791 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2792 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2793 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2794 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2795 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2796 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2797 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2800 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2801 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2804 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2805 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2809 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2810 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2811 of whether it has any unread articles.
2813 @item broken-reply-to
2814 @cindex broken-reply-to
2815 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2816 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2817 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2818 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2819 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2820 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2824 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2825 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2829 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2830 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2831 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2836 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2837 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2838 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2839 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2840 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2841 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2842 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2844 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2845 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2846 doesn't accept articles.
2850 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2851 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2852 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2854 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2857 @cindex total-expire
2858 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2859 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2860 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2861 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2864 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2868 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2869 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2870 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2871 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2872 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2873 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2874 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2877 @cindex expiry-target
2878 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2879 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2882 @cindex score file group parameter
2883 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2884 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2885 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2888 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2889 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2890 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2891 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2894 @cindex admin-address
2895 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2896 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2897 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2898 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2902 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2903 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2907 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2910 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2911 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2914 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2918 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2920 Here are some examples:
2924 Display only unread articles.
2927 Display everything except expirable articles.
2929 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2930 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2934 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2935 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2936 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2937 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2938 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2942 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2943 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2944 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2948 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2949 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2950 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2954 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2955 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2956 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2958 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2960 @item ignored-charsets
2961 @cindex ignored-charset
2962 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2963 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2964 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2966 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2969 @cindex posting-style
2970 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2971 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2972 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2973 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2974 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2976 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2977 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2978 like this in the group parameters:
2983 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2984 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2989 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2990 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2994 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2995 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2996 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2997 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2998 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3002 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3003 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3004 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3005 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3007 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3008 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3009 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3010 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3013 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
3014 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
3018 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3019 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3021 @item (agent parameters)
3022 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3023 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3024 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3025 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3026 minimize the configuration effort.
3028 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3029 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3030 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3031 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3032 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3033 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3034 @code{eval}ed there.
3036 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3037 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3038 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3039 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3040 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3041 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3042 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3043 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3046 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3049 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3050 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3051 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3054 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3057 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3058 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3059 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3060 into the group parameters for the group.
3062 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
3063 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
3064 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
3065 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
3066 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
3070 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3071 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3072 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3073 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3074 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3076 @vindex gnus-parameters
3077 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3078 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3082 (setq gnus-parameters
3084 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3085 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3086 (gnus-summary-line-format
3087 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3091 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3095 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3099 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3102 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3103 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3106 @node Listing Groups
3107 @section Listing Groups
3108 @cindex group listing
3110 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3118 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3119 List all groups that have unread articles
3120 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3121 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3122 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3123 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3130 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3131 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3132 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3133 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3134 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3135 unsubscribed groups).
3139 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3140 List all unread groups on a specific level
3141 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3142 with no unread articles.
3146 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3147 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3148 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3149 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3154 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3155 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3159 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3160 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3161 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3165 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3166 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3170 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3171 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3172 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3173 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3174 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3175 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3176 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3177 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3181 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3182 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3183 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3187 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3188 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3189 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3193 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3194 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3198 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3199 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3203 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3204 List groups limited within the current selection
3205 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3209 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3210 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3214 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3215 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3219 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3220 @cindex visible group parameter
3221 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3222 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3223 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3224 get the same effect.
3226 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3227 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3228 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3229 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3230 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3233 @node Sorting Groups
3234 @section Sorting Groups
3235 @cindex sorting groups
3237 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3238 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3239 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3240 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3241 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3242 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3247 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3248 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3249 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3251 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3252 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3253 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3255 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3256 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3257 Sort by group level.
3259 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3260 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3261 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3263 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3264 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3265 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3266 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3268 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3269 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3270 Sort by number of unread articles.
3272 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3273 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3274 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3276 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3277 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3278 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3283 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3284 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3288 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3289 some sorting criteria:
3293 @kindex G S a (Group)
3294 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3295 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3296 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3299 @kindex G S u (Group)
3300 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3301 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3302 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3305 @kindex G S l (Group)
3306 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3307 Sort the group buffer by group level
3308 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3311 @kindex G S v (Group)
3312 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3313 Sort the group buffer by group score
3314 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3317 @kindex G S r (Group)
3318 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3319 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3320 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3323 @kindex G S m (Group)
3324 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3325 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3326 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3329 @kindex G S n (Group)
3330 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3331 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3332 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3336 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3337 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3339 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3340 commands will sort in reverse order.
3342 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3346 @kindex G P a (Group)
3347 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3348 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3349 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3352 @kindex G P u (Group)
3353 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3354 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3355 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3358 @kindex G P l (Group)
3359 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3360 Sort the groups by group level
3361 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3364 @kindex G P v (Group)
3365 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3366 Sort the groups by group score
3367 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3370 @kindex G P r (Group)
3371 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3372 Sort the groups by group rank
3373 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3376 @kindex G P m (Group)
3377 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3378 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3379 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3382 @kindex G P n (Group)
3383 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3384 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3385 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3388 @kindex G P s (Group)
3389 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3390 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3394 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3398 @node Group Maintenance
3399 @section Group Maintenance
3400 @cindex bogus groups
3405 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3406 Find bogus groups and delete them
3407 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3411 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3412 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3413 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3414 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3415 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3419 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3420 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3421 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3422 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3423 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3424 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3427 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3428 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3429 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3430 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3435 @node Browse Foreign Server
3436 @section Browse Foreign Server
3437 @cindex foreign servers
3438 @cindex browsing servers
3443 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3444 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3445 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3446 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3449 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3450 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3451 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3452 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3454 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3459 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3460 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3464 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3465 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3468 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3469 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3470 Enter the current group and display the first article
3471 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3474 @kindex RET (Browse)
3475 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3476 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3480 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3481 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3482 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3488 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3489 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3493 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3494 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3498 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3499 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3500 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3505 @section Exiting gnus
3506 @cindex exiting gnus
3508 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3513 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3514 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3515 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3516 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3520 @findex gnus-group-exit
3521 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3522 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3526 @findex gnus-group-quit
3527 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3528 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3531 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3532 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3533 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3534 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3535 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3536 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3542 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3543 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3544 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3550 @section Group Topics
3553 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3554 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3555 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3556 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3557 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3558 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3562 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3563 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3574 2: alt.religion.emacs
3577 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3579 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3580 13: comp.sources.unix
3583 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3585 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3586 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3587 is a toggling command.)
3589 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3590 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3591 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3592 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3595 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3596 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3597 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3600 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3604 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3605 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3606 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3607 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3608 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3612 @node Topic Commands
3613 @subsection Topic Commands
3614 @cindex topic commands
3616 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3617 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3618 definitions slightly.
3620 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3621 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3622 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3623 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3624 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3625 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3627 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3634 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3635 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3636 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3640 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3642 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3643 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3644 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3645 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3648 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3649 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3650 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3651 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3655 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3656 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3657 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3658 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3664 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3665 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3666 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3670 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3671 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3672 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3675 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3676 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3677 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3678 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3679 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3681 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3682 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3686 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3687 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3694 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3696 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3697 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3698 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3699 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3700 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3701 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3705 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3711 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3712 Move the current group to some other topic
3713 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3714 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3718 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3719 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3723 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3724 Copy the current group to some other topic
3725 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3726 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3730 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3731 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3732 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3736 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3737 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3738 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3742 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3743 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3744 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3745 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3746 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3747 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3748 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3751 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3752 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3756 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3757 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3758 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3762 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3763 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3764 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3768 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3769 Toggle hiding empty topics
3770 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3774 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3775 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3776 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3777 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3780 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3781 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3782 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3783 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3784 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3787 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3789 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3790 expiry process (if any)
3791 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3795 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3796 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3799 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3800 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3801 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3805 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3806 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3807 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3810 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3811 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3812 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3815 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3816 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3817 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3821 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3822 @cindex group parameters
3823 @cindex topic parameters
3825 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3826 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3831 @node Topic Variables
3832 @subsection Topic Variables
3833 @cindex topic variables
3835 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3836 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3838 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3839 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3840 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3853 Number of groups in the topic.
3855 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3857 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3860 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3861 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3862 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3865 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3866 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3868 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3869 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3870 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3874 @subsection Topic Sorting
3875 @cindex topic sorting
3877 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3883 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3884 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3885 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3886 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3889 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3890 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3891 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3892 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3895 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3896 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3897 Sort the current topic by group level
3898 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3901 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3902 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3903 Sort the current topic by group score
3904 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3907 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3908 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3909 Sort the current topic by group rank
3910 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3913 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3914 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3915 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3916 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3919 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3920 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3921 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3922 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3925 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3926 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3927 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3928 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3929 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3933 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3934 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3938 @node Topic Topology
3939 @subsection Topic Topology
3940 @cindex topic topology
3943 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3950 2: alt.religion.emacs
3953 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3955 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3956 13: comp.sources.unix
3960 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3961 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3962 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3967 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3968 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3972 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3973 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3974 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3975 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3976 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3977 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3979 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3980 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3981 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3984 @node Topic Parameters
3985 @subsection Topic Parameters
3986 @cindex topic parameters
3988 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3989 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3990 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3991 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3992 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3994 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3999 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4000 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4001 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4004 @item subscribe-level
4005 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4006 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4007 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4011 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4012 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4013 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4014 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4021 2: alt.religion.emacs
4025 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4027 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4028 13: comp.sources.unix
4033 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4034 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4035 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4036 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4037 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4038 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4040 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4041 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4042 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4043 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4044 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4046 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4047 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4048 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4049 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4050 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4051 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4052 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4053 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4056 @node Misc Group Stuff
4057 @section Misc Group Stuff
4060 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4061 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4062 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4063 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4064 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4071 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4072 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4073 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4077 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4078 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4079 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4080 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4081 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4082 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4083 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4087 @findex gnus-group-mail
4088 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4089 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4090 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4091 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4095 @findex gnus-group-news
4096 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4097 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4098 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4100 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4101 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4102 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4103 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4104 for this to work though.
4108 Variables for the group buffer:
4112 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4113 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4114 is called after the group buffer has been
4117 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4118 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4119 is called after the group buffer is
4120 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4123 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4124 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4125 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4126 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4128 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4129 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4130 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4131 whether they are empty or not.
4133 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4134 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4135 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4136 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4140 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4141 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4144 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4145 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4146 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4147 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4148 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4149 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4150 default is @code{nil}.
4154 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4155 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4160 @node Scanning New Messages
4161 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4162 @cindex new messages
4163 @cindex scanning new news
4169 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4170 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4171 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4172 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4173 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4174 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4179 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4180 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4181 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4182 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4183 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4184 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4185 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4187 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4188 @cindex activating groups
4190 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4191 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4196 @findex gnus-group-restart
4197 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4198 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4199 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4203 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4204 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4206 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4207 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4211 @node Group Information
4212 @subsection Group Information
4213 @cindex group information
4214 @cindex information on groups
4221 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4222 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4225 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4226 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4227 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4228 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4229 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4230 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4231 used for fetching the file.
4233 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4234 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4238 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4239 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4241 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4242 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4245 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4246 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4247 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4251 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4252 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4253 @cindex control message
4254 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4255 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4256 group if given a prefix argument.
4258 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4259 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4260 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4261 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4263 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4264 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4265 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4269 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4271 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4272 @cindex describing groups
4273 @cindex group description
4274 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4275 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4276 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4280 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4281 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4282 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4289 @findex gnus-version
4290 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4294 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4295 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4298 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4301 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4302 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4306 @node Group Timestamp
4307 @subsection Group Timestamp
4309 @cindex group timestamps
4311 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4312 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4313 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4316 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4319 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4321 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4322 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4325 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4326 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4329 This will result in lines looking like:
4332 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4333 0: custom 19961002T012713
4336 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4337 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4341 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4342 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4345 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4346 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4350 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4351 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4352 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4353 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4355 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4361 @subsection File Commands
4362 @cindex file commands
4368 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4369 @vindex gnus-init-file
4370 @cindex reading init file
4371 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4372 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4376 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4377 @cindex saving .newsrc
4378 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4379 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4380 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4383 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4384 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4385 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4390 @node Sieve Commands
4391 @subsection Sieve Commands
4392 @cindex group sieve commands
4394 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4395 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4396 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4397 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4398 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4400 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4401 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4402 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4403 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4404 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4405 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4406 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4407 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4408 regenerate the Sieve script.
4410 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4411 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4412 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4413 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4414 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4415 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4416 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4417 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4418 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4419 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4422 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4423 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4428 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4434 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4435 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4436 @cindex generating sieve script
4437 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4438 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4442 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4443 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4444 @cindex updating sieve script
4445 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4446 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4447 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4452 @node Summary Buffer
4453 @chapter Summary Buffer
4454 @cindex summary buffer
4456 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4457 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4459 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4460 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4462 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4465 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4466 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4467 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4468 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4469 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4470 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4471 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4472 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4473 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4474 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4475 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4476 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4477 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4478 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4479 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4480 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4481 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4482 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4483 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4484 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4485 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4486 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4487 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4488 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4489 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4490 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4491 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4492 or reselecting the current group.
4493 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4494 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4495 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4496 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4500 @node Summary Buffer Format
4501 @section Summary Buffer Format
4502 @cindex summary buffer format
4506 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4507 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4508 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4514 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4515 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4516 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4517 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4520 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4521 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4522 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4523 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4524 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4525 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4526 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4527 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4528 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4529 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4530 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4531 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4532 other function instead:
4535 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4536 'mail-extract-address-components)
4539 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4540 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4541 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4542 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4545 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4546 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4548 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4549 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4550 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4551 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4552 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4554 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4555 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4556 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4557 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4558 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4559 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4561 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4563 The following format specification characters and extended format
4564 specification(s) are understood:
4570 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4571 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4573 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4574 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4575 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4577 Full @code{From} header.
4579 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4581 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4584 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4585 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4586 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4587 may be more thorough.
4589 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4592 Number of lines in the article.
4594 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4595 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4597 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4598 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4600 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4602 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4603 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4616 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4617 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4618 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4619 line-drawing glyphs.
4621 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4622 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4623 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4624 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4626 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4627 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4628 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4629 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4631 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4632 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4633 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4634 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4636 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4637 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4638 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4640 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4641 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4642 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4644 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4645 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4646 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4648 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4649 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4650 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4655 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4656 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4658 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4659 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4661 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4662 for adopted articles.
4664 One space for each thread level.
4666 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4668 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4671 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4672 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4673 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4676 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4678 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4679 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4680 default level. If the difference between
4681 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4682 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4690 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4692 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4698 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4699 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4701 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4702 article has any children.
4708 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4709 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4711 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4712 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4713 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4714 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4715 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4716 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4719 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4720 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4721 There can only be one such area.
4723 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4724 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4725 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4726 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4727 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4728 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4730 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4731 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4733 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4736 @node To From Newsgroups
4737 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4741 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4742 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4743 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4744 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4745 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4749 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4750 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4751 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4755 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4756 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4759 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4760 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4763 @findex gnus-extra-header
4764 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4765 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4766 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4769 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4773 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4774 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4775 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4776 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4777 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4778 headers are used instead.
4782 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4783 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4784 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4785 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4786 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4787 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4790 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4791 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4792 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4793 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4795 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4799 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4801 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4802 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4803 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4804 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4808 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4811 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4812 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4815 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4816 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4817 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4823 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4824 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4827 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4828 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4830 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4831 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4832 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4833 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4835 Here are the elements you can play with:
4841 Unprefixed group name.
4843 Current article number.
4845 Current article score.
4849 Number of unread articles in this group.
4851 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4854 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4855 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4856 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4857 and no unselected ones.
4859 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4860 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4862 Subject of the current article.
4864 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4866 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4868 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4870 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4872 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4874 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4878 @node Summary Highlighting
4879 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4883 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4884 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4885 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4886 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4887 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4889 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4890 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4891 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4892 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4894 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4895 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4896 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4897 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4899 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4900 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4901 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4902 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4903 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4904 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4907 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4908 ((> score default) . bold))
4910 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4911 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4915 @node Summary Maneuvering
4916 @section Summary Maneuvering
4917 @cindex summary movement
4919 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4920 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4922 None of these commands select articles.
4927 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4928 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4929 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4930 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4931 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4935 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4936 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4937 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4938 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4939 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4942 @kindex G g (Summary)
4943 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4944 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4945 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4948 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4949 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4950 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4951 to the group buffer.
4953 Variables related to summary movement:
4957 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4958 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4959 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4960 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4961 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4962 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4963 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4964 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4965 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4966 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4967 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4968 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4969 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4970 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4972 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4973 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4974 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4975 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4976 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4977 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4978 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4980 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4982 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4983 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4984 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4985 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4986 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4988 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4989 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4990 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4991 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4992 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4993 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4994 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4995 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4998 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4999 the given number of lines from the top.
5004 @node Choosing Articles
5005 @section Choosing Articles
5006 @cindex selecting articles
5009 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5010 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5014 @node Choosing Commands
5015 @subsection Choosing Commands
5017 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5018 and they all select and display an article.
5020 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5021 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5025 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5026 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5027 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5028 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5030 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5031 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5032 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5037 @kindex G n (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5039 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5040 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5045 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5046 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5047 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5052 @kindex G N (Summary)
5053 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5054 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5059 @kindex G P (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5061 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5064 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5065 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5066 Go to the next article with the same subject
5067 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5070 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5072 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5073 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5077 @kindex G f (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5080 Go to the first unread article
5081 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5085 @kindex G b (Summary)
5087 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5088 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5089 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5090 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5095 @kindex G l (Summary)
5096 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5097 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5100 @kindex G o (Summary)
5101 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5103 @cindex article history
5104 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5105 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5106 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5107 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5108 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5109 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5114 @kindex G j (Summary)
5115 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5116 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5117 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5122 @node Choosing Variables
5123 @subsection Choosing Variables
5125 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5128 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5129 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5130 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5131 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5132 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5133 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5135 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5136 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5137 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5138 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5139 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5140 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5142 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5143 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5144 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5145 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5146 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5147 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5148 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5149 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5150 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5151 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5152 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5153 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5154 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5155 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5160 @node Paging the Article
5161 @section Scrolling the Article
5162 @cindex article scrolling
5167 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5169 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5170 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5171 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5173 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5174 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5175 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5176 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5177 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5178 what is considered uninteresting with
5179 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5180 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5183 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5184 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5185 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5188 @kindex RET (Summary)
5189 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5190 Scroll the current article one line forward
5191 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5194 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5195 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5196 Scroll the current article one line backward
5197 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5201 @kindex A g (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5204 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5205 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5206 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5207 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5208 the way it came from the server.
5210 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5211 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5212 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5215 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5220 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5225 @kindex A < (Summary)
5226 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5227 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5228 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5233 @kindex A > (Summary)
5234 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5235 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5239 @kindex A s (Summary)
5241 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5242 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5243 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5247 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5248 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5253 @node Reply Followup and Post
5254 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5257 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5258 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5259 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5260 * Canceling and Superseding::
5264 @node Summary Mail Commands
5265 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5267 @cindex composing mail
5269 Commands for composing a mail message:
5275 @kindex S r (Summary)
5277 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5278 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5279 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5280 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5281 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5286 @kindex S R (Summary)
5287 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5288 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5289 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5290 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5291 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5294 @kindex S w (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5296 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5297 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5298 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5299 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5300 present, that's used instead.
5303 @kindex S W (Summary)
5304 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5305 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5306 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5307 the process/prefix convention.
5310 @kindex S v (Summary)
5311 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5312 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5313 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5314 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5315 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5316 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5319 @kindex S V (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5321 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5322 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5323 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5326 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5327 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5328 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5329 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5330 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5331 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5332 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5333 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5336 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5337 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5338 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5339 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5340 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5344 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5345 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5346 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5347 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5348 Forward the current article to some other person
5349 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5350 headers of the forwarded article.
5355 @kindex S m (Summary)
5356 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5357 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5358 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5359 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5360 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5365 @kindex S i (Summary)
5366 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5367 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5368 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5369 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5371 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5372 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5373 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5374 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5375 for this to work though.
5378 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5379 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5380 @cindex bouncing mail
5381 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5382 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5383 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5384 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5385 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5386 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5387 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5388 very well fail, though.
5391 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5392 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5393 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5394 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5395 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5396 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5397 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5398 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5399 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5400 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5402 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5403 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5404 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5405 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5406 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5408 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5409 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5412 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5413 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5415 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5416 if it were a new message before resending.
5419 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5420 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5421 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5422 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5423 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5426 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5427 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5428 @cindex crossposting
5429 @cindex excessive crossposting
5430 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5431 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5433 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5434 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5435 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5436 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5437 command understands the process/prefix convention
5438 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5442 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5443 Manual}, for more information.
5446 @node Summary Post Commands
5447 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5449 @cindex composing news
5451 Commands for posting a news article:
5457 @kindex S p (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5459 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5460 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5461 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5462 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5467 @kindex S f (Summary)
5468 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5469 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5470 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5474 @kindex S F (Summary)
5476 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5477 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5478 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5479 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5480 process/prefix convention.
5483 @kindex S n (Summary)
5484 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5485 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5486 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5489 @kindex S N (Summary)
5490 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5491 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5492 message through mail and include the original message
5493 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5494 the process/prefix convention.
5497 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5498 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5499 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5500 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5501 headers of the forwarded article.
5504 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5505 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5507 @cindex making digests
5508 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5509 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5510 process/prefix convention.
5513 @kindex S u (Summary)
5514 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5515 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5516 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5517 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5520 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5521 Manual}, for more information.
5524 @node Summary Message Commands
5525 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5529 @kindex S y (Summary)
5530 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5531 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5532 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5533 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5534 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5539 @node Canceling and Superseding
5540 @subsection Canceling Articles
5541 @cindex canceling articles
5542 @cindex superseding articles
5544 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5545 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5547 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5549 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5551 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5552 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5553 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5554 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5555 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5556 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5558 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5559 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5562 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5563 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5564 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5566 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5567 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5568 message, Message Manual}).
5570 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5571 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5572 your original article.
5574 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5576 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5577 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5578 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5581 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5582 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5583 have posted almost the same article twice.
5585 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5586 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5587 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5588 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5589 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5590 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5591 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5592 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5593 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5594 canceled/superseded.
5596 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5598 @node Delayed Articles
5599 @section Delayed Articles
5600 @cindex delayed sending
5601 @cindex send delayed
5603 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5604 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5605 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5606 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5609 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5612 @findex gnus-delay-article
5613 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5614 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5615 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5616 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5620 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5621 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5622 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5623 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5626 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5627 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5628 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5631 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5632 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5633 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5634 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5635 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5636 that means a time tomorrow.
5639 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5640 couple of variables:
5643 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5644 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5645 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5646 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5648 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5649 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5650 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5651 formats described above.
5653 @item gnus-delay-group
5654 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5655 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5656 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5657 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5659 @item gnus-delay-header
5660 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5661 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5662 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5663 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5666 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5667 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5668 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5669 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5670 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5672 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5673 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5674 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5675 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5676 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5677 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5678 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5681 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5682 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5684 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5685 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5686 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5687 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5688 argument is ignored.
5690 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5691 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5692 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5696 @node Marking Articles
5697 @section Marking Articles
5698 @cindex article marking
5699 @cindex article ticking
5702 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5704 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5705 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5706 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5708 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5711 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5712 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5713 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5717 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5721 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5722 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5723 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5727 @node Unread Articles
5728 @subsection Unread Articles
5730 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5735 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5736 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5738 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5739 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5740 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5741 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5742 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5743 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5744 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5747 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5748 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5750 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5751 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5752 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5753 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5757 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5758 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5760 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5765 @subsection Read Articles
5766 @cindex expirable mark
5768 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5773 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5774 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5775 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5778 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5779 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5782 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5783 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5784 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5787 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5788 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5791 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5792 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5795 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5796 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5799 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5800 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5803 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5804 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5807 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5808 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5811 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5812 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5816 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5817 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5818 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5822 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5823 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5825 One more special mark, though:
5829 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5830 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5832 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5833 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5834 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5835 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5841 @subsection Other Marks
5842 @cindex process mark
5845 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5851 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5852 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5853 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5854 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5855 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5858 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5859 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5860 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5861 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5864 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5865 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5866 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5869 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5870 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5871 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5874 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5875 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5876 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5877 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5880 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5881 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5882 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5883 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5884 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5885 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5888 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5889 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5890 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5891 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5894 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5895 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5896 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5897 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5898 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5902 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5903 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5904 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5905 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5906 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5907 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5910 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5911 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5912 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5913 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5914 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5915 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5919 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5920 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5921 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5922 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5923 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5926 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5927 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5928 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5929 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5930 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5931 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5935 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5936 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5937 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5939 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5940 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5941 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5945 @subsection Setting Marks
5946 @cindex setting marks
5948 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5953 @kindex M c (Summary)
5954 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5956 @cindex mark as unread
5957 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5958 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5964 @kindex M t (Summary)
5965 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5966 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5967 @xref{Article Caching}.
5972 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5973 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5974 Mark the current article as dormant
5975 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5979 @kindex M d (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5982 Mark the current article as read
5983 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5987 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5988 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5989 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5994 @kindex M k (Summary)
5995 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5996 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5997 and then select the next unread article
5998 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6002 @kindex M K (Summary)
6003 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6004 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6005 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6006 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6009 @kindex M C (Summary)
6010 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6011 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6012 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6015 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6016 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6017 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6018 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6021 @kindex M H (Summary)
6022 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6023 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6024 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6027 @kindex M h (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6029 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6030 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6033 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6035 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6036 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6039 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6041 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6042 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6046 @kindex M e (Summary)
6048 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6049 Mark the current article as expirable
6050 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6053 @kindex M b (Summary)
6054 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6055 Set a bookmark in the current article
6056 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6059 @kindex M B (Summary)
6060 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6061 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6062 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6065 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6066 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6067 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6068 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6071 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6072 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6073 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6074 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6077 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6078 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6079 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6080 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6081 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6084 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6085 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6086 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6087 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6088 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6089 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6090 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6091 The default is @code{t}.
6094 @node Generic Marking Commands
6095 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6097 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6098 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6099 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6100 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6101 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6104 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6105 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6108 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6109 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6110 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6111 to list in this manual.
6113 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6114 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6115 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6116 article, you could say something like:
6120 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6121 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6122 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6130 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6131 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6135 @node Setting Process Marks
6136 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6137 @cindex setting process marks
6139 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6140 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6141 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6142 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6143 commands into the cache. For more information,
6144 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6151 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6152 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6153 Mark the current article with the process mark
6154 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6155 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6159 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6160 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6161 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6162 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6165 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6167 Remove the process mark from all articles
6168 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6171 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6172 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6173 Invert the list of process marked articles
6174 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6177 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6179 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6180 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6183 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6184 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6185 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6186 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6189 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6190 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6191 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6194 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6196 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6199 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6200 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6201 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6202 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6205 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6206 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6207 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6208 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6211 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6212 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6213 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6214 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6217 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6218 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6219 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6222 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6223 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6224 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6225 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6228 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6229 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6230 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6233 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6235 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6236 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6239 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6241 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6242 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6245 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6246 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6247 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6248 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6251 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6253 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6254 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6258 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6259 set process marks based on article body contents.
6266 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6267 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6268 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6271 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6272 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6273 additional articles.
6279 @kindex / / (Summary)
6280 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6281 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6282 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6286 @kindex / a (Summary)
6287 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6288 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6289 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6293 @kindex / x (Summary)
6294 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6295 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6296 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6297 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6302 @kindex / u (Summary)
6304 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6305 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6306 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6307 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6308 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6311 @kindex / m (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6313 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6314 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6317 @kindex / t (Summary)
6318 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6319 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6320 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6321 articles younger than that number of days.
6324 @kindex / n (Summary)
6325 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6326 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6327 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6328 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6331 @kindex / w (Summary)
6332 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6333 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6334 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6338 @kindex / . (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6340 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6341 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6344 @kindex / v (Summary)
6345 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6346 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6347 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6350 @kindex / p (Summary)
6351 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6352 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6353 group parameter predicate
6354 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6355 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6358 @kindex / r (Summary)
6359 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6360 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6361 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6366 @kindex M S (Summary)
6367 @kindex / E (Summary)
6368 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6369 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6370 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6373 @kindex / D (Summary)
6374 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6375 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6376 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6379 @kindex / * (Summary)
6380 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6381 Include all cached articles in the limit
6382 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6385 @kindex / d (Summary)
6386 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6387 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6388 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6391 @kindex / M (Summary)
6392 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6393 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6396 @kindex / T (Summary)
6397 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6398 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6401 @kindex / c (Summary)
6402 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6403 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6404 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6407 @kindex / C (Summary)
6408 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6409 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6410 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6411 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6414 @kindex / N (Summary)
6415 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6416 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6417 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6420 @kindex / o (Summary)
6421 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6422 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6423 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6431 @cindex article threading
6433 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6434 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6435 hierarchical fashion.
6437 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6438 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6439 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6440 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6441 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6442 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6443 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6445 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6449 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6452 A tree-like article structure.
6455 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6458 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6459 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6460 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6461 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6462 called loose threads.
6464 @item thread gathering
6465 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6467 @item sparse threads
6468 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6469 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6475 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6476 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6480 @node Customizing Threading
6481 @subsection Customizing Threading
6482 @cindex customizing threading
6485 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6486 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6487 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6488 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6493 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6496 @cindex loose threads
6499 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6500 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6501 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6502 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6503 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6504 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6506 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6507 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6508 There are four possible values:
6512 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6513 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6514 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6515 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6516 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6521 @cindex adopting articles
6526 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6527 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6528 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6529 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6532 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6533 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6534 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6535 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6536 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6537 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6538 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6539 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6540 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6541 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6544 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6545 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6546 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6550 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6551 display them after one another.
6554 Don't gather loose threads.
6557 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6558 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6559 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6560 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6561 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6562 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6563 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6564 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6565 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6566 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6567 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6569 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6570 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6571 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6574 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6575 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6576 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6577 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6578 simplification is used.
6580 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6581 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6582 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6583 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6585 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6587 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6593 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6594 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6595 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6596 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6601 (mapconcat 'identity
6602 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6604 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6607 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6610 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6611 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6612 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6613 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6614 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6615 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6617 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6620 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6621 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6622 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6624 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6625 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6628 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6629 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6630 Remove excessive whitespace.
6632 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6633 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6634 Remove all whitespace.
6637 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6640 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6641 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6642 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6643 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6644 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6645 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6646 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6647 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6649 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6650 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6651 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6652 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6653 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6654 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6655 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6656 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6657 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6661 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6662 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6663 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6664 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6666 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6667 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6668 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6671 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6675 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6676 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6682 @node Filling In Threads
6683 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6686 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6687 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6688 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6689 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6690 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6691 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6692 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6693 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6694 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6695 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6696 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6697 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6700 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6701 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6702 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6704 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6705 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6706 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6709 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6710 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6711 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6712 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6713 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6714 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6715 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6716 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6717 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6718 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6719 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6720 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6721 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6722 @code{nil} by default.
6724 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6725 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6726 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6727 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6728 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6729 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6730 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6732 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6733 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6734 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6739 @node More Threading
6740 @subsubsection More Threading
6743 @item gnus-show-threads
6744 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6745 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6746 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6747 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6748 slower and more awkward.
6750 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6751 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6752 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6755 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6756 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6757 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6762 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6763 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6764 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6767 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6768 unread, but you get my drift.)
6771 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6772 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6773 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6774 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6775 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6776 threads are expunged.
6778 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6779 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6780 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6783 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6784 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6785 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6786 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6787 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6788 result in a new thread.
6790 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6791 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6792 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6795 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6796 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6797 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6798 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6799 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6800 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6801 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6802 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6803 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6804 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6805 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6810 @node Low-Level Threading
6811 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6815 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6816 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6817 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6818 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6819 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6820 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6822 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6823 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6824 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6825 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6826 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6827 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6828 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6829 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6830 meaningful. Here's one example:
6833 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6835 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6836 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6838 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6840 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6847 @node Thread Commands
6848 @subsection Thread Commands
6849 @cindex thread commands
6855 @kindex T k (Summary)
6856 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6857 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6858 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6859 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6860 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6865 @kindex T l (Summary)
6866 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6867 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6868 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6869 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6872 @kindex T i (Summary)
6873 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6874 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6875 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6878 @kindex T # (Summary)
6879 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6880 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6881 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6884 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6885 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6886 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6887 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6890 @kindex T T (Summary)
6891 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6892 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6895 @kindex T s (Summary)
6896 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6897 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6898 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6901 @kindex T h (Summary)
6902 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6903 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6906 @kindex T S (Summary)
6907 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6908 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6911 @kindex T H (Summary)
6912 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6913 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6916 @kindex T t (Summary)
6917 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6918 Re-thread the current article's thread
6919 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6920 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6923 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6924 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6925 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6926 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6930 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6931 understand the numeric prefix.
6936 @kindex T n (Summary)
6938 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6940 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6941 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6942 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6945 @kindex T p (Summary)
6947 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6949 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6950 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6951 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6954 @kindex T d (Summary)
6955 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6956 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6959 @kindex T u (Summary)
6960 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6961 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6964 @kindex T o (Summary)
6965 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6966 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6969 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6970 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6971 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6972 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6973 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6974 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6975 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6976 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6977 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6978 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6979 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6980 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6984 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6985 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6987 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6988 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6989 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6990 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6991 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6992 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6993 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6994 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6995 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
6996 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
6997 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6998 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6999 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7000 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7002 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7003 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7004 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7005 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7006 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7007 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7008 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7009 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7011 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7012 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7013 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7015 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7016 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7017 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7018 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7019 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7020 ascending article order.
7022 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7023 by number, you could do something like:
7026 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7027 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7028 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7029 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7032 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7033 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7034 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7035 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7036 which the articles arrived.
7038 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7042 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7044 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7045 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7048 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7049 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7050 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7051 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7054 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7055 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7056 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7057 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7058 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7059 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7060 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7061 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7062 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7063 variable. It is very similar to the
7064 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7065 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7066 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7067 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7068 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7069 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7070 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7072 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7076 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7077 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7078 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7083 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7084 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7085 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7086 @cindex article pre-fetch
7089 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7090 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7091 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7092 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7093 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7095 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7096 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7098 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7099 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7100 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7101 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7102 connection is blocked.
7104 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7105 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7106 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7107 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7109 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7110 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7111 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7112 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7115 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7118 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7119 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7120 happen automatically.
7122 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7123 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7124 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7125 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7126 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7127 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7128 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7130 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7131 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7132 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7133 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7134 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7135 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7136 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7137 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7138 article data structure as the only parameter.
7140 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7141 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7144 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7145 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7146 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7147 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7150 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7153 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7154 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7155 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7157 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7158 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7159 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7160 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7164 Remove articles when they are read.
7167 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7170 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7172 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7173 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7174 @c from the next group.
7177 @node Article Caching
7178 @section Article Caching
7179 @cindex article caching
7182 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7183 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7184 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7185 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7186 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7188 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7190 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7191 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7192 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7193 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7194 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7195 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7196 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7197 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7199 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7200 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7201 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7202 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7203 as dormant, and don't worry.
7205 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7207 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7208 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7209 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7210 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7211 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7212 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7213 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7214 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7215 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7216 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7218 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7219 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7220 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7221 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7222 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7223 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7224 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7225 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7226 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7227 not then be downloaded by this command.
7229 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7230 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7231 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7232 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7233 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7234 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7236 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7237 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7238 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7239 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7240 variables, the group is not cached.
7242 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7243 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7244 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7245 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7246 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7247 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7248 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7249 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7250 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7253 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7254 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7255 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7256 where, isn't that cool?
7258 @node Persistent Articles
7259 @section Persistent Articles
7260 @cindex persistent articles
7262 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7263 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7264 useful in my opinion.
7266 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7267 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7268 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7269 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7270 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7271 the expiry going on at the news server.
7273 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7274 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7275 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7281 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7282 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7285 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7286 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7287 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7288 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7292 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7294 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7295 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7296 interested in persistent articles:
7299 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7303 @node Article Backlog
7304 @section Article Backlog
7306 @cindex article backlog
7308 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7309 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7310 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7311 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7312 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7313 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7314 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7315 increase memory usage some.
7317 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7318 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7319 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7320 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7321 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7322 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7323 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7325 The default value is 20.
7328 @node Saving Articles
7329 @section Saving Articles
7330 @cindex saving articles
7332 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7333 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7334 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7335 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7336 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7338 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7339 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7340 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7342 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7343 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7344 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7346 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7347 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7348 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7349 deleted before saving.
7355 @kindex O o (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7358 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7359 Save the current article using the default article saver
7360 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7363 @kindex O m (Summary)
7364 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7365 Save the current article in mail format
7366 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7369 @kindex O r (Summary)
7370 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7371 Save the current article in Rmail format
7372 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7375 @kindex O f (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7377 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7378 Save the current article in plain file format
7379 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7382 @kindex O F (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7384 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7385 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7388 @kindex O b (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7390 Save the current article body in plain file format
7391 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7394 @kindex O h (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7396 Save the current article in mh folder format
7397 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7400 @kindex O v (Summary)
7401 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7402 Save the current article in a VM folder
7403 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7407 @kindex O p (Summary)
7409 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7410 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7411 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7412 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7413 complete headers in the piped output.
7416 @kindex O P (Summary)
7417 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7418 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7419 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7420 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7421 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7422 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7423 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7427 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7428 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7429 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7430 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7431 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7432 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7433 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7434 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7435 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7436 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7437 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7438 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7442 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7443 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7444 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7445 functions below, or you can create your own.
7449 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7450 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7451 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7452 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7453 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7454 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7455 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7457 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7458 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7459 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7460 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7461 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7462 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7464 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7465 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7466 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7467 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7468 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7469 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7470 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7472 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7473 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7474 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7475 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7476 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7477 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7479 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7480 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7481 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7482 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7483 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7485 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7486 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7487 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7488 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7489 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7492 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7493 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7494 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7495 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7496 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7498 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7499 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7500 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7501 reader to use this setting.
7504 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7505 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7506 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7507 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7510 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7511 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7512 available functions that generate names:
7516 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7517 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7518 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7520 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7521 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7522 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7524 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7525 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7526 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7528 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7529 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7530 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7532 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7533 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7534 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7537 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7538 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7539 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7540 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7541 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7545 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7546 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7547 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7548 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7551 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7552 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7553 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7554 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7555 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7556 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7557 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7558 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7559 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7561 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7562 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7563 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7564 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7566 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7567 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7568 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7571 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7572 lots of mail groups called things like
7573 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7574 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7575 following will do just that:
7578 (defun my-save-name (group)
7579 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7580 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7582 (setq gnus-split-methods
7583 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7588 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7589 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7590 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7591 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7592 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7593 all the files in the top level directory
7594 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7595 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7596 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7597 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7599 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7600 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7601 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7602 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7603 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7606 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7610 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7611 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7612 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7615 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7616 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7617 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7618 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7621 @node Decoding Articles
7622 @section Decoding Articles
7623 @cindex decoding articles
7625 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7626 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7629 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7630 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7631 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7632 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7633 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7634 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7638 @cindex article series
7639 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7640 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7641 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7642 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7643 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7645 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7646 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7647 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7649 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7650 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7651 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7653 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7654 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7655 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7658 @node Uuencoded Articles
7659 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7661 @cindex uuencoded articles
7666 @kindex X u (Summary)
7667 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7668 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7669 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7672 @kindex X U (Summary)
7673 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7674 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7675 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7678 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7679 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7680 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7683 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7684 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7685 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7686 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7690 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7691 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7692 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7693 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7694 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7696 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7697 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7698 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7699 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7702 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7703 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7704 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7705 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7706 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7707 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7711 @node Shell Archives
7712 @subsection Shell Archives
7714 @cindex shell archives
7715 @cindex shared articles
7717 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7718 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7719 some commands to deal with these:
7724 @kindex X s (Summary)
7725 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7726 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7729 @kindex X S (Summary)
7730 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7731 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7734 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7735 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7736 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7739 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7740 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7741 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7742 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7746 @node PostScript Files
7747 @subsection PostScript Files
7753 @kindex X p (Summary)
7754 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7755 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7758 @kindex X P (Summary)
7759 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7760 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7761 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7764 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7765 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7766 View the current PostScript series
7767 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7770 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7771 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7772 View and save the current PostScript series
7773 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7778 @subsection Other Files
7782 @kindex X o (Summary)
7783 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7784 Save the current series
7785 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7788 @kindex X b (Summary)
7789 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7790 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7791 doesn't really work yet.
7795 @node Decoding Variables
7796 @subsection Decoding Variables
7798 Adjective, not verb.
7801 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7802 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7803 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7807 @node Rule Variables
7808 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7809 @cindex rule variables
7811 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7812 variables are of the form
7815 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7822 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7823 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7825 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7826 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7829 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7830 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7833 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7834 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7835 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7836 user and default view rules.
7838 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7839 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7840 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7845 @node Other Decode Variables
7846 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7849 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7851 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7852 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7853 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7854 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7855 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7859 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7860 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7863 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7864 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7865 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7868 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7869 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7870 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7871 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7872 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7875 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7876 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7877 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7879 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7880 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7881 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7882 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7883 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7886 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7887 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7888 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7890 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7891 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7892 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7893 looking for files to display.
7895 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7896 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7897 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7900 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7901 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7902 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7905 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7906 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7907 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7910 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7911 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7912 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7915 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7916 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7917 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7918 decoded articles as unread.
7920 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7921 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7922 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7923 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7925 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7926 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7927 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7929 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7930 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7932 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7933 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7934 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7935 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7937 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7938 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7939 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7940 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7941 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7942 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7943 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7944 simply dropped them.
7949 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7950 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7954 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7955 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7956 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7957 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7958 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7959 for you when you post the article.
7961 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7962 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7963 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7964 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7966 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7967 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7968 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7969 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7970 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7971 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7972 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7974 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7975 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7976 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7977 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7978 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7979 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7980 Default is @code{t}.
7986 @subsection Viewing Files
7987 @cindex viewing files
7988 @cindex pseudo-articles
7990 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7991 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7992 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7993 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7994 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7995 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7996 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7998 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7999 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8000 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8001 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8003 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8004 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8005 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8007 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8008 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8009 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8010 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8011 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8013 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8014 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8015 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8016 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8017 a list of parameters to that command.
8019 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8020 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8021 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8023 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8024 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8025 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8028 @node Article Treatment
8029 @section Article Treatment
8031 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8032 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8033 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8034 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8035 these articles easier.
8038 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8039 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8040 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8041 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8042 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8043 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8044 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8045 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8046 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8047 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8048 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8052 @node Article Highlighting
8053 @subsection Article Highlighting
8054 @cindex highlighting
8056 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8057 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8062 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8063 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8064 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8065 Do much highlighting of the current article
8066 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8067 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8070 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8071 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8072 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8073 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8074 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8075 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8076 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8077 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8078 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8079 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8080 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8081 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8084 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8085 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8086 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8088 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8091 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8093 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8094 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8095 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8097 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8098 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8099 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8101 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8102 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8103 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8104 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8105 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8106 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8108 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8109 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8110 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8112 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8113 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8114 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8116 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8117 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8118 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8119 that it's a citation.
8121 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8122 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8123 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8125 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8126 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8127 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8129 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8130 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8131 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8132 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8138 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8139 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8140 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8141 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8142 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8143 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8144 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8145 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8150 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8153 @node Article Fontisizing
8154 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8156 @cindex article emphasis
8158 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8159 @kindex W e (Summary)
8160 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8161 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8162 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8163 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8165 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8166 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8167 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8168 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8169 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8170 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8171 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8172 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8176 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8177 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8178 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8187 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8188 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8189 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8190 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8191 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8192 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8193 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8194 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8195 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8196 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8197 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8198 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8199 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8201 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8202 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8203 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8207 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8210 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8212 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8213 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8214 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8215 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8217 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8220 @node Article Hiding
8221 @subsection Article Hiding
8222 @cindex article hiding
8224 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8225 too much cruft in most articles.
8230 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8231 @findex gnus-article-hide
8232 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8233 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8234 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8237 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8238 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8239 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8243 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8244 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8245 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8246 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8249 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8250 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8251 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8255 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8256 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8257 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8258 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8259 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8260 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8261 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8262 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8266 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8267 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8268 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8269 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8274 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8275 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8276 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8277 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8280 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8281 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8282 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8283 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8286 @cindex stripping advertisements
8287 @cindex advertisements
8288 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8289 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8290 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8291 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8292 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8293 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8294 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8295 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8296 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8297 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8300 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8301 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8302 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8306 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8307 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8308 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8309 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8310 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8311 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8312 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8313 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8314 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8315 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8316 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8319 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8320 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8326 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8327 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8328 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8329 customizing the hiding:
8333 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8334 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8335 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8336 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8337 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8338 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8339 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8344 Starting point of the hidden text.
8346 Ending point of the hidden text.
8348 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8350 Number of lines of hidden text.
8353 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8354 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8355 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8356 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8357 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8362 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8363 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8365 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8366 following two variables:
8369 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8370 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8371 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8372 50), hide the cited text.
8374 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8375 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8376 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8381 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8382 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8383 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8384 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8385 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8386 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8390 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8391 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8392 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8394 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8395 citation customization.
8397 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8401 @node Article Washing
8402 @subsection Article Washing
8404 @cindex article washing
8406 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8407 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8409 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8410 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8413 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8414 articles by default.
8419 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8420 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8424 Force redisplaying of the current article
8425 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8426 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8427 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8428 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8431 @kindex W l (Summary)
8432 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8433 Remove page breaks from the current article
8434 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8438 @kindex W r (Summary)
8439 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8440 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8441 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8442 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8443 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8444 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8446 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8447 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8448 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8449 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8452 @kindex W m (Summary)
8453 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8454 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8458 @kindex W t (Summary)
8460 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8461 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8462 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8465 @kindex W v (Summary)
8466 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8467 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8468 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8471 @kindex W m (Summary)
8472 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8473 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8474 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8477 @kindex W o (Summary)
8478 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8479 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8482 @kindex W d (Summary)
8483 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8484 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8486 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8488 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8489 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8490 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8491 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8494 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8495 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8496 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8497 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8500 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8501 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8502 @cindex Outlook Express
8503 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8504 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8505 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8508 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8509 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8510 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8511 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8512 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8513 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8514 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8515 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8516 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8517 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8520 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8522 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8523 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8526 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8528 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8529 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8532 @kindex W w (Summary)
8533 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8534 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8536 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8540 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8542 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8545 @kindex W C (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8547 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8548 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8551 @kindex W c (Summary)
8552 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8553 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8554 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8555 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8556 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8558 @kindex W q (Summary)
8559 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8560 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8561 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8562 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8563 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8564 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8565 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8566 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8567 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8570 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8571 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8572 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8573 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8574 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8575 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8576 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8577 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8580 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8581 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8582 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8583 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8584 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8587 @kindex W A (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8589 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8590 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8591 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8592 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8595 @kindex W u (Summary)
8596 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8597 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8598 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8599 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8600 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8603 @kindex W h (Summary)
8604 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8605 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8606 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8607 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8609 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8611 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8612 The default is to use the function specified by
8613 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8614 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8615 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8616 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8624 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8627 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8630 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8633 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8638 @kindex W b (Summary)
8639 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8640 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8641 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8644 @kindex W B (Summary)
8645 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8646 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8647 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8650 @kindex W p (Summary)
8651 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8652 Verify a signed control message
8653 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8654 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8655 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8656 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8657 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8658 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8661 @kindex W s (Summary)
8662 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8663 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8664 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8665 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8668 @kindex W a (Summary)
8669 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8670 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8671 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8674 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8675 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8676 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8677 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8680 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8681 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8682 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8683 lines with a single empty line.
8684 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8687 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8688 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8689 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8690 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8693 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8694 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8695 Do all the three commands above
8696 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8699 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8700 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8701 Remove all blank lines
8702 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8705 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8706 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8707 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8708 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8711 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8712 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8713 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8714 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8718 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8721 @node Article Header
8722 @subsection Article Header
8724 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8729 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8730 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8731 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8734 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8735 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8736 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8737 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8740 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8741 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8742 Fold all the message headers
8743 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8746 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8747 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8748 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8749 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8754 @node Article Buttons
8755 @subsection Article Buttons
8758 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8759 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8760 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8761 button on these references.
8763 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8764 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8765 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8766 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8767 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8771 @item gnus-button-alist
8772 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8773 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8776 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8782 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8783 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8784 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8785 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8786 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8789 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8790 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8791 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8794 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8795 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8796 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8797 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8798 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8800 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8803 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8806 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8807 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8811 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8814 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8817 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8818 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8819 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8820 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8821 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8824 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8827 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8830 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8833 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8834 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8836 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8838 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8839 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8840 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8841 default values of the variables above.
8843 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8845 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8846 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8847 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8848 argument with a string naming the man page.
8850 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8852 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8853 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8854 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8856 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8857 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8858 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8859 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8860 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8861 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8862 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8863 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8864 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8865 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8866 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8867 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8869 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8870 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8871 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8872 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8873 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8876 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8877 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8878 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8879 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8881 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8883 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8884 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8885 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8886 argument, the string naming the URL.
8889 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8890 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8891 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8895 @item gnus-article-button-face
8896 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8897 Face used on buttons.
8899 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8900 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8901 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8905 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8908 @node Article Button Levels
8909 @subsection Article button levels
8910 @cindex button levels
8911 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8912 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8913 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8914 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8915 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8916 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8917 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8918 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8921 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8922 (setq gnus-parameters
8923 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8924 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8925 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8930 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8931 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8932 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8933 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8934 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8935 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8937 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8938 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8939 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8940 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8941 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8942 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8943 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8944 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8945 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8946 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8947 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8948 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8949 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8951 @item gnus-button-man-level
8952 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8953 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8954 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8956 @item gnus-button-message-level
8957 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8958 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8959 Related variables and functions include
8960 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8961 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8962 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8963 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8965 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8966 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8967 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8968 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8969 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8970 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8971 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8977 @subsection Article Date
8979 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8980 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8981 when the article was sent.
8986 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8987 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8988 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8989 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8992 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8993 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8995 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8996 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8999 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9000 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9001 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9004 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9005 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9006 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9007 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9010 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9011 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9012 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9013 @findex format-time-string
9014 Display the date using a user-defined format
9015 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9016 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9017 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9018 for a list of possible format specs.
9021 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9022 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9023 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9024 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9025 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9026 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9029 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9032 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9033 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9034 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9037 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9038 into wonderful absurdities.
9040 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9043 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9046 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9047 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9051 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9052 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9053 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9054 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9055 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9056 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9057 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9061 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9062 preferred format automatically.
9065 @node Article Display
9066 @subsection Article Display
9071 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9072 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9074 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9075 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9077 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9078 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9080 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9081 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9083 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9084 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9086 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9091 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9092 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9093 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9094 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9097 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9098 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9099 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9100 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9103 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9104 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9105 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9108 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9109 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9110 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9113 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9114 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9115 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9116 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9119 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9120 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9121 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9122 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9125 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9126 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9127 Remove all images from the article buffer
9128 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9134 @node Article Signature
9135 @subsection Article Signature
9137 @cindex article signature
9139 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9140 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9141 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9142 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9143 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9144 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9145 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9146 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9147 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9150 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9151 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9152 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9153 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9154 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9155 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9156 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9157 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9160 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9163 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9164 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9165 signature when displaying articles.
9169 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9172 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9175 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9176 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9178 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9179 in question is not a signature.
9182 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9183 listed above. Here's an example:
9186 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9187 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9190 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9191 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9192 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9193 signature after all.
9196 @node Article Miscellanea
9197 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9201 @kindex A t (Summary)
9202 @findex gnus-article-babel
9203 Translate the article from one language to another
9204 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9210 @section MIME Commands
9211 @cindex MIME decoding
9213 @cindex viewing attachments
9215 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9216 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9222 @kindex K v (Summary)
9223 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9226 @kindex K o (Summary)
9227 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9230 @kindex K c (Summary)
9231 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9234 @kindex K e (Summary)
9235 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9238 @kindex K i (Summary)
9239 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9242 @kindex K | (Summary)
9243 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9246 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9251 @kindex K b (Summary)
9252 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9253 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9257 @kindex K m (Summary)
9258 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9259 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9260 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9261 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9262 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9265 @kindex X m (Summary)
9266 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9267 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9268 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9269 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9272 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9273 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9274 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9275 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9278 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9279 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9280 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9281 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9284 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9285 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9286 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9287 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9289 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9290 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9291 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9292 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9293 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9294 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9297 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9298 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9299 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9300 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9307 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9308 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9309 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9310 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9313 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9316 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9320 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9321 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9322 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9323 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9324 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9325 default is @code{nil}.
9327 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9328 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9329 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9330 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9331 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9332 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9333 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9335 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9336 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9337 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9338 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9339 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9340 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9341 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9342 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9344 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9345 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9346 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9347 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9348 displayed. This variable overrides
9349 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9350 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9353 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9354 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9355 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9357 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9358 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9359 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9360 default value is @code{nil}.
9362 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9363 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9364 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9365 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9366 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9367 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9368 save all jpegs into some directory).
9370 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9373 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9374 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9376 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9377 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9378 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9379 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9380 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9383 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9384 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9385 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9387 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9388 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9389 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9390 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9392 Ready-made functions include@*
9393 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9394 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9395 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9396 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9397 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9398 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9399 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9400 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9401 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9402 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9403 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9404 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9406 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9407 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9409 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9410 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9411 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9414 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9415 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9416 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9417 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9421 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9430 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9431 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9432 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9433 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9434 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9435 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9436 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9438 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9439 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9440 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9441 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9443 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9444 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9445 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9446 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9447 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9448 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9449 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9450 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9451 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9453 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9454 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9455 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9456 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9457 quoted-printable header encoding.
9459 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9460 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9461 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9465 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9468 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9469 means encode all charsets),
9471 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9472 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9473 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9480 @cindex coding system aliases
9481 @cindex preferred charset
9483 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9485 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9486 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9489 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9490 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9493 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9494 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9496 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9499 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9502 This will almost do the right thing.
9504 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9508 (codepage-setup 1251)
9509 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9513 @node Article Commands
9514 @section Article Commands
9521 @kindex A P (Summary)
9522 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9523 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9524 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9525 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9526 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9527 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9532 @node Summary Sorting
9533 @section Summary Sorting
9534 @cindex summary sorting
9536 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9537 can't really see why you'd want that.
9542 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9543 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9544 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9547 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9548 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9549 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9552 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9553 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9554 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9557 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9558 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9559 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9562 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9563 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9564 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9567 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9568 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9569 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9572 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9573 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9574 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9577 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9578 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9579 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9582 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9583 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9584 Sort using the default sorting method
9585 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9588 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9589 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9590 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9591 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9592 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9596 @node Finding the Parent
9597 @section Finding the Parent
9598 @cindex parent articles
9599 @cindex referring articles
9604 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9605 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9606 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9607 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9608 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9609 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9610 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9611 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9612 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9614 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9615 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9616 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9617 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9618 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9622 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9623 @kindex A R (Summary)
9624 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9625 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9628 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9629 @kindex A T (Summary)
9630 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9631 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9632 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9633 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9634 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9635 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9636 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9638 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9639 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9640 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9641 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9642 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9643 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9646 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9647 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9649 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9650 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9651 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9652 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9653 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9654 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9655 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9658 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9659 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9660 by giving this command a prefix.
9662 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9663 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9664 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9665 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9666 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9667 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9670 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9671 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9672 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9675 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9676 then ask Google if that fails:
9679 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9681 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9684 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9685 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9686 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9687 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9688 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9689 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9690 not support this at all.
9693 @node Alternative Approaches
9694 @section Alternative Approaches
9696 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9697 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9700 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9701 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9706 @subsection Pick and Read
9707 @cindex pick and read
9709 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9710 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9711 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9712 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9714 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9715 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9716 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9717 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9718 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9719 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9721 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9726 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9727 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9728 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9729 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9730 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9731 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9732 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9733 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9736 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9737 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9738 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9739 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9743 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9744 Unpick the thread or article
9745 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9746 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9747 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9748 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9749 the thread or article at that line.
9753 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9754 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9755 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9756 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9757 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9758 will still be visible when you are reading.
9762 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9763 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9764 which is mapped to the same function
9765 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9767 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9770 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9773 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9774 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9776 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9777 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9778 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9780 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9781 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9782 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9783 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9784 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9785 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9786 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9790 @subsection Binary Groups
9791 @cindex binary groups
9793 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9794 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9795 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9796 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9797 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9798 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9799 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9802 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9803 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9804 command, when you have turned on this mode
9805 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9807 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9808 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9812 @section Tree Display
9815 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9816 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9817 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9818 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9821 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9824 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9825 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9826 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9828 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9829 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9830 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9831 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9832 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9834 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9835 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9836 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9837 default is @code{modeline}.
9839 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9840 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9841 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9842 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9843 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9844 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9845 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9851 The name of the poster.
9853 The @code{From} header.
9855 The number of the article.
9857 The opening bracket.
9859 The closing bracket.
9864 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9866 Variables related to the display are:
9869 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9870 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9871 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9872 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9874 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9875 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9876 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9878 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9880 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9881 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9882 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9883 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9887 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9888 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9889 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9890 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9891 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9892 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9893 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9894 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9895 other windows displayed next to it.
9897 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9901 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9902 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9905 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9906 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9907 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9908 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9909 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9910 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9911 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9915 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9918 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9928 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9933 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9934 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9936 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9938 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9944 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9945 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9946 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9949 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9950 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9951 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9952 (gnus-add-configuration
9956 (summary 0.75 point)
9961 @xref{Window Layout}.
9964 @node Mail Group Commands
9965 @section Mail Group Commands
9966 @cindex mail group commands
9968 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9969 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9971 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9972 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9977 @kindex B e (Summary)
9978 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9979 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9980 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9981 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9982 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9985 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9986 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9987 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9988 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9989 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9990 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9993 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9994 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9995 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9996 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9997 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9998 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10001 @kindex B m (Summary)
10003 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10004 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10005 Move the article from one mail group to another
10006 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10007 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10010 @kindex B c (Summary)
10012 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10013 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10014 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10015 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10016 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10019 @kindex B B (Summary)
10020 @cindex crosspost mail
10021 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10022 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10023 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10024 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10025 be properly updated.
10028 @kindex B i (Summary)
10029 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10030 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10031 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10032 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10035 @kindex B I (Summary)
10036 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10037 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10038 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10039 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10042 @kindex B r (Summary)
10043 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10044 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10045 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10046 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10047 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10048 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10049 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10050 (which is the default).
10054 @kindex B w (Summary)
10055 @kindex e (Summary)
10056 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10057 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10058 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10059 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10060 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10061 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10062 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10065 @kindex B q (Summary)
10066 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10067 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10068 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10069 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10072 @kindex B t (Summary)
10073 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10074 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10075 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10078 @kindex B p (Summary)
10079 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10080 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10081 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10082 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10083 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10084 article from your news server (or rather, from
10085 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10086 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10087 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10088 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10089 just not have arrived yet.
10092 @kindex K E (Summary)
10093 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10094 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10095 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10096 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10097 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10101 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10102 @cindex moving articles
10103 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10104 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10105 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10106 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10107 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10108 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10109 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10112 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10113 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10114 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10115 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10119 @node Various Summary Stuff
10120 @section Various Summary Stuff
10123 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10124 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10125 * Summary Generation Commands::
10126 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10130 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10131 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10132 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10133 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10134 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10135 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10137 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10138 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10139 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10142 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10143 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10144 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10146 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10147 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10148 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10149 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10150 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10151 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10154 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10155 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10156 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10157 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10158 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10160 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10161 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10162 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10165 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10166 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10167 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10168 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10169 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10170 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10171 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10172 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10173 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10174 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10176 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10177 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10178 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10179 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10180 list of articles to be selected.
10182 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10183 the list in one particular group:
10186 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10187 (if (string= group "some.group")
10188 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10192 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10193 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10194 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10195 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10196 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10199 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10200 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10201 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10202 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10203 variable will be used instead.
10205 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10206 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10207 buffers. For example:
10210 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10211 '(message-use-followup-to
10212 (gnus-visible-headers .
10213 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10216 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10220 @node Summary Group Information
10221 @subsection Summary Group Information
10226 @kindex H f (Summary)
10227 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10228 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10229 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10230 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10231 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10232 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10233 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10234 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10235 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10238 @kindex H d (Summary)
10239 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10240 Give a brief description of the current group
10241 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10242 rereading the description from the server.
10245 @kindex H h (Summary)
10246 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10247 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10248 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10251 @kindex H i (Summary)
10252 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10253 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10257 @node Searching for Articles
10258 @subsection Searching for Articles
10263 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10264 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10265 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10266 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10269 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10270 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10271 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10272 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10275 @kindex & (Summary)
10276 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10277 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10278 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10279 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10280 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10281 search backward instead.
10283 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10284 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10287 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10288 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10289 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10290 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10293 @node Summary Generation Commands
10294 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10299 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10300 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10301 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10304 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10305 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10306 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10307 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10310 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10311 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10312 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10313 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10318 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10319 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10325 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10326 @kindex A D (Summary)
10327 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10328 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10329 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10330 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10331 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10332 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10333 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10334 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10338 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10339 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10340 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10341 several documents into one biiig group
10342 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10343 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10344 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10345 command understands the process/prefix convention
10346 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10349 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10350 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10351 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10352 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10353 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10354 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10357 @kindex = (Summary)
10358 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10359 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10360 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10363 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10364 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10365 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10366 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10369 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10370 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10371 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10372 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10377 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10378 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10379 @cindex summary exit
10380 @cindex exiting groups
10382 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10383 group and return you to the group buffer.
10390 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10391 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10392 @kindex q (Summary)
10393 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10394 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10395 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10396 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10397 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10398 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10399 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10400 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10401 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10402 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10403 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10404 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10408 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10409 @kindex Q (Summary)
10410 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10411 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10412 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10416 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10417 @kindex c (Summary)
10418 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10419 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10420 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10421 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10424 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10425 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10426 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10427 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10430 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10431 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10432 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10433 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10437 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10438 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10439 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10440 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10441 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10442 all articles, both read and unread.
10446 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10447 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10448 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10449 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10450 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10451 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10452 articles, both read and unread.
10455 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10456 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10457 Exit the group and go to the next group
10458 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10461 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10462 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10463 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10464 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10467 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10468 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10469 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10470 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10471 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10472 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10475 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10476 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10477 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10478 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10480 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10481 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10482 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10483 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10484 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10485 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10486 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10487 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10488 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10489 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10490 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10491 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10493 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10495 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10496 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10497 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10498 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10499 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10500 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10501 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10502 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10503 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10506 @node Crosspost Handling
10507 @section Crosspost Handling
10511 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10512 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10513 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10514 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10515 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10516 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10519 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10520 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10521 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10522 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10523 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10525 @cindex cross-posting
10527 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10528 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10529 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10530 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10531 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10532 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10533 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10534 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10535 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10536 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10537 the cross reference mechanism.
10539 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10540 @cindex overview.fmt
10541 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10542 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10543 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10544 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10545 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10546 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10549 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10550 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10551 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10556 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10559 @node Duplicate Suppression
10560 @section Duplicate Suppression
10562 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10563 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10564 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10565 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10570 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10571 is evil and not very common.
10574 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10575 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10578 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10579 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10582 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10585 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10586 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10588 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10589 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10590 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10591 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10592 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10593 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10594 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10597 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10598 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10599 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10600 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10601 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10602 saw the article in.
10605 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10606 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10607 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10609 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10610 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10611 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10612 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10613 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10614 session are suppressed.
10616 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10617 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10618 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10619 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10621 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10622 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10623 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10624 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10627 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10628 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10629 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10630 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10631 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10632 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10633 to you to figure out, I think.
10638 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10639 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10640 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10645 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10646 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10647 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10648 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10651 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10652 or newer is recommended.
10656 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10657 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10660 @item mm-verify-option
10661 @vindex mm-verify-option
10662 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10663 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10664 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10666 @item mm-decrypt-option
10667 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10668 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10669 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10670 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10673 @vindex mml1991-use
10674 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10675 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10676 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10680 @vindex mml2015-use
10681 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10682 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10683 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10688 @cindex snarfing keys
10689 @cindex importing PGP keys
10690 @cindex PGP key ring import
10691 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10692 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10693 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10694 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10695 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10696 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10697 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10698 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10699 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10702 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10705 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10706 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10709 @section Mailing List
10710 @cindex mailing list
10713 @kindex A M (summary)
10714 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10715 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10716 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10717 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10720 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10725 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10726 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10727 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10730 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10731 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10732 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10735 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10736 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10737 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10741 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10742 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10743 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10746 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10747 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10748 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10751 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10752 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10753 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10758 @node Article Buffer
10759 @chapter Article Buffer
10760 @cindex article buffer
10762 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10763 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10764 tell gnus otherwise.
10767 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10768 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10769 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10770 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10771 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10775 @node Hiding Headers
10776 @section Hiding Headers
10777 @cindex hiding headers
10778 @cindex deleting headers
10780 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10781 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10783 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10784 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10785 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10786 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10787 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10788 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10789 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10790 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10791 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10793 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10797 @item gnus-visible-headers
10798 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10799 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10800 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10801 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10803 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10804 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10807 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10810 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10813 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10814 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10815 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10816 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10817 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10818 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10820 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10821 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10824 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10827 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10830 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10831 variable will have no effect.
10835 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10836 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10837 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10838 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10839 the headers are to be displayed.
10841 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10842 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10845 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10848 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10849 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10851 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10852 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10853 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10854 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10855 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10856 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10857 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10860 These conditions are:
10863 Remove all empty headers.
10865 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10866 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10868 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10869 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10872 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10875 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10876 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10878 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10879 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10881 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10882 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10884 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10887 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10889 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10892 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10895 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10896 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10899 This is also the default value for this variable.
10903 @section Using MIME
10904 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10906 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10907 while people stand around yawning.
10909 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10910 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10912 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10913 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10914 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10916 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10917 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10918 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10919 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
10920 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10921 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10922 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
10923 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
10924 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
10926 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10927 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
10928 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10929 These can't be avoided.
10931 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10932 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10933 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10934 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
10935 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
10936 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
10937 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
10938 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
10939 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
10940 feel rather stupid.)
10942 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10944 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10945 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10946 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10947 buffer when there are nobody else.
10949 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10952 @node Customizing Articles
10953 @section Customizing Articles
10954 @cindex article customization
10956 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10957 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10958 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10959 called automatically when you select the articles.
10961 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10962 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10963 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10964 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10966 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10967 for sensible values.
10971 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10974 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10977 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10980 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10983 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10987 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10988 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10989 regexps in the list.
10992 A list where the first element is not a string:
10994 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10995 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10996 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11000 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11004 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
11009 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11010 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11011 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11012 considered to contain just a single part.
11014 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11015 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11016 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11017 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11018 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11019 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11020 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11022 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11023 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11024 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11025 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11028 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11029 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11031 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11033 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11034 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11035 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11036 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11037 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11038 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11039 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11040 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11041 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11042 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11043 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
11045 @xref{Article Washing}.
11047 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11048 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11049 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11050 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11051 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11052 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11053 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11055 @xref{Article Date}.
11057 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11058 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11059 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11063 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11065 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11067 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11068 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11069 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11073 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11077 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11081 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11082 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11083 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11084 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11085 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11086 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11087 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11088 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11089 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11090 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11092 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11094 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11095 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11096 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11098 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11100 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11101 @item gnus-treat-translate
11102 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11103 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11105 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11106 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11107 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11108 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11110 @xref{Article Header}.
11115 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11116 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11117 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11118 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11119 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11123 @node Article Keymap
11124 @section Article Keymap
11126 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11127 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11128 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11129 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11132 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11137 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11138 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11139 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11140 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11143 @kindex DEL (Article)
11144 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11145 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11146 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11149 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11150 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11151 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11152 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11153 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11156 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11157 @findex gnus-article-mail
11158 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11159 given a prefix, include the mail.
11162 @kindex s (Article)
11163 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11164 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11165 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11168 @kindex ? (Article)
11169 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11170 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11171 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11174 @kindex TAB (Article)
11175 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11176 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11177 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11180 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11181 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11182 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11185 @kindex R (Article)
11186 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11187 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11188 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11189 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11193 @kindex F (Article)
11194 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11195 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11196 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11197 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11205 @section Misc Article
11209 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11210 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11211 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11212 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11215 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11216 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11217 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11218 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11219 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11221 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11222 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11223 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11224 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11225 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11226 the contents of the article buffer.
11228 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11229 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11230 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11232 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11233 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11234 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11235 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11237 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11238 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11239 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11240 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11242 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11243 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11244 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11245 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11246 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11247 with two extensions:
11252 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11253 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11254 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11259 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11262 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11265 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11266 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11267 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11270 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11273 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11276 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11281 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11285 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11287 @item gnus-break-pages
11288 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11289 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11290 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11291 paging will not be done.
11293 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11294 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11295 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11299 @cindex internationalized domain names
11300 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11301 @item gnus-use-idna
11302 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11303 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11304 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11305 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11306 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11311 @node Composing Messages
11312 @chapter Composing Messages
11313 @cindex composing messages
11316 @cindex sending mail
11321 @cindex using s/mime
11322 @cindex using smime
11324 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11325 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11326 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11327 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11328 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11329 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11332 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11333 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11334 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11335 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11336 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11337 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11338 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11339 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11340 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11343 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11344 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11350 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11353 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11354 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11355 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11356 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11357 @code{nil} include all headers.
11359 @item gnus-add-to-list
11360 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11361 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11362 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11364 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11365 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11366 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11367 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11368 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11369 confirmation is should be asked for.
11371 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11372 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11374 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11375 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11376 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11377 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11378 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11383 @node Posting Server
11384 @section Posting Server
11386 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11387 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11389 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11391 It can be quite complicated.
11393 @vindex gnus-post-method
11394 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11395 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11396 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11397 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11398 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11399 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11400 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11401 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11402 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11405 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11408 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11409 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11410 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11411 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11413 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11414 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11416 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11417 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11420 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11421 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11423 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11424 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11425 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11426 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11427 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11428 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11429 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11430 package correctly. An example:
11433 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11434 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11435 ;; The following variable needs to be set because of the FLIM version of
11436 ;; smtpmail.el. Which smtpmail.el is used depends on the `load-path'.
11437 (setq smtp-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11440 To the thing similar to this, there is
11441 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11442 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11443 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11445 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11446 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11447 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11449 @node POP before SMTP
11450 @section POP before SMTP
11451 @cindex pop before smtp
11452 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11453 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11455 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11456 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11457 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11458 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11459 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11462 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11463 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11467 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11468 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11469 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11470 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11471 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11472 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11473 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11474 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11476 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11477 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11478 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11479 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11480 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11481 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11484 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11485 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11486 :password "secret"))
11490 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11491 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11494 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11496 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11497 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11498 :password "secret")))
11499 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11502 @node Mail and Post
11503 @section Mail and Post
11505 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11509 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11510 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11511 @cindex mailing lists
11513 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11514 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11515 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11516 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11517 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11518 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11519 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11520 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11521 still a pain, though.
11523 @item gnus-user-agent
11524 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11527 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11528 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11529 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11530 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11531 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11532 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11533 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11537 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11538 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11539 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11542 @findex ispell-message
11544 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11547 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11548 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11551 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11555 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11556 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11558 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11561 Modify to suit your needs.
11564 @node Archived Messages
11565 @section Archived Messages
11566 @cindex archived messages
11567 @cindex sent messages
11569 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11570 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11571 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11572 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11575 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11576 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11579 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11580 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11581 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11584 (nnfolder "archive"
11585 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11586 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11587 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11588 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11591 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11592 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11593 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11594 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11597 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11598 '(nnfolder "archive"
11599 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11600 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11601 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11604 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11606 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11607 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11608 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11610 This variable can be used to do the following:
11614 Messages will be saved in that group.
11616 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11617 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11618 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11619 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11620 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11621 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11622 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11623 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11626 @item a list of strings
11627 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11629 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11630 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11633 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11638 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11640 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11643 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11645 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11648 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11650 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11651 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11652 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11653 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11656 More complex stuff:
11658 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11659 '((if (message-news-p)
11664 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11665 messages in one file per month:
11668 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11669 '((if (message-news-p)
11671 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11674 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11675 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11677 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11678 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11679 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11680 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11681 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11682 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11683 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11684 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11685 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11686 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11688 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11689 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11690 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11691 this will disable archiving.
11694 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11695 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11696 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11697 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11698 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11701 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11702 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11703 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11706 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11707 but the latter is the preferred method.
11709 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11710 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11711 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11713 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11714 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11715 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11716 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11717 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11718 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11719 changed in the future.
11724 @node Posting Styles
11725 @section Posting Styles
11726 @cindex posting styles
11729 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11731 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11732 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11733 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11736 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11737 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11738 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11739 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11740 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11745 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11746 (organization "What me?"))
11748 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11749 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11750 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11753 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11754 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11755 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11756 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11757 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11758 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11759 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11760 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11762 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11763 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11764 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11765 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11766 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11767 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11768 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11769 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11770 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11771 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11772 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11773 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11774 said to @dfn{match}.
11776 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11777 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11778 attribute name can be one of:
11781 @item @code{signature}
11782 @item @code{signature-file}
11783 @item @code{x-face-file}
11784 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11785 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11789 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11790 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11791 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11792 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11793 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11795 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11796 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11797 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11798 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11799 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11800 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11801 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11802 references chars lines xref extra.
11804 @vindex message-reply-headers
11806 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11807 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11808 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11810 @findex message-mail-p
11811 @findex message-news-p
11813 So here's a new example:
11816 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11818 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11820 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11821 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11823 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11824 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11825 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11826 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11827 (signature my-news-signature))
11828 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11829 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11830 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11831 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11832 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11833 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11834 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11835 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11836 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11837 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11839 (From (save-excursion
11840 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11841 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11843 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11846 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11847 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11848 if you fill many roles.
11850 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11851 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11852 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11853 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11854 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11855 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11856 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11857 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11862 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11864 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11866 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11867 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11870 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11873 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11874 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11881 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11882 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11883 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11884 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11885 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11887 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11888 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11889 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11890 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11891 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11895 @vindex nndraft-directory
11896 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11897 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11898 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11899 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11900 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11901 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11903 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11904 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11905 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11906 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11907 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11908 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11909 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11910 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11911 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11913 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11914 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11915 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11916 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11917 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11918 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11919 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11920 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11921 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11922 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11923 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11924 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11925 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11926 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11928 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11929 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11930 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11932 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11933 @kindex D e (Draft)
11934 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11935 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11936 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11938 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11941 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11942 @kindex D s (Draft)
11943 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11944 @kindex D S (Draft)
11945 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11946 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11947 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11948 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11949 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11952 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11953 @kindex D t (Draft)
11954 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11955 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11956 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11959 @node Rejected Articles
11960 @section Rejected Articles
11961 @cindex rejected articles
11963 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11964 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11965 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11966 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11968 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11969 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11970 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11971 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11972 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11974 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11975 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11976 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11978 @node Signing and encrypting
11979 @section Signing and encrypting
11981 @cindex using s/mime
11982 @cindex using smime
11984 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
11985 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
11986 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
11987 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
11989 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11990 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11991 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11992 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11993 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11994 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11995 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11996 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11997 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11998 automatically encrypted messages.
12000 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12001 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12002 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12007 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12008 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12010 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12013 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12014 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12016 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12019 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12020 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12022 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12025 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12026 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12028 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12031 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12032 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12034 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12037 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12038 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12040 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12043 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12044 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12045 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12049 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12051 @node Select Methods
12052 @chapter Select Methods
12053 @cindex foreign groups
12054 @cindex select methods
12056 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12057 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12058 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12059 personal mail group.
12061 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12062 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12063 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12064 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12065 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12066 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12068 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12069 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12071 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12074 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12075 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12076 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12077 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12078 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12080 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12083 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12084 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12085 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12086 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12087 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12088 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12089 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12090 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12094 @node Server Buffer
12095 @section Server Buffer
12097 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12098 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12099 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12100 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12101 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12102 back end represents a virtual server.
12104 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12105 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12106 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12107 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12109 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12110 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12111 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12112 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12113 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12114 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12115 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12117 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12118 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12121 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12122 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12123 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12124 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12125 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12126 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12127 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12130 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12131 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12134 @node Server Buffer Format
12135 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12136 @cindex server buffer format
12138 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12139 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12140 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12141 variable, with some simple extensions:
12146 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12149 The name of this server.
12152 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12155 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12158 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12159 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12160 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12161 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12171 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12174 @node Server Commands
12175 @subsection Server Commands
12176 @cindex server commands
12182 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12183 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12187 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12188 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12191 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12192 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12193 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12197 @findex gnus-server-exit
12198 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12202 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12203 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12207 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12208 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12212 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12213 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12217 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12218 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12222 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12223 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12224 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12229 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12230 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12231 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12232 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12237 @node Example Methods
12238 @subsection Example Methods
12240 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12243 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12246 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12252 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12253 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12256 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12257 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12259 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12260 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12264 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12267 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12268 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12270 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12271 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12272 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12276 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12279 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12282 Here's the method for a public spool:
12286 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12287 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12293 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12294 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12295 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12296 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12297 should probably look something like this:
12301 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12302 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12303 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12304 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12307 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12308 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12309 configuration to the example above:
12312 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12315 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12317 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12318 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12319 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12323 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12324 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12325 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12326 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12329 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12330 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12331 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12332 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12335 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12336 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12338 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12339 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12341 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12342 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12343 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12345 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12347 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12348 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12349 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12350 will contain the following:
12360 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12361 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12364 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12365 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12366 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12369 @node Server Variables
12370 @subsection Server Variables
12371 @cindex server variables
12372 @cindex server parameters
12374 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12375 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12376 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12377 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12378 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12380 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12381 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12382 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12383 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12384 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12385 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12386 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12387 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12388 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12392 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12393 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12394 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12397 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12399 @node Servers and Methods
12400 @subsection Servers and Methods
12402 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12403 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12404 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12405 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12409 @node Unavailable Servers
12410 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12412 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12413 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12414 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12415 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12416 actually the case or not.
12418 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12419 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12420 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12421 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12422 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12423 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12424 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12425 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12427 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12428 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12430 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12431 with the following commands:
12437 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12438 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12439 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12443 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12444 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12445 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12449 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12450 Mark the current server as unreachable
12451 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12454 @kindex M-o (Server)
12455 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12456 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12457 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12460 @kindex M-c (Server)
12461 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12462 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12463 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12467 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12468 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12469 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12473 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12474 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12480 @section Getting News
12481 @cindex reading news
12482 @cindex news back ends
12484 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12485 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12486 or it can read from a local spool.
12489 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12490 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12498 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12499 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12500 server as the, uhm, address.
12502 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12503 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12504 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12505 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12507 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12508 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12509 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12511 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12516 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12517 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12518 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12520 @cindex authentification
12521 @cindex nntp authentification
12522 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12523 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12524 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12525 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12526 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12527 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12528 present in this hook.
12530 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12531 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12532 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12533 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12534 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12535 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12536 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12537 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12538 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12539 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12540 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12541 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12545 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12548 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12550 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12551 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12552 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12553 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12554 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12555 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12556 @samp{force} is explained below.
12560 Here's an example file:
12563 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12564 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12567 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12568 have to be first, for instance.
12570 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12571 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12572 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12573 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12574 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12575 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12576 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12578 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12579 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12585 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12586 previously mentioned.
12588 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12590 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12591 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12592 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12593 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12594 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12597 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12598 '(("innd" (ding))))
12601 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12603 The default value is
12606 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12607 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12608 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12611 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12612 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12614 @item nntp-maximum-request
12615 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12616 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12617 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12618 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12619 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12620 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12621 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12623 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12624 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12625 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12626 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12627 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12628 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12629 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12630 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12631 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12632 no timeouts are done.
12634 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12635 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12636 @c @cindex PPP connections
12637 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12638 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12639 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12640 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12641 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12642 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12643 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12644 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12645 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12646 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12648 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12649 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12650 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12651 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12652 @c described above.
12654 @item nntp-server-hook
12655 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12656 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12659 @item nntp-buggy-select
12660 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12661 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12663 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12664 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12665 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12666 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12669 @item nntp-xover-commands
12670 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12671 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12673 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12674 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12678 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12679 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12680 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12681 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12682 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12683 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12684 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12685 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12686 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12687 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12688 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12690 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12691 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12692 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12694 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12695 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12696 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12697 server closes connection.
12699 @item nntp-record-commands
12700 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12701 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12702 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12703 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12704 that doesn't seem to work.
12706 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12707 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12708 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12709 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12710 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12711 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12712 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12713 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12715 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12716 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12717 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12718 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12719 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12720 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12721 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12724 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12727 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12728 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12730 @item nntp-read-timeout
12731 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12732 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12733 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12734 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12735 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12738 @item nntp-list-options
12739 @vindex nntp-list-options
12740 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12741 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12742 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12743 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12744 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12748 (setq gnus-select-method
12749 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12750 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12753 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12754 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12755 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12756 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12757 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12758 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12759 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12762 (setq gnus-select-method
12763 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12764 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12767 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12768 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12769 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12770 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12771 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12772 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12773 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12776 (setq gnus-select-method
12777 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12778 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12783 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12784 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12785 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12789 @node Direct Functions
12790 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12791 @cindex direct connection functions
12793 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12794 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12795 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12796 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12799 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12800 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12801 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12804 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12805 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12806 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12807 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12808 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12811 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12812 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12814 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12815 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12816 (nntp-port-number )
12817 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12820 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12821 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12822 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12823 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12824 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12825 then define a server as follows:
12828 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12829 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12831 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12832 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12833 (nntp-port-number 563)
12834 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12837 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12838 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12839 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12840 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12841 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12842 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12843 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12844 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12848 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12849 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12850 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12853 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12854 session, which is not a good idea.
12858 @node Indirect Functions
12859 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12860 @cindex indirect connection functions
12862 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12863 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12864 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12865 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12866 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12867 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12870 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12871 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12872 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12873 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12874 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12876 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12879 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12880 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12881 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12882 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12884 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12885 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12886 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12887 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12888 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12889 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12890 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12891 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12895 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12896 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12898 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12899 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12900 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{netcat}
12901 (@uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/}) instead of @samp{telnet} to
12902 connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
12904 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
12907 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
12908 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
12909 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
12910 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
12911 programs like @samp{connect}
12912 (@uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html}) instead.
12914 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
12915 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
12916 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12917 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
12919 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12920 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12921 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12923 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12924 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12925 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
12928 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12929 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12930 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12931 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12933 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12936 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12937 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12938 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12941 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12942 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12943 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12944 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12946 @item nntp-via-user-password
12947 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12948 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12950 @item nntp-via-envuser
12951 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12952 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12953 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12954 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12956 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12957 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12958 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12959 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12963 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12964 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12968 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12973 @item nntp-via-user-name
12974 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12975 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12977 @item nntp-via-address
12978 @vindex nntp-via-address
12979 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12984 @node Common Variables
12985 @subsubsection Common Variables
12987 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12988 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12993 @item nntp-pre-command
12994 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12995 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12996 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12997 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12998 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13001 @vindex nntp-address
13002 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13004 @item nntp-port-number
13005 @vindex nntp-port-number
13006 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13007 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13008 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13009 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13010 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13011 not work with named ports.
13013 @item nntp-end-of-line
13014 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13015 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13016 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13017 using a non native telnet connection function.
13019 @item nntp-telnet-command
13020 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13021 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13022 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13023 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13026 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13027 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13028 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13035 @subsection News Spool
13039 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13040 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13041 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13044 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13045 anything else) as the address.
13047 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13048 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13049 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13050 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13054 @item nnspool-inews-program
13055 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13056 Program used to post an article.
13058 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13059 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13060 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13062 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13063 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13064 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13065 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13067 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13068 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13069 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13070 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13072 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13073 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13074 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13076 @item nnspool-active-file
13077 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13078 The name of the active file.
13080 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13081 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13082 The name of the group descriptions file.
13084 @item nnspool-history-file
13085 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13086 The name of the news history file.
13088 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13089 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13090 The name of the active date file.
13092 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13093 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13094 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13097 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13098 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13100 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13101 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13102 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13109 @section Getting Mail
13110 @cindex reading mail
13113 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13117 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13118 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13119 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13120 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13121 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13122 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13123 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13124 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13125 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13126 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13127 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13128 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13129 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13133 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13134 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13136 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13137 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13138 of a culture shock.
13140 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13141 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13143 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13144 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13145 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13146 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13148 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13150 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13151 deleted? How awful!
13153 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13154 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13155 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13156 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13159 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13160 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13161 they want to treat a message.
13163 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13164 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13165 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13166 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13167 archived somewhere else.
13169 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13170 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13171 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13172 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13173 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13175 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13176 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13177 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13179 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13180 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13183 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13184 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13185 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13186 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13187 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13189 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13190 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13191 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13192 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13193 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13194 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13198 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13199 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13201 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13202 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13203 and things will happen automatically.
13205 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13206 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13209 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13212 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13213 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13214 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13215 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13216 like any other group.
13218 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13221 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13222 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13223 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13227 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13228 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13229 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13232 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13233 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13234 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13237 @node Splitting Mail
13238 @subsection Splitting Mail
13239 @cindex splitting mail
13240 @cindex mail splitting
13241 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13243 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13244 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13245 to be split into groups.
13248 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13249 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13250 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13251 ("mail.other" "")))
13254 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13255 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13256 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13257 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13258 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13259 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13260 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13263 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13266 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13267 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13268 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13269 mail belongs in that group.
13271 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13272 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13273 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13274 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13275 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13276 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
13278 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13279 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13280 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13281 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13282 thinks should carry this mail message.
13284 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13285 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13286 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13287 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13289 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13290 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13291 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13292 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13293 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13295 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13298 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13299 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13300 links. If that's the case for you, set
13301 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13302 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13304 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13305 @findex nnmail-split-history
13306 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13307 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13308 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13309 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13312 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13313 Header lines longer than the value of
13314 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13317 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13318 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13319 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13320 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13321 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13322 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13323 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13324 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13326 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13327 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13328 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13329 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13330 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13331 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13332 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13333 other kinds of entries.)
13335 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13336 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13337 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13338 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13339 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13340 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13341 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13342 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13343 month's rent money.
13347 @subsection Mail Sources
13349 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13350 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13351 maildir, for instance.
13354 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13355 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13356 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13360 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13361 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13363 @cindex mail server
13366 @cindex mail source
13368 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13369 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13374 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13377 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13378 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13379 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13382 The following mail source types are available:
13386 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13392 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13393 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13394 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13398 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13401 An example file mail source:
13404 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13407 Or using the default file name:
13413 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13414 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13415 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13416 mail spool while moving the mail.
13418 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13422 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13425 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13429 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13432 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13434 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13437 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13441 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13442 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13443 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13444 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13445 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13446 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13447 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13448 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13449 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13450 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13452 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13453 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13454 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13455 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13461 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13465 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13469 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13470 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13471 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13472 predicate are considered.
13476 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13480 An example directory mail source:
13483 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13488 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13494 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13495 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13498 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13499 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13500 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13501 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13502 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13505 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13509 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13510 the user is prompted.
13513 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13514 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13517 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13520 The valid format specifier characters are:
13524 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13525 included in this string.
13528 The name of the server.
13531 The port number of the server.
13534 The user name to use.
13537 The password to use.
13540 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13541 corresponding keywords.
13544 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13545 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13548 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13549 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13552 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13553 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13554 mail should be moved to.
13556 @item :authentication
13557 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13558 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13562 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13563 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13564 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13565 programs and libraries:
13569 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13570 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13571 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13573 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13574 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13579 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13580 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13584 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13585 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13587 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13588 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13594 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13597 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13598 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13601 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13604 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13608 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13609 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13610 contains exactly one mail.
13616 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13617 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13620 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13621 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13623 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13624 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13625 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13628 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13629 from locking problems).
13633 Two example maildir mail sources:
13636 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13637 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13641 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13646 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13647 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13648 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13649 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13650 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13652 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13653 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13659 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13660 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13663 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13664 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13667 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13671 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13675 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13676 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13677 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13678 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13680 @item :authentication
13681 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13682 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13683 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13684 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13687 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13688 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13689 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13695 The valid format specifier characters are:
13699 The name of the server.
13702 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13705 The port number of the server.
13708 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13709 corresponding keywords.
13712 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13713 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13716 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13717 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13718 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13719 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13720 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13721 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13724 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13725 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13726 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13727 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13730 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13731 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13735 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13738 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13740 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13744 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13745 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13746 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13748 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13749 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13751 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13757 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13758 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13761 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13765 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13769 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13770 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13774 An example webmail source:
13777 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13779 :password "secret")
13784 @item Common Keywords
13785 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13791 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13792 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13797 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13802 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13803 useful when you use local mail and news.
13808 @subsubsection Function Interface
13810 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13811 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13812 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13813 consider the following mail-source setting:
13816 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13817 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13820 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13821 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13822 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13823 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13824 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13826 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13829 @node Mail Source Customization
13830 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13832 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13833 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13837 @item mail-source-crash-box
13838 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13839 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13840 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13842 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13843 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13844 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13845 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13846 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13847 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13848 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13849 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13851 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13852 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13853 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13854 files. This variable only applies when
13855 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13857 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13858 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13859 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13861 @item mail-source-directory
13862 @vindex mail-source-directory
13863 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13864 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13865 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13868 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13869 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13870 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13871 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13872 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13873 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13875 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13876 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13877 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13879 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13880 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13881 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13882 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13887 @node Fetching Mail
13888 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13890 @vindex mail-sources
13891 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13892 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13893 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13894 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13896 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13897 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13900 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13901 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13906 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13907 :password "secret")))
13910 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13914 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13915 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13918 :password "secret")))
13922 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13923 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13924 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13925 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13926 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13927 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13931 @node Mail Back End Variables
13932 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13934 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13938 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13939 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13940 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13941 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13943 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13944 @item nnmail-split-hook
13945 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13946 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
13947 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
13948 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13949 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13950 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13951 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13952 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13953 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13956 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13957 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13958 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13959 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13960 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13961 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13962 starting to handle the new mail) and
13963 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13964 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13965 default file modes the new mail files get:
13968 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13969 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13971 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13972 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13975 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13976 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13977 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13978 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13979 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13980 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13981 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13983 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13984 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13985 @findex delete-file
13986 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13988 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13989 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13990 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13991 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13992 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13994 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13995 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13996 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13997 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13998 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14000 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14001 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14002 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14007 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14008 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14009 @cindex mail splitting
14010 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14012 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14013 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14014 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14015 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14016 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14017 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14019 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14022 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14023 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14024 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14025 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14027 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14028 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14029 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14030 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14031 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14032 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14033 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14034 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14035 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14036 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14037 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14038 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14039 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14040 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14041 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14042 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14043 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14047 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14048 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14049 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14054 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14055 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14057 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14058 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14059 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14060 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14061 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14062 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14063 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14065 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14066 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14067 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14068 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14069 stored in one or more groups.
14071 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14072 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14073 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14076 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14077 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14079 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14080 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14081 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14082 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14085 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14086 body of the messages:
14089 (defun split-on-body ()
14093 (goto-char (point-min))
14094 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14098 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14099 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14100 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14101 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
14102 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14103 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14104 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14106 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14107 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14108 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14109 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14110 should return a split.
14113 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14117 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14118 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14119 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14120 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14121 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14123 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14124 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14125 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14126 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14127 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14128 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14129 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14133 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14135 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14136 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14138 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14141 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14142 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14143 when all this splitting is performed.
14145 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14146 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14147 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14150 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14153 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14154 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14156 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14157 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14158 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14159 groupings 1 through 9.
14161 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14162 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14163 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14165 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14166 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14167 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14168 surrounded by anything.
14171 (any "joe" "joemail")
14174 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14175 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14176 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to t, however, the
14177 match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word boundary is
14178 removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14180 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14181 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14182 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14183 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14184 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14185 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14186 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14187 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14188 it once per thread.
14190 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14191 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14192 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14193 using the colon feature, like so:
14195 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14196 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14198 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14199 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14203 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14204 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14205 in the file specified by the variable
14206 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14207 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14208 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14209 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14210 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14211 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14212 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14213 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14214 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14215 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14216 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14217 300 kBytes in size.)
14218 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14219 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14220 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14221 messages goes into the new group.
14223 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14224 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14225 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14226 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14227 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14228 ``outgoing'' group.
14231 @node Group Mail Splitting
14232 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14233 @cindex mail splitting
14234 @cindex group mail splitting
14236 @findex gnus-group-split
14237 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14238 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14239 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14240 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14241 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14242 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14243 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14244 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14246 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14247 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14248 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14249 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14251 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14252 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14253 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14254 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14255 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14256 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14257 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14259 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14260 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14261 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14262 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14263 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14264 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14265 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14267 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14268 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14269 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14270 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14271 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14272 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14273 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14274 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14275 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14276 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14277 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14278 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14279 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14281 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14286 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14287 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14289 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14290 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14291 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14292 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14294 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14297 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14298 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14299 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14302 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14303 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14304 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14308 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14309 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14310 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14314 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14317 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14318 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14319 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14320 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14321 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14322 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14323 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14324 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14325 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14327 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14328 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14329 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14330 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14331 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14332 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14333 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14334 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14335 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14337 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14338 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14339 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14340 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14341 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14342 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14345 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14348 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14349 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14350 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14351 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14352 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14355 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14356 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14357 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14358 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14360 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14361 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14362 @cindex incorporating old mail
14363 @cindex import old mail
14365 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14366 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14367 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14370 Doing so can be quite easy.
14372 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14373 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14374 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14375 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14376 your @code{nnml} groups.
14382 Go to the group buffer.
14385 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14386 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14389 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14392 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14393 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14396 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14397 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14400 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14401 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14402 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14403 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14404 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14406 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14407 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14408 using the new mail back end.
14411 @node Expiring Mail
14412 @subsection Expiring Mail
14413 @cindex article expiry
14415 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14416 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14417 different approach to mail reading.
14419 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14420 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14421 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14422 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14423 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14424 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14427 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14428 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14429 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14430 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14431 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14432 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14433 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14434 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14435 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14437 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14438 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14439 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14440 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14441 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14442 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14443 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14446 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14447 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14448 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14449 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14450 into its own group.)
14452 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14453 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14454 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14455 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14456 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14457 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14458 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14459 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14462 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14463 Groups that match the regular expression
14464 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14465 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14466 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14468 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14469 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14470 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14471 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14472 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14474 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14476 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14477 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14478 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14481 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14482 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14483 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14484 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14485 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14487 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14488 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14491 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14492 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14495 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14496 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14498 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14499 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14500 don't really mix very well.
14502 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14503 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14504 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14505 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14508 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14509 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14510 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14511 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14514 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14516 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14518 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14520 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14522 ((string= group "important")
14528 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14529 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14531 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14532 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14533 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14536 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14537 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14539 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14540 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14541 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14542 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14543 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14544 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14545 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14546 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14547 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14548 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14549 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14550 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14551 name or @code{delete}.
14553 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14555 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14558 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14559 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14560 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14561 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14562 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14565 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14566 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14567 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14568 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14569 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14572 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14573 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14574 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14575 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14576 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14577 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14579 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14580 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14581 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14582 easier for procmail users.
14584 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14585 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14586 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14587 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14588 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14589 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14590 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14591 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14592 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14593 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14594 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14595 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14596 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14599 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14601 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14602 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14603 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14604 auto-expire turned on.
14608 @subsection Washing Mail
14609 @cindex mail washing
14610 @cindex list server brain damage
14611 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14613 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14614 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14615 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14616 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14617 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14618 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14620 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14621 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14622 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14625 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14626 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14627 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14628 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14631 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14632 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14633 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14634 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14635 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14638 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14639 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14640 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14641 Emacs running on MS machines.
14645 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14646 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14647 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14648 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14651 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14652 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14653 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14654 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14656 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14657 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14658 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14659 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14660 into a feature by documenting it.)
14662 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14663 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14664 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14665 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14666 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14667 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14668 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14671 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14672 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14675 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14676 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14679 This can also be done non-destructively with
14680 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14682 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14683 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14684 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14686 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14687 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14689 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14690 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14691 @code{References} headers.
14695 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14696 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14697 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14701 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14702 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14703 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14710 @subsection Duplicates
14712 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14713 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14714 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14715 @cindex duplicate mails
14716 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14717 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14718 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14719 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14720 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14721 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14722 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14723 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14724 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14725 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14726 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14727 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14728 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14730 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14731 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14732 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14733 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14735 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14738 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14739 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14743 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14744 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14745 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14746 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14747 (any mail "mail.misc")
14748 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14754 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14755 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14756 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14760 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14761 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14762 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14763 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14764 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14767 @node Not Reading Mail
14768 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14770 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14771 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14772 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14774 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14775 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14776 mail, which should help.
14778 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14779 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14780 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14781 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14782 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14783 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14784 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14785 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14786 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14787 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14788 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14790 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14791 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14795 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14796 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14798 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14799 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14800 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14802 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14803 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14804 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14808 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14809 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14810 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14811 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14812 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14813 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14814 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14818 @node Unix Mail Box
14819 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14821 @cindex unix mail box
14823 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14824 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14825 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14826 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14827 which group it belongs in.
14829 Virtual server settings:
14832 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14833 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14834 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14837 @item nnmbox-active-file
14838 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14839 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14840 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14842 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14843 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14844 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14845 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14850 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14854 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14855 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14856 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14857 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14858 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14860 Virtual server settings:
14863 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14864 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14865 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14867 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14868 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14869 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14870 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14872 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14873 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14874 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14880 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14882 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14884 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14885 format. It should be used with some caution.
14887 @vindex nnml-directory
14888 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14889 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14890 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14891 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14893 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14896 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14897 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14898 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14899 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14900 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14901 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14902 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14903 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14905 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14906 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14907 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14908 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14910 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14912 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14913 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14914 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14915 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14916 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14917 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14918 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14919 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14922 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14923 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14924 them next time it starts.
14926 Virtual server settings:
14929 @item nnml-directory
14930 @vindex nnml-directory
14931 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14932 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14935 @item nnml-active-file
14936 @vindex nnml-active-file
14937 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14938 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14940 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14941 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14942 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14943 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14945 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14946 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14947 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14950 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14951 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14952 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14953 default is @code{nil}.
14955 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14956 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14957 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14959 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14960 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14961 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14963 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14964 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14965 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14966 default is @code{nil}.
14968 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14969 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14970 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14972 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14973 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14974 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14979 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14980 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
14981 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14982 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14983 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14984 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14985 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14990 @subsubsection MH Spool
14992 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14994 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14995 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
14996 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
14997 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15000 Virtual server settings:
15003 @item nnmh-directory
15004 @vindex nnmh-directory
15005 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15006 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15009 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15010 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15011 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15015 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15016 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15017 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15018 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15019 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15020 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15021 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15026 @subsubsection Maildir
15030 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15031 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15032 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15033 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15034 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15037 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15038 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15039 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15040 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15041 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15042 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15043 that appear as group in Gnus.
15045 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15046 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15047 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15049 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15050 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15051 another, and you will keep your marks.
15053 Virtual server settings:
15057 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15058 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15059 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15060 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15061 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15062 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15063 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15064 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15065 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15066 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15068 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15069 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15070 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15071 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15072 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15073 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15074 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15075 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15076 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15077 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15080 @item target-prefix
15081 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15082 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15083 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15086 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15087 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15088 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15089 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15090 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15091 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15092 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15093 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15094 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15096 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15097 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15098 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15099 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15100 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15102 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15103 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15104 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15105 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15106 @code{force} argument.
15108 @item directory-files
15109 This should be a function with the same interface as
15110 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15111 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15112 parameter is optional; the default is
15113 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15114 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15115 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15116 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15117 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15118 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15121 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15122 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15123 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15124 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15125 value is @code{nil}.
15127 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15128 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15129 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15130 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15131 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15134 @subsubsection Group parameters
15136 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15137 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15138 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15139 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15140 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15141 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15144 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15145 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15146 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15147 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15148 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15149 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15150 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15151 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15152 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15156 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15157 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15158 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15159 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15160 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15161 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15162 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15163 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15164 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15165 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15166 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15167 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15170 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15172 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15174 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15175 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15176 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15177 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15178 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15179 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15180 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15181 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15182 article. So that form can refer to
15183 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15184 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir} does
15185 not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15186 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15189 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15190 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15191 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15192 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15193 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15194 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15195 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15196 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15197 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15198 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15199 contain extra copies of the articles.
15201 @item directory-files
15202 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15203 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15204 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15205 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15207 @item distrust-Lines:
15208 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15209 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15210 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15213 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15214 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15215 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15216 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15217 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15218 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15221 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15222 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15223 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15224 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15225 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15226 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15227 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15229 @item nov-cache-size
15230 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15231 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15232 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15233 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15234 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15235 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15236 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15237 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15238 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15239 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15240 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15243 @subsubsection Article identification
15244 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15245 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15246 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15247 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15248 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15249 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15250 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15251 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15252 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15253 request the article in the summary buffer.
15255 @subsubsection NOV data
15256 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15257 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15258 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15259 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15260 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15261 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15262 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15263 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15264 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15265 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15266 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15268 @subsubsection Article marks
15269 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15270 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15271 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15272 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15273 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15274 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15275 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15276 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15278 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15279 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15280 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15281 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15282 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15283 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15284 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15285 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15286 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15290 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15292 @cindex mbox folders
15293 @cindex mail folders
15295 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15296 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15297 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15298 numbers and arrival dates.
15300 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15302 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15303 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15304 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15305 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15306 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15307 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15308 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15309 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15310 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15311 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15313 Virtual server settings:
15316 @item nnfolder-directory
15317 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15318 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15319 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15320 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15322 @item nnfolder-active-file
15323 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15324 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15326 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15327 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15328 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15329 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15331 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15332 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15333 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15334 default is @code{t}
15336 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15337 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15338 @cindex backup files
15339 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15340 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15341 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15342 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15345 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15346 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15348 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15351 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15352 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15353 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15354 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15355 extract some information from it before removing it.
15357 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15358 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15359 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15360 default is @code{nil}.
15362 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15363 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15364 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15366 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15367 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15368 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15369 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15371 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15372 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15373 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15374 default is @code{nil}.
15376 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15377 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15378 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15380 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15381 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15382 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15383 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15388 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15389 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15390 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15391 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15392 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15393 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15396 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15397 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15399 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15400 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15401 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15402 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15403 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15405 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15406 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15407 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15408 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15409 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15410 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15411 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15412 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15415 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15416 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15417 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15418 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15423 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15424 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15425 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15426 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15427 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15428 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15429 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15430 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15431 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15432 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15433 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15434 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15435 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15440 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15441 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15442 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15443 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15444 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15445 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15446 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15447 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15448 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15449 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15450 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15451 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15452 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15453 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15455 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15456 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15461 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15462 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15463 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15464 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15465 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15466 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15467 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15468 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15469 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15470 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15471 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15472 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15473 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15474 provided by the active file and overviews.
15476 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15477 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15478 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15479 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15480 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15483 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15484 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15489 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15490 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15491 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15492 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15493 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15494 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15495 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15499 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15500 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15501 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15502 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15503 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15504 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15505 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15506 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15507 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15509 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15510 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15511 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15512 friendly mail back end all over.
15516 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15517 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15520 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15521 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15522 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15523 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15524 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15525 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15526 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15527 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15530 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15531 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15532 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15533 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15534 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15535 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15536 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15537 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15538 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15539 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15540 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15542 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15543 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15544 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15545 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15546 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15549 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15550 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15551 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15552 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15553 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15554 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15555 removed in the future.
15557 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15558 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15559 on your file system.
15561 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15562 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15567 @node Browsing the Web
15568 @section Browsing the Web
15570 @cindex browsing the web
15574 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15575 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15576 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15577 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15578 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15579 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15580 even know what a news group is.
15582 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15583 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15584 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15585 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15586 you mad in the end.
15588 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15591 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15592 interfaces to these sources.
15596 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15597 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15598 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15599 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15600 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15601 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15604 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15606 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15607 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15608 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15609 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15610 though, you should be ok.
15612 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15613 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15614 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15615 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15616 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15618 @node Archiving Mail
15619 @subsection Archiving Mail
15620 @cindex archiving mail
15621 @cindex backup of mail
15623 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15624 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15625 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15626 marks is fairly simple.
15628 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15629 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15632 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15633 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15634 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15635 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15636 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15637 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15638 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15639 before you restore the data.
15641 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15642 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15643 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15644 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15645 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15646 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15647 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15648 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15649 is unnecessary in that case.
15652 @subsection Web Searches
15657 @cindex Usenet searches
15658 @cindex searching the Usenet
15660 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15661 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15662 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15663 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15664 searches without having to use a browser.
15666 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15667 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15668 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15669 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15670 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15672 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15673 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15674 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15675 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15676 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15677 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15678 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15679 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15680 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15681 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15684 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15685 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15686 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15687 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15688 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15689 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15691 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15692 to use @code{nnweb}.
15694 Virtual server variables:
15699 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15700 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15701 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15704 @vindex nnweb-search
15705 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15707 @item nnweb-max-hits
15708 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15709 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15712 @item nnweb-type-definition
15713 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15714 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15715 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15720 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15724 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15727 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15730 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15734 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15741 @subsection Slashdot
15745 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15746 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15747 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15749 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15750 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15753 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15754 '((nnslashdot "")))
15757 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15758 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15759 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15760 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15761 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15764 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15765 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15767 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15768 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15769 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15770 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15771 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15772 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15773 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15775 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15778 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15779 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15780 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15781 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15782 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15783 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15784 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15786 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15787 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15788 The login name to use when posting.
15790 @item nnslashdot-password
15791 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15792 The password to use when posting.
15794 @item nnslashdot-directory
15795 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15796 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15797 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15799 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15800 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15801 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15802 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15803 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15805 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15806 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15807 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15809 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15810 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15811 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15812 article. The default is
15813 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15815 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15816 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15817 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15819 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15820 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15821 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15822 updated. The default is 0.
15829 @subsection Ultimate
15831 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15833 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15834 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15835 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15836 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15838 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15839 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15840 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15841 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15842 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15843 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15844 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15846 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15849 @item nnultimate-directory
15850 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15851 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15852 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15857 @subsection Web Archive
15859 @cindex Web Archive
15861 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15862 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15863 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15864 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15867 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15868 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15869 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15870 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15871 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
15872 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15873 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15874 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15876 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15879 @item nnwarchive-directory
15880 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15881 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15882 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15884 @item nnwarchive-login
15885 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15886 The account name on the web server.
15888 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15889 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15890 The password for your account on the web server.
15898 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
15899 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
15900 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
15901 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
15902 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
15904 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
15905 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15907 @kindex G R (Summary)
15908 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you
15909 will be prompted for the location of the feed.
15911 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
15912 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET y}, then
15913 subscribe to groups.
15916 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
15917 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
15920 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
15921 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
15925 @defun nnrss-opml-export
15926 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
15927 @acronym{OPML} format.
15930 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15933 @item nnrss-directory
15934 @vindex nnrss-directory
15935 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15936 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15938 @item nnrss-use-local
15939 @vindex nnrss-use-local
15940 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
15941 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
15942 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
15943 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
15944 download script using @command{wget}.
15947 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15948 the summary buffer.
15951 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15952 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15954 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15956 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15957 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15960 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15963 (require 'browse-url)
15965 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15967 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15970 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15971 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15974 (browse-url (cdr url))
15975 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15976 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15978 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15979 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15980 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15981 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15984 @node Customizing w3
15985 @subsection Customizing w3
15991 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15992 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15993 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15995 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15996 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15997 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16000 (eval-after-load "w3"
16002 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16003 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16004 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16005 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16007 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16010 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
16011 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16018 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16020 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16021 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16022 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16023 specify the network address of the server.
16025 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16026 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16027 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16028 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16029 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16030 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16032 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16033 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16034 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16035 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16037 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16038 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16039 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16040 usage explained in this section.
16042 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16043 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16044 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16048 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16049 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16050 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16052 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16053 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16054 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16056 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16057 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16058 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16059 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16060 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16061 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16062 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16063 (nnimap-stream network))
16064 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16066 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16067 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16068 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16071 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16072 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16073 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16074 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16076 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16081 @item nnimap-address
16082 @vindex nnimap-address
16084 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16085 server name if not specified.
16087 @item nnimap-server-port
16088 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16089 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16091 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16094 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16095 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16098 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16099 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16100 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16101 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16102 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16103 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16104 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16106 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16107 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16108 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16111 Example server specification:
16114 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16115 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16116 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16119 @item nnimap-stream
16120 @vindex nnimap-stream
16121 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16122 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16123 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16124 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16125 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16127 Example server specification:
16130 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16131 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16134 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16138 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16139 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16141 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16143 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16144 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16147 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16148 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16150 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16151 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16153 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16155 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16158 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16159 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16160 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16161 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16162 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16163 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16164 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16165 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16166 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16169 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16170 needed. It is available from
16171 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16173 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16174 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16175 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16176 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16177 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16178 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16179 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16182 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16183 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16184 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16185 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16186 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16187 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16188 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16191 @vindex imap-shell-program
16192 @vindex imap-shell-host
16193 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16194 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16196 @item nnimap-authenticator
16197 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16199 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16200 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16202 Example server specification:
16205 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16206 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16209 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16213 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16214 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16216 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16219 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16220 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16222 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16224 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16226 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16229 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16231 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16232 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16233 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16234 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16235 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16236 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16239 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16240 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16241 running in circles yet?
16243 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16244 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16247 The possible options are:
16252 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16255 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16256 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16257 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16258 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16260 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16265 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16266 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16268 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16269 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16270 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16271 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16272 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16275 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16276 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16279 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16280 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16281 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16282 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16285 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16286 as ticked for other users.
16288 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16290 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16292 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16293 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16294 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16295 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16297 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16298 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16299 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16300 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16302 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16303 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16305 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16306 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16307 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16310 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16311 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16313 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16314 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16320 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16321 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16322 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16323 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16324 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16325 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16330 @node Splitting in IMAP
16331 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16332 @cindex splitting imap mail
16334 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16335 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16336 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16337 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16338 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16342 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16343 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16344 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16346 Here are the variables of interest:
16350 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16351 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16353 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16355 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16356 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16357 found will be used.
16359 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16361 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16362 @cindex splitting, inbox
16364 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16366 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16367 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16368 splitting is disabled!
16371 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16372 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16375 No nnmail equivalent.
16377 @item nnimap-split-rule
16378 @cindex splitting, rules
16379 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16381 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16384 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16385 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16386 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16387 Neither did I, we need examples.
16390 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16392 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16393 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16394 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16397 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16398 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16399 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16401 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16402 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16406 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16409 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16410 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16412 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16413 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16414 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16415 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16417 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16418 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16419 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16420 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16421 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16422 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16424 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16425 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16426 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16428 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16429 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16430 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16432 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16434 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16435 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16436 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16439 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16440 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16441 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16442 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16443 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16444 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16447 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16448 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16449 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16450 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16451 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16452 group/function elements.
16454 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16456 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16458 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16460 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16461 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16463 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16464 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16465 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16468 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16469 @cindex splitting, fancy
16470 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16471 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16473 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16474 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16475 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16477 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16478 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16479 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16480 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16485 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16486 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16489 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16491 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16492 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16493 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16495 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16496 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16497 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16498 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16502 @node Expiring in IMAP
16503 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16504 @cindex expiring imap mail
16506 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16507 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16508 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16509 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16510 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16511 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16514 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16515 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16516 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16517 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16518 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16519 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16520 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16521 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16525 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16526 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16528 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16529 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16531 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16533 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16534 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16535 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16536 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16540 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16541 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16542 @cindex editing imap acls
16543 @cindex Access Control Lists
16544 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16545 @kindex G l (Group)
16546 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16548 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16549 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16550 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16553 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16554 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16555 editing window with detailed instructions.
16557 Some possible uses:
16561 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16562 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16563 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16565 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16566 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16567 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16571 @node Expunging mailboxes
16572 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16576 @cindex manual expunging
16577 @kindex G x (Group)
16578 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16580 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16581 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16582 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16584 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16587 @node A note on namespaces
16588 @subsection A note on namespaces
16589 @cindex IMAP namespace
16592 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16593 by the following text in the RFC:
16596 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16598 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16599 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16600 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16601 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16603 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16604 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16605 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16606 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16607 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16608 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16611 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16612 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16613 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16615 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16616 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16617 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16618 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16619 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16620 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16621 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16622 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16625 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16626 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16627 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16629 @node Debugging IMAP
16630 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16631 @cindex IMAP debugging
16632 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16634 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16635 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16636 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behaviour, chances
16637 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16639 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16640 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16641 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16642 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16643 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16644 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16645 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16649 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16650 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16657 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16658 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16659 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16660 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16663 @node Other Sources
16664 @section Other Sources
16666 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16667 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16671 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16672 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16673 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16674 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16675 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16679 @node Directory Groups
16680 @subsection Directory Groups
16682 @cindex directory groups
16684 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16685 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16688 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16689 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16690 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16691 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16693 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16694 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16695 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16696 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16697 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16699 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16701 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16702 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16703 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16704 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16707 @node Anything Groups
16708 @subsection Anything Groups
16711 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16712 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16713 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16716 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16717 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16718 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16719 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16720 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16721 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16722 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16723 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16724 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16725 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16728 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16729 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16730 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16731 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16733 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16734 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16735 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16736 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16738 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16739 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16740 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16741 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16742 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16743 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16744 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16745 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16750 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16751 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16752 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16753 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16755 @item nneething-exclude-files
16756 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16757 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16758 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16760 @item nneething-include-files
16761 @vindex nneething-include-files
16762 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16763 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16765 @item nneething-map-file
16766 @vindex nneething-map-file
16767 Name of the map files.
16771 @node Document Groups
16772 @subsection Document Groups
16774 @cindex documentation group
16777 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16778 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16785 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16790 The standard Unix mbox file.
16792 @cindex MMDF mail box
16794 The MMDF mail box format.
16797 Several news articles appended into a file.
16800 @cindex rnews batch files
16801 The rnews batch transport format.
16802 @cindex forwarded messages
16805 Forwarded articles.
16808 Netscape mail boxes.
16811 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16813 @item standard-digest
16814 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16817 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16819 @item lanl-gov-announce
16820 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16822 @item rfc822-forward
16823 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16826 The Outlook mail box.
16829 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16832 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16835 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16838 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16844 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16847 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16853 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16854 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16855 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16858 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16859 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16860 group. And that's it.
16862 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16863 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16864 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16865 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16866 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16867 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16868 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16869 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16870 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16871 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16873 Virtual server variables:
16876 @item nndoc-article-type
16877 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16878 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16879 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16880 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16881 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16882 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16884 @item nndoc-post-type
16885 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16886 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16887 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16892 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16896 @node Document Server Internals
16897 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16899 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16900 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16901 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16902 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16904 First, here's an example document type definition:
16908 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16909 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16912 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16913 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16914 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16915 types can be defined with very few settings:
16918 @item first-article
16919 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16920 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16923 @item article-begin
16924 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16925 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16927 @item head-begin-function
16928 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16931 @item nndoc-head-begin
16932 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16935 @item nndoc-head-end
16936 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16937 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16939 @item body-begin-function
16940 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16944 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16947 @item body-end-function
16948 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16952 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16955 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16956 regexp will be totally ignored.
16960 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16961 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16962 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16963 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16964 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16967 @item prepare-body-function
16968 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16969 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16970 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16972 @item article-transform-function
16973 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16974 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16975 body of the article.
16977 @item generate-head-function
16978 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16979 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16980 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16981 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16985 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16990 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16991 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16992 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16993 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16994 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16995 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16996 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16997 (subtype digest guess))
17000 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17001 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17002 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17003 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17004 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17006 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17007 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17008 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17009 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17010 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17011 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17012 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17013 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17014 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17015 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17016 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17017 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17025 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17026 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17027 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17029 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17030 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17031 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17034 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17035 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17036 that interested in doing things properly.
17038 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17039 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17042 First some terminology:
17047 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17048 get news and/or mail from.
17051 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17052 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17055 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17059 @item message packets
17060 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17061 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17062 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17064 @item response packets
17065 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17066 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17067 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17077 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17078 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17079 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17080 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17083 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17086 You put the packet in your home directory.
17089 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17090 the native or secondary server.
17093 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17094 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17097 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17101 You transfer this packet to the server.
17104 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17107 You then repeat until you die.
17111 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17112 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17115 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17116 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17117 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17121 @node SOUP Commands
17122 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17124 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17128 @kindex G s b (Group)
17129 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17130 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17131 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17132 process/prefix convention.
17135 @kindex G s w (Group)
17136 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17137 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17140 @kindex G s s (Group)
17141 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17142 Send all replies from the replies packet
17143 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17146 @kindex G s p (Group)
17147 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17148 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17151 @kindex G s r (Group)
17152 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17153 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17156 @kindex O s (Summary)
17157 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17158 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17159 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17160 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17165 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17170 @item gnus-soup-directory
17171 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17172 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17173 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17175 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17176 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17177 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17178 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17180 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17181 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17182 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17183 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17185 @item gnus-soup-packer
17186 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17187 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17188 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17190 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17191 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17192 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17193 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17195 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17196 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17197 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17199 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17200 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17201 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17202 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17208 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17211 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17212 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17213 you can read them at leisure.
17215 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17219 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17220 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17221 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17222 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17224 @item nnsoup-directory
17225 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17226 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17227 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17229 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17230 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17231 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17232 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17234 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17235 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17236 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17237 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17238 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17240 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17241 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17242 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17243 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17245 @item nnsoup-active-file
17246 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17247 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17248 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17249 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17250 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17252 @item nnsoup-packer
17253 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17254 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17255 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17257 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17258 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17259 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17260 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17262 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17263 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17264 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17267 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17268 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17269 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17272 @item nnsoup-always-save
17273 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17274 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17280 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17282 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17283 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17284 more for that to happen.
17286 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17287 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17288 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17291 In specific, this is what it does:
17294 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17295 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17298 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17299 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17300 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17303 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17304 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17305 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17308 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17309 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17310 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17312 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17318 @item nngateway-address
17319 @vindex nngateway-address
17320 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17322 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17323 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17324 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17325 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17326 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17327 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17328 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17331 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17332 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17333 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17336 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17339 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17342 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17345 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17347 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17350 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17351 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17352 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17354 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17356 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17357 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17358 @code{nngateway-address}.
17366 (setq gnus-post-method
17368 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17369 (nngateway-header-transformation
17370 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17373 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17376 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17381 @node Combined Groups
17382 @section Combined Groups
17384 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17388 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17389 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17393 @node Virtual Groups
17394 @subsection Virtual Groups
17396 @cindex virtual groups
17397 @cindex merging groups
17399 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17402 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17403 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17404 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17406 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17407 regexp to match component groups.
17409 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17410 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17411 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17412 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17413 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17414 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17415 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17416 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17418 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17419 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17422 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17425 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17426 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17428 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17429 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17430 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17431 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17434 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17437 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17438 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17439 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17441 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17442 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17443 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17444 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17445 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17447 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17448 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17449 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17451 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17452 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17453 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17454 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17455 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17456 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17457 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17458 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17459 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17460 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17461 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17463 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17464 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17465 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17466 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17467 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17468 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17469 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17471 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17472 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17474 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17475 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17479 @node Kibozed Groups
17480 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17484 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17485 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17486 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17487 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17489 @kindex G k (Group)
17490 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17493 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17494 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17495 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17496 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17498 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17499 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17500 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17502 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17503 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17504 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17505 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17506 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17507 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17508 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17509 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17511 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17512 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17513 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17514 Stranger things have happened.
17516 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17517 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17519 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17520 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17521 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17522 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17523 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17524 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17525 component articles.
17527 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17528 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17531 @node Gnus Unplugged
17532 @section Gnus Unplugged
17537 @cindex Gnus unplugged
17539 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17540 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17541 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17542 read news. Believe it or not.
17544 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17545 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17546 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17547 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17548 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17550 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17551 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17552 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17553 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17554 reading news on a machine.
17556 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17557 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
17558 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
17560 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17563 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17564 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17565 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17566 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
17567 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17568 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17569 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17570 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17571 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17572 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17573 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17574 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17575 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17580 @subsection Agent Basics
17582 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17584 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17585 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17586 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17587 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17589 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17590 connected to the net continuously.
17592 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17593 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17595 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
17596 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
17597 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
17598 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
17599 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
17601 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
17602 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
17603 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
17604 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
17605 they're kinda like plugged always).
17607 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
17608 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
17609 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
17612 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
17613 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
17614 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
17615 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
17616 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
17618 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17623 @findex gnus-unplugged
17624 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17625 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17626 already fetched while in this mode.
17629 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17630 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17631 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17632 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
17633 Source Specifiers}).
17636 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
17637 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
17638 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
17639 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
17640 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
17643 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17644 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17645 then you read the news offline.
17648 And then you go to step 2.
17651 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17657 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17658 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17659 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17660 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17661 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17662 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17663 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17664 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17667 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17668 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17669 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17670 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
17672 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17673 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17674 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17675 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17676 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17677 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17681 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17685 @node Agent Categories
17686 @subsection Agent Categories
17688 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17689 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17690 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17691 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17692 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17693 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17694 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17696 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17697 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17698 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17699 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17700 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17702 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17703 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17704 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17705 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17706 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17709 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17710 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17711 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17712 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17713 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17714 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17718 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17719 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17720 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17724 @node Category Syntax
17725 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17727 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17728 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17729 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17732 @cindex Agent Parameters
17734 @item agent-cat-name
17735 The name of the category.
17738 The list of groups that are in this category.
17740 @item agent-predicate
17741 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17742 are eligible for downloading; and
17744 @item agent-score-file
17745 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17746 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17747 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17749 @item agent-enable-expiration
17750 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17751 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17752 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17753 only groups that should not be expired.
17755 @item agent-days-until-old
17756 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17757 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17759 @item agent-low-score
17760 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17762 @item agent-high-score
17763 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17765 @item agent-length-when-short
17766 an integer that overrides the value of
17767 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17769 @item agent-length-when-long
17770 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17772 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
17773 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
17774 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
17775 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
17776 undownloaded faces.
17779 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17782 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17783 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17784 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17787 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17788 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17789 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17790 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17792 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17793 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17794 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17796 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17797 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17798 operators sprinkled in between.
17800 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17802 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17803 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17809 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17810 short (for some value of ``short'').
17812 Here's a more complex predicate:
17821 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17822 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17825 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17826 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17827 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17829 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17830 you want to do, you can write your own.
17832 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17833 bound to the value determined by calling
17834 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17835 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17836 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17837 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17838 predicate to individual groups.
17842 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17843 lines; default 100.
17846 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17847 lines; default 200.
17850 True iff the article has a download score less than
17851 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17854 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17855 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17858 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17859 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17860 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17869 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17870 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17871 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17874 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17875 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17876 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17877 something along the lines of the following:
17880 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17881 "Say whether an article is old."
17882 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17883 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17886 with the predicate then defined as:
17889 (not my-article-old-p)
17892 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17893 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17897 (require 'gnus-agent)
17898 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17899 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17900 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17903 and simply specify your predicate as:
17909 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17910 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17911 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17912 just don't give a damn.
17914 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17915 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17916 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17917 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
17918 parameters like so:
17921 (agent-predicate . short)
17924 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17925 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17926 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17928 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17931 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17934 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17935 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17936 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17939 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17940 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17941 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17942 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17943 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17944 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17946 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17947 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17948 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17949 if it's to be specific to that group.
17951 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17958 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
17959 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17965 Category specification
17969 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17975 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17978 (agent-score ("from"
17979 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17984 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17990 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17991 keywords stated above.
17997 Category specification
18000 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18006 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18010 Group Parameter specification
18013 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18016 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18021 Use @code{normal} score files
18023 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18024 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18025 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18026 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18028 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18029 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18030 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18031 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18035 Category Specification
18042 Group Parameter specification
18045 (agent-score . file)
18050 @node Category Buffer
18051 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18053 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18054 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18055 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18057 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18061 @kindex q (Category)
18062 @findex gnus-category-exit
18063 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18066 @kindex e (Category)
18067 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18068 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18069 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18072 @kindex k (Category)
18073 @findex gnus-category-kill
18074 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18077 @kindex c (Category)
18078 @findex gnus-category-copy
18079 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18082 @kindex a (Category)
18083 @findex gnus-category-add
18084 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18087 @kindex p (Category)
18088 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18089 Edit the predicate of the current category
18090 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18093 @kindex g (Category)
18094 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18095 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18096 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18099 @kindex s (Category)
18100 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18101 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18102 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18105 @kindex l (Category)
18106 @findex gnus-category-list
18107 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18111 @node Category Variables
18112 @subsubsection Category Variables
18115 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18116 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18117 Hook run in category buffers.
18119 @item gnus-category-line-format
18120 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18121 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18122 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18126 The name of the category.
18129 The number of groups in the category.
18132 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18133 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18134 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18136 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18137 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18138 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18140 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18141 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18142 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18144 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18145 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18146 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18149 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18150 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18151 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18154 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18155 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18156 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18157 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18158 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18159 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18160 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18161 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18165 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18166 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18167 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18168 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18169 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18170 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18171 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18176 @node Agent Commands
18177 @subsection Agent Commands
18178 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18179 @kindex J j (Agent)
18181 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18182 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18183 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18187 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18188 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18189 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18195 @node Group Agent Commands
18196 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18200 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18201 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18202 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18203 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18206 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18207 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18208 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18211 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18212 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18213 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18214 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18217 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18218 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18219 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18220 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18223 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18224 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18225 Add the current group to an Agent category
18226 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18227 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18230 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18231 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18232 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18233 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18234 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18237 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18238 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18239 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18245 @node Summary Agent Commands
18246 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18250 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18251 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18252 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18255 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18256 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18257 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18258 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18262 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18263 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18264 Toggle whether to download the article
18265 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18269 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18270 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18271 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18274 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18275 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18276 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18277 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18280 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18281 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18282 Download all processable articles in this group.
18283 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18286 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18287 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18288 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18289 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18294 @node Server Agent Commands
18295 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18299 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18300 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18301 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18302 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18305 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18306 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18307 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18308 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18313 @node Agent Visuals
18314 @subsection Agent Visuals
18316 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18317 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18318 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18319 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18320 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18321 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18322 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18323 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18324 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18325 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18327 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18328 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18329 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18330 way, "If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18331 less than satisfying unplugged session". For this reason, the Agent
18332 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18333 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18334 articles will be available when unplugged.
18336 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18337 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18338 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18339 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18340 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18341 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18342 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18343 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18345 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18346 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18347 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18348 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18349 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18350 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18351 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18352 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18353 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18355 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18356 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18357 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18358 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18359 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18360 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18361 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18362 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18363 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18364 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18366 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18367 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18368 group parameter to t. This parameter, like all other agent
18369 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent
18370 Categories}), a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an
18371 individual group (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18373 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18374 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18375 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18376 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18377 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18378 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18379 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18380 expiring'' articles.
18382 @node Agent as Cache
18383 @subsection Agent as Cache
18385 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18386 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18387 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18388 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18389 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18390 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18391 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18392 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18393 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18395 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18396 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18397 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18398 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18399 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18402 @subsection Agent Expiry
18404 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18405 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18406 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18407 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18408 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18409 @cindex agent expiry
18410 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18413 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18414 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18415 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18416 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18417 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18418 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18419 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18420 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18422 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18423 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18424 synchronized with the group.
18426 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18427 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18429 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18430 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18431 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18432 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18433 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18434 be kept indefinitely.
18436 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18437 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18438 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18439 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18441 @node Agent Regeneration
18442 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18444 @cindex agent regeneration
18445 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18446 @cindex regeneration
18448 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18449 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18450 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18451 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18452 internal inconsistencies.
18454 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18455 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18456 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18457 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18458 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18459 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18461 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18462 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18463 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18464 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18465 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18466 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18468 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18469 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18470 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18471 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18472 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18473 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18476 @node Agent and IMAP
18477 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18479 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18480 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18481 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18482 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18484 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18485 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18486 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18487 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18489 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18490 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18491 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18492 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18494 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18495 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18496 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18497 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18498 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18499 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18501 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18502 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18503 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18504 in the group buffer.
18506 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18507 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18512 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18515 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18519 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18520 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18521 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18522 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
18523 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18524 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18525 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18526 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18529 @node Outgoing Messages
18530 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18532 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
18533 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
18534 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18536 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
18537 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
18538 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
18540 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
18541 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
18542 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
18543 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
18546 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
18547 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
18548 ask you to confirm your action (see
18549 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
18551 @node Agent Variables
18552 @subsection Agent Variables
18557 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
18558 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
18559 automatically mark some backends as agentized. You may change which
18560 backends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
18562 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
18563 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
18566 @item gnus-agent-directory
18567 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18568 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18569 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18571 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18572 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18573 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18574 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18575 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18578 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18579 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18580 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18582 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18583 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18584 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18586 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18587 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18588 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18590 @item gnus-agent-cache
18591 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18592 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18593 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18594 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18596 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18597 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18598 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18599 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18600 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18601 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18602 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18605 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18606 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18607 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18608 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18609 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18610 read. The default is t.
18612 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18613 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18614 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18615 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
18616 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
18617 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
18618 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
18619 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
18620 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
18621 over and over again.
18623 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18624 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18625 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18626 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18627 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18628 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18629 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18630 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18631 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18632 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18633 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18634 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18637 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18638 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18639 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18640 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18641 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18642 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18643 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18644 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18645 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18647 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18648 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18649 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
18650 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18651 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18652 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18654 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18655 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18656 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18657 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18658 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18660 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
18661 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
18662 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
18663 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
18664 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
18665 mail. The default is @code{t}.
18667 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18668 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
18669 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
18670 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
18671 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
18673 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18674 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
18675 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
18676 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
18677 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
18678 which backends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
18679 to agentize remote backends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
18680 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
18681 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
18682 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
18683 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
18688 @node Example Setup
18689 @subsection Example Setup
18691 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18692 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18693 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18696 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18697 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18698 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18700 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18701 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18702 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18704 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18705 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18707 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18708 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18709 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18712 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18713 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18716 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18717 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18718 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18719 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18720 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18723 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18724 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18725 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18726 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18727 back all the killed groups.)
18729 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18730 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18731 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18734 @node Batching Agents
18735 @subsection Batching Agents
18736 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18738 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18739 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18740 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18742 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18743 following incantation:
18747 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18751 @node Agent Caveats
18752 @subsection Agent Caveats
18754 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18755 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18759 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18761 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18762 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18763 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18765 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18766 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18768 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18772 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18773 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18774 locally stored articles.
18781 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18782 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18783 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18786 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18787 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18788 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18789 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18790 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18792 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18793 before generating the summary buffer.
18795 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18796 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18797 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18799 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18800 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18801 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18802 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18805 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18806 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18807 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18808 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18809 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18810 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18811 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18812 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18813 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18814 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18815 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18816 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18817 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18818 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18819 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18820 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18824 @node Summary Score Commands
18825 @section Summary Score Commands
18826 @cindex score commands
18828 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18829 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18830 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18831 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18832 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18834 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18835 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18836 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18837 score file the current one.
18839 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18844 @kindex V s (Summary)
18845 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18846 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18849 @kindex V S (Summary)
18850 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18851 Display the score of the current article
18852 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18855 @kindex V t (Summary)
18856 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18857 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18858 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18859 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
18860 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
18861 score file and edit it.
18864 @kindex V w (Summary)
18865 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18866 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18869 @kindex V R (Summary)
18870 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18871 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18872 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18873 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18874 effect you're having.
18877 @kindex V c (Summary)
18878 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18879 Make a different score file the current
18880 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18883 @kindex V e (Summary)
18884 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18885 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18886 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18890 @kindex V f (Summary)
18891 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18892 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18893 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18896 @kindex V F (Summary)
18897 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18898 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18899 after editing score files.
18902 @kindex V C (Summary)
18903 @findex gnus-score-customize
18904 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18905 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18909 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18914 @kindex V m (Summary)
18915 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18916 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18917 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18920 @kindex V x (Summary)
18921 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18922 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18923 expunge all articles below this score
18924 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18927 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18928 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18931 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18932 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18936 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18937 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18939 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18940 keys are available:
18944 Score on the author name.
18947 Score on the subject line.
18950 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18953 Score on the @code{References} line.
18959 Score on the number of lines.
18962 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18965 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18966 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18969 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18970 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18971 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18980 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18986 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18987 what headers you are scoring on.
18999 Substring matching.
19002 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19031 Greater than number.
19036 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19037 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19038 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19043 Temporary score entry.
19046 Permanent score entry.
19049 Immediately scoring.
19053 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19054 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19055 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19059 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19060 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19061 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19062 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19064 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19065 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19066 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19067 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19068 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19070 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19071 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19072 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19073 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19074 current score file.
19076 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19077 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19078 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19081 @node Group Score Commands
19082 @section Group Score Commands
19083 @cindex group score commands
19085 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19090 @kindex W e (Group)
19091 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19092 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19093 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19096 @kindex W f (Group)
19097 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19098 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19099 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19100 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19104 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19106 @findex gnus-batch-score
19107 @cindex batch scoring
19109 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19113 @node Score Variables
19114 @section Score Variables
19115 @cindex score variables
19119 @item gnus-use-scoring
19120 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19121 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19122 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19124 @item gnus-kill-killed
19125 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19126 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19127 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19128 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19129 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19130 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19131 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19133 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19134 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19135 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19136 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19137 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19139 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19140 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19141 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19142 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19144 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19145 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19146 @cindex score cache
19147 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19148 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19149 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19150 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19151 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19152 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19153 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19156 @item gnus-save-score
19157 @vindex gnus-save-score
19158 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19159 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19160 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19162 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19163 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19164 across group visits.
19166 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19167 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19168 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19169 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19170 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19171 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19172 manually entered data.
19174 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19175 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19176 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19178 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19179 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19180 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19181 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19182 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19183 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19185 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19186 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19187 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19188 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19190 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19191 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19192 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19193 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19195 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19196 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19197 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19198 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19200 Predefined functions available are:
19203 @item gnus-score-find-single
19204 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19205 Only apply the group's own score file.
19207 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19208 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19209 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19210 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19211 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19212 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19213 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19214 then a regexp match is done.
19216 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19217 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19219 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19220 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19221 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19222 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19224 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19225 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19226 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19227 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19228 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19232 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19233 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19234 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19235 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19236 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19237 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19238 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19241 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19242 overall score file, you could use the value
19244 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19245 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19248 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19249 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19250 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19251 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19252 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19254 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19255 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19256 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19257 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19258 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19259 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19260 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19261 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19263 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19264 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19265 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19267 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19268 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19269 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19270 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19271 threading---according to the current value of
19272 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19273 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19274 simplified in this manner.
19279 @node Score File Format
19280 @section Score File Format
19281 @cindex score file format
19283 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19284 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19285 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19287 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19291 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19293 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19295 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19297 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19302 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19306 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19307 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19308 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19309 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19313 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19314 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19316 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19317 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19318 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19320 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19325 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19326 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19327 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19328 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19329 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19330 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19331 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19332 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19333 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19334 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19335 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19336 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19337 to articles that matches these score entries.
19339 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19340 score entry has one to four elements.
19344 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19345 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19349 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19350 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19351 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19352 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19353 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19354 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19357 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19358 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19359 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19360 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19361 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19364 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19365 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19366 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19367 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19370 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19371 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19372 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19373 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19374 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19375 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19376 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19377 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19378 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19379 instead, if you feel like.
19382 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19383 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19384 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19385 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19386 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19387 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19391 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19392 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19396 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19397 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19399 These predicates are true if
19402 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19405 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19406 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19413 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19414 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19415 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19416 it's not. I think.)
19418 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19419 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19420 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19421 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19424 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19425 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19426 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19427 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19428 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19429 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19430 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19434 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19435 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19436 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19437 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19438 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19439 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19440 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19441 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19444 @item Head, Body, All
19445 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
19449 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
19450 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
19451 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
19452 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
19453 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
19454 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
19455 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
19459 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
19460 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
19461 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
19462 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
19463 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
19464 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
19465 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
19466 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
19467 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
19468 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
19469 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
19473 @cindex score file atoms
19475 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19476 lower than this number will be marked as read.
19479 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19480 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
19482 @item mark-and-expunge
19483 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
19484 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
19487 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
19488 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
19489 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
19490 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
19491 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19494 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19495 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19498 @item exclude-files
19499 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19500 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19504 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19505 ignored when handling global score files.
19508 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19509 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19510 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19511 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19514 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19515 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19516 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19517 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19519 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19523 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19526 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19527 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19528 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19529 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19530 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19532 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19533 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19534 scoring rules exist.
19537 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19538 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19539 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19540 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19541 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19542 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19543 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19544 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19545 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19546 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19547 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19551 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19552 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19553 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19554 file for a number of groups.
19557 @cindex local variables
19558 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19559 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19560 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19561 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19562 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19567 @node Score File Editing
19568 @section Score File Editing
19570 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19571 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19572 with a mode for that.
19574 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19575 additional commands:
19580 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19581 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19582 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19583 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19586 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19587 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19588 Insert the current date in numerical format
19589 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19590 you were wondering.
19593 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19594 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19595 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19596 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19597 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19602 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19604 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19605 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19607 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
19608 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
19611 @node Adaptive Scoring
19612 @section Adaptive Scoring
19613 @cindex adaptive scoring
19615 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19616 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19617 stupidity, to be precise.
19619 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19620 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19621 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19622 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19623 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19624 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19625 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19626 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19627 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19629 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19630 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19631 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19632 might look something like this:
19635 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19636 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19637 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19638 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19639 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19640 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19641 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19642 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19643 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19644 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19645 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19646 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19649 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19650 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19651 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19652 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19653 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19654 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19657 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19658 will be applied to each article.
19660 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19661 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19662 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19663 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19665 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19666 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19667 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19668 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19670 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19671 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19672 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19673 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19675 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19676 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19677 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19678 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19679 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19680 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19682 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19683 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19684 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19686 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19687 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19688 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19690 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19691 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19692 let you use different rules in different groups.
19694 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19695 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19696 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19699 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19700 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19701 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19702 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19703 the length of the match is less than
19704 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19705 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19708 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19709 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19710 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19711 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19712 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19715 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19716 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19717 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19718 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19719 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19722 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19723 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19724 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19725 score with 30 points.
19727 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19728 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19729 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19730 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19731 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19733 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19734 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19735 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19736 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19737 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19739 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19740 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19741 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19742 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19744 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19745 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19746 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19747 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19749 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19750 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19751 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19752 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19753 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19755 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19756 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19757 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19759 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19760 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19761 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19762 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19765 @node Home Score File
19766 @section Home Score File
19768 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19769 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19770 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19771 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19773 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19774 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19775 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19777 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19778 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19783 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19787 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19788 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19792 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19796 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19797 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19800 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19801 be used as the home score file.
19804 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19807 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19812 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19815 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19816 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19819 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19820 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19822 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19824 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19825 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19828 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19829 Other functions include
19832 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19833 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19834 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19835 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19839 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19840 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19841 their own home score files:
19844 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19845 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19846 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19847 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19848 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19851 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19852 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19853 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19854 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19855 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19857 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19858 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19859 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19860 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19861 precedence over this variable.
19864 @node Followups To Yourself
19865 @section Followups To Yourself
19867 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19868 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19869 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19870 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19871 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19872 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19876 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19877 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19878 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19881 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19882 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19883 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19887 @vindex message-sent-hook
19888 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19889 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19891 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19895 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19896 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19900 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19901 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19904 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19905 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19910 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19914 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19915 is system-dependent.
19918 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19919 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19920 @cindex scoring on other headers
19922 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19923 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19924 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19925 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19926 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19928 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19929 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
19930 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
19931 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
19932 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19934 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19937 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19938 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19941 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19942 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19943 time if you have much mail.
19945 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19946 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19952 @section Scoring Tips
19953 @cindex scoring tips
19959 @cindex scoring crossposts
19960 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19961 the @code{Xref} header.
19963 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19966 @item Multiple crossposts
19967 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19968 more than, say, 3 groups:
19971 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19975 @item Matching on the body
19976 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19977 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19978 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19979 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19980 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19981 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19982 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19985 @item Marking as read
19986 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19987 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19988 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19992 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19994 @item Negated character classes
19995 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19996 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19997 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20001 @node Reverse Scoring
20002 @section Reverse Scoring
20003 @cindex reverse scoring
20005 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20006 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20007 like this in your score file:
20011 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20016 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20017 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20020 @node Global Score Files
20021 @section Global Score Files
20022 @cindex global score files
20024 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20025 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20026 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20028 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20029 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20030 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20032 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20033 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20034 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20035 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20036 files are applicable to which group.
20038 To use the score file
20039 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20040 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20044 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20045 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20046 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20049 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20051 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20052 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20053 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20054 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20056 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20057 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20059 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20060 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20061 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20062 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20063 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20064 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20066 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20072 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20074 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20076 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20078 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20079 lowered out of existence.
20081 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20082 articles completely.
20085 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20086 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20087 old articles for a long time.
20090 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20091 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20092 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20093 holding our breath yet?
20097 @section Kill Files
20100 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20101 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20102 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20104 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20105 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20106 files into score files.
20108 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20109 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20110 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20111 that isn't a very good idea.
20113 Normal kill files look like this:
20116 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20117 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20121 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20122 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20124 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20125 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20128 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20133 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20134 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20135 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20138 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20139 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20140 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20143 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20148 @kindex M-k (Group)
20149 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20150 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20153 @kindex M-K (Group)
20154 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20155 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20158 Kill file variables:
20161 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20162 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20163 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20164 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20165 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20166 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20167 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20169 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20170 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20171 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20172 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20175 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20176 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20177 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20178 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20179 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20180 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20181 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20182 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20183 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20185 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20186 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20187 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20192 @node Converting Kill Files
20193 @section Converting Kill Files
20195 @cindex converting kill files
20197 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20198 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20199 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20202 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20203 You can fetch it from
20204 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20206 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20207 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20208 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20212 @node Advanced Scoring
20213 @section Advanced Scoring
20215 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20216 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20217 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20218 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20219 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20221 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20225 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20226 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20227 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20231 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20232 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20234 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20235 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20236 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20237 non-@code{nil} value.
20239 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20240 operator, and various match operators.
20247 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20248 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20249 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20254 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20255 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20256 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20261 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20262 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20266 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20267 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20268 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20269 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20270 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20271 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20272 the ancestry you want to go.
20274 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20275 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20276 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20277 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20278 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20281 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20282 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20284 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20285 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20288 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20289 when he's talking about Gnus:
20294 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20295 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20302 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20306 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20313 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20314 really don't want to read what he's written:
20318 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20319 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20323 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20324 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20325 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20332 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20333 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20334 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20335 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20339 The possibilities are endless.
20342 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20343 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20345 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20346 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20347 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20348 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20349 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20350 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20351 @samp{subject}) first.
20353 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20354 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20365 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20366 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20372 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20379 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20380 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20385 @section Score Decays
20386 @cindex score decays
20389 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20390 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20391 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20392 use them in any sensible way.
20394 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20395 @findex gnus-decay-score
20396 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20397 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20398 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20399 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20400 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20401 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20402 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20403 definition of that function:
20406 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20407 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20408 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20410 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20412 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20414 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20415 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20416 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20417 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20418 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20420 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20424 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20425 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20426 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20427 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20431 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20434 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20437 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20441 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20442 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20443 the new score, which should be an integer.
20445 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20446 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20451 @include message.texi
20452 @chapter Emacs MIME
20453 @include emacs-mime.texi
20455 @include sieve.texi
20457 @c @include pgg.texi
20459 @c @include sasl.texi
20467 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20468 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20469 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20470 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20471 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20472 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20473 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20474 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20475 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20476 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20477 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20478 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20479 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20480 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20481 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20482 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20483 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20484 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20485 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
20486 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20490 @node Process/Prefix
20491 @section Process/Prefix
20492 @cindex process/prefix convention
20494 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20495 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20497 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20498 command to be performed on.
20502 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20503 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20504 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20505 with the current one.
20507 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20508 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20509 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20511 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20512 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20515 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20516 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20518 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20521 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20522 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20523 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20524 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20526 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20527 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20528 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20529 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20530 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20531 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20532 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20533 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20535 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20536 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20537 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20538 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20539 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20543 @section Interactive
20544 @cindex interaction
20548 @item gnus-novice-user
20549 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20550 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20551 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20552 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20553 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20556 @item gnus-expert-user
20557 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20558 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20559 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20560 matter how strange.
20562 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20563 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20564 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20565 is @code{t} by default.
20567 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20568 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20569 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20574 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20575 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20576 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20578 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20579 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20580 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20581 rule of 900 to the current article.
20583 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20584 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20585 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20586 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20587 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20588 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20589 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20591 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20592 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20593 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20594 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20595 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20596 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20597 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20598 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20599 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20601 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20602 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20603 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20605 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20609 @node Formatting Variables
20610 @section Formatting Variables
20611 @cindex formatting variables
20613 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20614 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20615 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20616 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20617 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20620 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20621 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20622 lots of percentages everywhere.
20625 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20626 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20627 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20628 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20629 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20630 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20631 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20632 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20635 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20636 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20637 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20638 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20639 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20640 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20641 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20642 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20644 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20645 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20647 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20648 @findex gnus-update-format
20649 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20650 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20651 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20652 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20656 @node Formatting Basics
20657 @subsection Formatting Basics
20659 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20660 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20661 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20663 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20664 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20665 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20666 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20667 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20670 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20671 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20672 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20673 less than 4 characters wide.
20675 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20676 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20679 @node Mode Line Formatting
20680 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20682 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20683 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20684 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20685 with the following two differences:
20690 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20693 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20694 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20695 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20696 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20697 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20698 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20699 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20704 @node Advanced Formatting
20705 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20707 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20708 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20709 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20710 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20712 These are the valid modifiers:
20717 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20721 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20726 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20729 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20734 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20737 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20740 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20743 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20749 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20754 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20755 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20756 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20757 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20758 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20759 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20760 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20762 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20763 last operation, padding.
20765 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
20766 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
20767 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
20768 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
20769 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
20770 the look of your lines.
20771 @xref{Compilation}.
20774 @node User-Defined Specs
20775 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20777 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20778 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20779 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20780 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20781 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20782 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20783 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20784 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20785 should protect against that.
20787 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20788 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20790 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20791 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20792 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20793 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20797 @node Formatting Fonts
20798 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20800 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20801 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20802 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20803 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20806 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20807 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20808 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20809 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20810 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20811 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20813 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20814 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20815 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20816 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20817 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20818 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20819 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20820 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20821 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20822 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20823 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20826 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20829 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20830 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20831 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20833 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20834 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20835 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20836 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20837 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20838 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20839 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20841 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20842 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20843 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20846 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20847 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20849 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20850 mode-line variables.
20852 @node Positioning Point
20853 @subsection Positioning Point
20855 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20856 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20857 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20859 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20861 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20862 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20863 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20865 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20866 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20867 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20872 @subsection Tabulation
20874 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20875 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20876 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20877 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20879 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20880 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20882 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20883 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20884 This is the soft tabulator.
20886 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20887 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20888 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20891 @node Wide Characters
20892 @subsection Wide Characters
20894 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20895 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20896 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20898 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20899 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20900 these countries, that's not true.
20902 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20903 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20904 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20905 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20909 @node Window Layout
20910 @section Window Layout
20911 @cindex window layout
20913 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20915 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20916 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20917 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20918 @code{t} by default.
20920 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20921 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20923 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20924 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20925 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20928 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20929 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20930 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20934 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20935 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20936 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20937 possible names is listed below.
20939 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20940 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20943 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20947 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20948 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20949 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20950 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20951 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20952 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20953 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20954 size spec per split.
20956 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20957 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20958 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20959 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20960 present) gets focus.
20962 Here's a more complicated example:
20965 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20966 (summary 0.25 point)
20967 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20971 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20972 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20973 occupy, not a percentage.
20975 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20976 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20977 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20978 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20979 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20982 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20985 (article (horizontal 1.0
20990 (summary 0.25 point)
20995 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20996 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20998 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20999 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21000 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21001 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21002 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21004 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21005 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21006 lines from the splits.
21008 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21013 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21014 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21015 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21016 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21017 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21018 size = number | frame-params
21019 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21023 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21024 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21025 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21026 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21028 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21029 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21030 @cindex window height
21031 @cindex window width
21032 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21033 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21034 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21035 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21036 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21037 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21039 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21040 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21041 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21042 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21044 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21045 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21046 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21047 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21048 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21049 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21050 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21051 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21052 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21053 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21054 configuration list.
21057 (gnus-configure-frame
21061 (article 0.3 point))
21069 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21070 @code{frame} split:
21073 (gnus-configure-frame
21076 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21078 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21079 (user-position . t)
21080 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21085 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21086 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21087 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21088 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21089 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21090 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21091 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21092 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21094 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21095 be found in its default value.
21097 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21098 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21099 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21103 (message (horizontal 1.0
21104 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21106 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21111 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21112 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21113 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21118 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21119 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21120 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21121 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21122 (name . "Message"))
21123 (message 1.0 point))))
21126 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21127 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21128 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21129 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21130 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21133 (gnus-add-configuration
21134 '(article (vertical 1.0
21136 (summary .25 point)
21140 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21141 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21142 Gnus has been loaded.
21144 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21145 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21146 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21147 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21148 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21150 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21151 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21152 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21155 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21159 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21160 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21175 (gnus-add-configuration
21178 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21180 (summary 0.16 point)
21183 (gnus-add-configuration
21186 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21187 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21193 @node Faces and Fonts
21194 @section Faces and Fonts
21199 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21200 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21201 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21206 @section Compilation
21207 @cindex compilation
21208 @cindex byte-compilation
21210 @findex gnus-compile
21212 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21213 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21214 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21215 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21216 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21217 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21218 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21219 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21222 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21223 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21224 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21225 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21226 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21229 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21230 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21231 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21232 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21233 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21238 @section Mode Lines
21241 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21242 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21243 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21244 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21245 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21246 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21247 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21250 @cindex display-time
21252 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21253 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21254 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21255 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21256 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21257 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21258 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21259 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21262 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21264 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21265 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21267 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21268 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21269 (length display-time-string)))))
21272 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21273 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21274 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21275 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21276 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21279 @node Highlighting and Menus
21280 @section Highlighting and Menus
21282 @cindex highlighting
21285 @vindex gnus-visual
21286 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21287 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21288 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21291 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21292 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21295 @item group-highlight
21296 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21297 @item summary-highlight
21298 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21299 @item article-highlight
21300 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21302 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21304 Create menus in the group buffer.
21306 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21308 Create menus in the article buffer.
21310 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21312 Create menus in the server buffer.
21314 Create menus in the score buffers.
21316 Create menus in all buffers.
21319 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21320 buffers, you could say something like:
21323 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21326 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21329 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21332 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21333 in all Gnus buffers.
21335 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21338 @item gnus-mouse-face
21339 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21340 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21341 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21345 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21349 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21350 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21351 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21353 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21354 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21355 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21357 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21358 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21359 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21361 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21362 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21363 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21365 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21366 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21367 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21369 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21370 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21371 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21382 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21383 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21384 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21385 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21386 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21390 @vindex gnus-carpal
21391 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21392 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21393 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21398 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21399 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21400 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21402 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21403 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21404 Face used on buttons.
21406 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21407 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21408 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21410 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21411 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21412 Buttons in the group buffer.
21414 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21415 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21416 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21418 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21419 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21420 Buttons in the server buffer.
21422 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21423 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21424 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21427 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21428 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21429 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21437 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21438 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21439 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21440 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21441 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21443 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21444 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21445 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21447 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21448 been idle for thirty minutes:
21451 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21454 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21458 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21461 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
21462 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21463 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21465 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21466 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21467 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21468 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21470 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21471 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21472 @var{idle} minutes.
21474 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21475 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21478 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21479 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21480 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21482 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21483 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21484 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21485 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21487 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21488 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21490 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21492 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21495 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21496 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21497 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21498 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21499 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21500 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21501 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21502 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21503 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21504 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21505 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21507 @findex gnus-demon-init
21508 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21509 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21510 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21511 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21512 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21514 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21515 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21516 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21525 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21526 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21528 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21529 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21530 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21531 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21534 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21535 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21536 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21537 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21539 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21540 this will make spam disappear.
21542 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21545 @item gnus-use-nocem
21546 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21547 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21550 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21551 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21552 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21555 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21556 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21559 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21560 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21561 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21562 people you want to listen to. The default is
21564 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21565 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21567 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21569 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21570 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21572 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21573 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21574 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21575 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21576 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21577 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21578 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21579 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21580 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21581 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21583 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21584 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21587 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21590 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21591 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21594 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21597 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21600 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21601 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21603 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21604 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21605 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21606 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21608 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21609 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21612 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21614 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21622 This might be dangerous, though.
21624 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21625 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21626 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21627 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21629 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21630 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21631 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21632 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21633 might then see old spam.
21635 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21636 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21637 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21638 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21639 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21642 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21643 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21644 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21645 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21649 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21650 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21651 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21652 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21659 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21660 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21661 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21663 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21664 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21665 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21666 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21667 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21668 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21669 @code{undo} function.
21671 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21672 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21673 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21674 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21675 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21676 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21677 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21678 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21679 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21680 never be totally undoable.
21682 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21683 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21685 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21686 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21687 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21688 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21692 @node Predicate Specifiers
21693 @section Predicate Specifiers
21694 @cindex predicate specifiers
21696 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21697 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21698 to type all that much.
21700 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21705 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21706 gnus-article-unread-p)
21709 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21710 functions all take one parameter.
21712 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21713 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21714 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21715 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21720 @section Moderation
21723 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21724 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21725 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21728 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21732 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21735 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21737 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21742 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21743 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21744 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21747 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21748 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21751 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21752 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21756 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21759 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21760 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21764 @node Image Enhancements
21765 @section Image Enhancements
21767 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
21768 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
21769 taken advantage of that.
21772 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21773 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
21774 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21775 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21776 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21784 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21785 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21786 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21790 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21791 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21792 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21800 Gnus now uses the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program for
21801 decoding an @code{X-Face} header normally in Emacs. While it doesn't
21802 require any other external program, you may feel it is slow if you are
21803 using a slow machine. In such a case, you can modify the following
21807 @item uncompface-use-external
21808 @vindex uncompface-use-external
21809 Specify which of the internal or the external decoder should be used.
21810 @code{nil} means to use the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface}
21811 program. @code{t} means to use the external decoder. The default value
21812 is normally @code{undecided} which means to determine it by checking
21813 whether the host machine is slow, being controlled by
21814 @code{uncompface-use-external-threshold} (which see).
21816 @item uncompface-use-external-threshold
21817 @vindex uncompface-use-external-threshold
21818 A number of seconds to check whether the host machine is slow. If the
21819 host takes time larger than this value for decoding an @code{X-Face}
21820 using the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program, it will be
21821 changed to using the external decoder. The default is 0.1 seconds.
21824 If the internal decoder is invalidated or if you are using XEmacs,
21825 decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21826 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21827 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21828 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21830 The variable that controls this is the
21831 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21832 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21833 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21834 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21835 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21837 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21838 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21839 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21840 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21843 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21844 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21845 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21846 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21847 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21848 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21849 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21850 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21852 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21860 @vindex gnus-x-face
21861 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
21862 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
21863 default colors are black and white.
21865 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
21866 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
21867 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
21868 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
21869 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
21870 XEmacs. Here are examples:
21873 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
21874 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21875 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
21876 (png . (:ascent 80))))
21878 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
21879 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
21880 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
21881 (png . (:relief -2))))
21884 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
21885 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
21886 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
21887 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
21888 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
21889 @samp{libcompface} library.
21892 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21893 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21895 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21896 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21897 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21898 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21899 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21900 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21901 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21902 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21903 header data as a string.
21905 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21906 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21907 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21908 randomly generated data.
21910 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21911 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21912 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21913 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21914 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21916 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21917 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21920 (setq message-required-news-headers
21921 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21922 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21925 Using the last function would be something like this:
21928 (setq message-required-news-headers
21929 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21930 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21931 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21932 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21940 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
21942 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
21943 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
21944 represent the author of the message.
21947 @findex gnus-article-display-face
21948 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
21949 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
21952 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
21953 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
21955 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21956 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
21958 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
21959 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
21960 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
21962 @findex gnus-face-from-file
21963 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
21964 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
21965 converts the file to Face format by using the
21966 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
21968 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
21969 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21972 (setq message-required-news-headers
21973 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21974 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
21975 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
21980 @subsection Smileys
21985 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21990 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21991 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21993 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21994 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21997 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22000 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22001 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22002 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22003 text and maps that to file names.
22005 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22006 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22007 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22008 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22009 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22012 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22017 @item smiley-data-directory
22018 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22019 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22021 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22022 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22023 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22037 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22038 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22039 over your shoulder as you read news.
22041 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22050 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22051 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22052 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22053 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22054 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22055 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22056 @code{GIF} formats.
22059 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22060 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22061 point your Web browser at
22062 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22064 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22065 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22067 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22068 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22071 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22075 @item gnus-picon-databases
22076 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22077 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22078 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22079 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22080 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22082 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22083 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22084 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22085 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22087 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22088 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22089 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22090 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22092 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22093 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22094 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22095 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22096 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22098 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22099 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22100 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22101 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22107 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22110 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22111 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22112 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22113 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22114 unusual directory structure.
22116 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22117 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22118 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22119 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22121 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22122 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22123 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22124 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22125 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22126 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22128 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22129 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22130 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22135 @subsubsection Toolbar
22139 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22140 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22141 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22142 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22143 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22145 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22146 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22147 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22149 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22150 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22151 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22153 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22154 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22155 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22166 @node Fuzzy Matching
22167 @section Fuzzy Matching
22168 @cindex fuzzy matching
22170 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22171 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22173 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22174 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22175 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22177 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22178 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22179 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22180 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22181 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22184 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22185 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22189 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22191 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22192 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22193 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22194 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22195 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22196 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22197 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22198 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22201 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22202 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22203 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22204 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22205 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22206 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22208 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22211 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22212 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22213 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22214 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22215 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22216 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22219 @node The problem of spam
22220 @subsection The problem of spam
22222 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22223 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22225 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22227 First, some background on spam.
22229 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22230 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22231 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22232 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22233 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22234 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22235 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22236 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22237 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22239 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22240 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22241 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22242 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22243 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22244 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22245 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22246 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22247 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22250 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22251 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22252 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22253 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22254 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22255 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22256 from Bulgarian IPs.
22258 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22259 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22260 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22261 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22263 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22264 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22265 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22266 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22268 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22269 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22270 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22271 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22272 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22273 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22274 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22275 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22276 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22278 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22279 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22280 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22281 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22282 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22283 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22284 down for some time because of the incident.
22286 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22287 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22288 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22289 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22290 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22291 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22292 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22293 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22294 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22295 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22296 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22298 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22299 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22300 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22301 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22302 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22303 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22304 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22307 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22308 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22312 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22314 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22315 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22317 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22318 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22319 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22320 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22321 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22322 part of the mail address.)
22325 (setq message-default-news-headers
22326 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22329 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22330 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22334 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22335 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22336 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22341 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22342 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22343 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22344 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22346 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22347 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22348 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22349 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22350 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22351 your fancy split rule in this way:
22356 (to "larsi" "misc")
22360 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22361 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22362 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22363 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22364 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22366 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22367 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22368 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22369 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22371 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
22375 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22376 @cindex SpamAssassin
22377 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22380 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
22381 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22382 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22383 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22384 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22385 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22386 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22388 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
22389 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
22390 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
22393 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22394 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22395 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22396 Specifiers}) follow.
22400 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22404 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22407 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22408 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22409 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22412 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22416 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22419 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22420 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22424 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22425 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22426 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22427 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22430 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22432 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22436 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22437 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22441 Note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will not be
22442 downloaded by default. You need to set
22443 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
22444 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
22446 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22447 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22448 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22451 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22452 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22454 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22455 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22456 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22460 @subsection Hashcash
22463 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22464 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
22465 you cannot rely on everyone in the world using this technique,
22466 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
22467 in smaller communities.
22469 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22470 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22471 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22472 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22473 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22474 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
22475 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22476 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22477 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22478 one of them separately.
22481 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22482 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22483 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22484 header. For more details, and for the external application
22485 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22486 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22487 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22489 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
22493 (require 'hashcash)
22494 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
22497 The @file{hashcash.el} library can be found in the Gnus development
22498 contrib directory or at
22499 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}.
22501 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22505 @item hashcash-default-payment
22506 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22507 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22508 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22509 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22511 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22512 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22513 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22514 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22515 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22516 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22517 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22518 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22519 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22523 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
22527 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
22528 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
22529 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
22530 a useful contribution, however.
22532 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22533 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22534 @cindex spam filtering
22537 The idea behind @file{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22538 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @file{spam.el} does two things: it
22539 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22540 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @file{spam.el} to indicate
22543 First of all, you @strong{must} run the function
22544 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @code{spam.el} and to install the
22545 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
22546 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
22547 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
22550 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
22554 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
22556 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
22557 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
22558 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
22559 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
22560 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
22562 You get the following keyboard commands:
22572 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22573 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22575 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22576 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22577 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22578 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22584 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22585 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22587 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22593 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22594 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22598 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
22599 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
22600 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
22601 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
22602 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22603 * BBDB Whitelists::
22604 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
22605 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
22607 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22609 * SpamAssassin backend::
22610 * ifile spam filtering::
22611 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22613 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
22616 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22617 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
22618 @cindex spam filtering
22619 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
22622 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
22623 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
22625 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
22626 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
22629 Getting new mail is done in one of two ways. You can either split
22630 your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or spam
22631 when you enter the group.
22633 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail backends such as
22634 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
22635 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
22638 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
22639 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
22640 For backends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
22641 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
22642 backends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
22643 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
22644 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
22645 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
22646 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
22647 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
22649 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
22650 group/topic or wholesale by regex, as needed), it hooks into the
22651 process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group with unseen or
22652 unread articles becomes the substitute for checking incoming mail.
22653 Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles will be processed
22654 is determined by the @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When
22655 set to @code{t}, unread messages will be rechecked.
22657 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
22658 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
22659 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
22660 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
22661 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
22662 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
22663 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
22664 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
22665 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
22667 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
22668 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
22669 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
22670 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
22671 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
22672 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
22673 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
22674 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
22675 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
22676 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
22678 So, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied, if
22679 any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
22680 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
22681 depending on the article's classification. If the
22682 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
22683 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
22686 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
22687 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
22688 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
22689 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
22690 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
22691 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
22692 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22693 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
22694 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
22695 which is what most people want. If the
22696 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
22697 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
22699 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22700 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22702 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
22703 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
22704 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
22705 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
22706 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
22707 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
22708 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
22709 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
22710 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
22711 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
22712 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
22714 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22715 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22717 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
22718 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
22719 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
22721 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22722 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
22723 @cindex spam filtering
22724 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
22727 To use the @file{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22728 must add the following to your fancy split list
22729 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22735 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22736 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22737 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22739 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
22741 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22742 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22743 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22744 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
22745 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
22746 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
22747 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
22748 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
22749 actually give you the group
22750 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
22751 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
22753 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
22754 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
22757 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
22758 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
22761 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
22762 (any "ding" "ding")
22764 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22768 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
22769 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
22770 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
22771 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
22772 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
22773 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
22775 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
22776 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
22777 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
22782 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
22783 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
22784 (any "ding" "ding")
22785 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
22787 ;; @r{default mailbox}
22791 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
22792 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
22793 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
22794 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
22795 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
22796 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
22797 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
22799 You should still have specific checks such as
22800 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
22801 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
22802 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
22803 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
22804 is usually not critical, though.
22806 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22808 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22809 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22810 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
22811 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22812 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22813 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22814 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and
22815 that is not an appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user.
22817 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22819 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22820 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22823 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22824 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
22825 @cindex spam filtering
22826 @cindex spam filtering variables
22827 @cindex spam variables
22830 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
22831 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22832 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22833 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22834 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22835 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22836 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22837 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22838 will be detected later.
22840 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
22841 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
22842 for more information.
22844 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
22845 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22846 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22847 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22848 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22849 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22850 by customizing the corresponding variable
22851 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22852 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22853 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22854 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22855 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22856 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22857 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22860 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
22862 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22863 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
22864 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
22865 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
22866 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
22867 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
22868 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
22869 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
22870 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
22871 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
22872 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
22873 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
22874 processor which will study them as spam samples.
22876 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22877 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
22878 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22879 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22880 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22881 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22882 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22883 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
22886 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22887 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
22888 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
22889 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
22890 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
22891 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
22892 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
22897 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
22898 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
22899 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
22900 you really want to.
22903 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22904 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22905 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22906 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22907 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22908 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22911 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
22912 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22913 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22914 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22915 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22916 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22917 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22918 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22919 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
22920 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
22921 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
22922 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
22923 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
22924 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
22925 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
22927 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22928 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22930 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
22931 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
22932 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
22934 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22935 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22937 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
22938 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
22939 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
22940 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
22941 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
22943 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
22944 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
22945 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
22946 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
22947 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
22950 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
22951 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22952 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22953 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22954 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22955 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22956 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
22957 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
22958 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
22959 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
22960 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
22961 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
22962 group buffer then you need it here as well.
22964 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only backend such as
22965 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
22967 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
22968 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
22971 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
22972 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
22973 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
22974 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
22975 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
22976 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
22977 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
22979 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
22980 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
22981 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
22982 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
22984 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
22985 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
22986 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
22987 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
22988 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
22989 from the mail server.
22991 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
22992 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
22993 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
22994 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
22996 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
22997 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
22998 @cindex spam filtering
22999 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23000 @cindex spam configuration examples
23003 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23005 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23007 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23008 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23009 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23012 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23013 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23016 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23018 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23019 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23020 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23021 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23022 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23023 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23024 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23025 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23026 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23027 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23028 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23029 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23030 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23031 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23032 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23033 (any "ding" "ding")
23034 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23036 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23039 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23041 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23042 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23043 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23044 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23046 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23048 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23049 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23050 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23051 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23052 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23054 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23055 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23057 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23059 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23060 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23062 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23063 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23064 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23066 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23068 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23069 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23071 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23072 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23073 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23075 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23076 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23077 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23078 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23080 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23081 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23082 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23086 @subsubheading Using @file{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23087 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23089 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23090 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23091 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23092 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23093 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23094 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23095 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23096 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23097 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23099 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23100 does most of the job for me:
23103 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23104 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23105 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23106 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23107 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23108 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23109 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23114 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23116 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23117 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23118 bogofilter or DCC).
23120 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23121 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23122 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23123 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23124 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23125 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23126 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23128 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23129 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23130 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23131 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23132 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23133 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23135 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23137 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23138 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23139 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23140 @samp{training.ham}.
23143 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23145 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23147 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23148 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23149 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23153 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23156 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23157 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23158 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23159 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23160 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23162 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23163 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23164 @cindex spam filtering
23165 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23166 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23169 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23171 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23172 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23173 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23174 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23179 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23181 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23182 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23183 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23184 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23185 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23189 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23191 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23192 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23193 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23197 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23199 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23200 customizing the group parameters or the
23201 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23202 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23203 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23207 Instead of the obsolete
23208 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23209 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23210 the same way, we promise.
23214 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23216 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23217 customizing the group parameters or the
23218 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23219 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23220 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23225 Instead of the obsolete
23226 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23227 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23228 the same way, we promise.
23232 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23233 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23234 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23235 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23236 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23238 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23239 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23240 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23241 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23243 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23244 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23245 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23246 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23247 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23248 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23250 @node BBDB Whitelists
23251 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23252 @cindex spam filtering
23253 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23254 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23257 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23259 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23260 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23261 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23262 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23263 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23264 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23265 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23269 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23271 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23272 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23273 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23274 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23275 classified as spammers.
23279 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23281 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23282 customizing the group parameters or the
23283 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23284 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23285 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23290 Instead of the obsolete
23291 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23292 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23293 the same way, we promise.
23297 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23298 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23299 @cindex spam reporting
23300 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23301 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23304 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23306 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23307 customizing the group parameters or the
23308 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23309 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23310 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
23313 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
23317 Instead of the obsolete
23318 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
23319 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
23320 same way, we promise.
23324 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
23326 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
23327 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
23328 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
23329 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
23330 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
23335 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23336 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23337 @cindex spam filtering
23338 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
23341 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
23343 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23344 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
23345 instead of the sender address. You must have the @code{hashcash.el}
23346 package loaded for @code{spam-use-hashcash} to work properly.
23347 Messages without a hashcash payment token will be sent to the next
23348 spam-split rule. This is an explicit filter, meaning that unless a
23349 hashcash token is found, the messages are not assumed to be spam or
23355 @subsubsection Blackholes
23356 @cindex spam filtering
23357 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
23360 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
23362 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
23363 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
23364 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
23365 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
23366 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
23367 contains outdated servers.
23369 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
23370 @file{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
23371 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
23372 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
23373 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
23374 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
23378 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
23380 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
23384 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
23386 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
23387 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
23391 @defvar spam-use-dig
23393 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
23394 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
23398 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
23399 ham processor for blackholes.
23401 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
23402 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
23403 @cindex spam filtering
23404 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
23407 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
23409 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
23410 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
23411 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
23412 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
23413 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
23414 message is spam or ham, respectively.
23418 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
23420 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23421 the message, positively identify it as spam.
23425 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
23427 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
23428 the message, positively identify it as ham.
23432 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
23433 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
23436 @subsubsection Bogofilter
23437 @cindex spam filtering
23438 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
23441 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
23443 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23446 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
23447 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
23448 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
23449 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
23450 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
23451 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
23453 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
23454 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
23457 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
23458 processing will be turned off.
23460 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
23464 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
23466 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
23467 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
23468 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
23469 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
23470 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
23471 installation documents for details.
23473 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
23477 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
23478 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23479 customizing the group parameters or the
23480 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23481 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
23482 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
23486 Instead of the obsolete
23487 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23488 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23489 the same way, we promise.
23492 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
23493 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23494 customizing the group parameters or the
23495 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23496 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23497 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
23498 of non-spam messages.
23502 Instead of the obsolete
23503 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
23504 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
23505 the same way, we promise.
23508 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
23510 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
23511 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
23512 database directory.
23516 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
23517 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23518 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
23519 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
23520 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
23521 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
23523 @node SpamAssassin backend
23524 @subsubsection SpamAssassin backend
23525 @cindex spam filtering
23526 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
23529 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
23531 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
23533 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
23534 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
23535 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
23536 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
23539 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
23540 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
23541 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
23542 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
23545 You should not enable this is you use
23546 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
23550 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
23552 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
23553 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
23555 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
23559 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
23561 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
23562 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
23563 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
23564 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
23568 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
23569 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
23570 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
23571 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
23572 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
23573 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
23574 to test this functionality.
23576 @node ifile spam filtering
23577 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
23578 @cindex spam filtering
23579 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
23582 @defvar spam-use-ifile
23584 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
23585 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
23589 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
23591 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
23592 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
23593 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
23597 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
23599 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
23600 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
23601 the default value of @samp{spam}.
23604 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
23606 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
23607 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
23611 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
23612 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
23613 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
23614 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
23617 @node spam-stat spam filtering
23618 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
23619 @cindex spam filtering
23620 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
23624 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
23626 @defvar spam-use-stat
23628 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
23629 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
23633 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
23634 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23635 customizing the group parameters or the
23636 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23637 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23638 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
23642 Instead of the obsolete
23643 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23644 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23645 the same way, we promise.
23648 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
23649 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23650 customizing the group parameters or the
23651 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23652 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
23653 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
23654 of non-spam messages.
23658 Instead of the obsolete
23659 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
23660 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
23661 the same way, we promise.
23664 This enables @file{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
23665 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
23666 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
23667 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
23668 @code{spam-split} are provided.
23671 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
23672 @cindex spam filtering
23676 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
23677 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
23678 installed separately.
23680 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
23681 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
23682 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
23683 mail as a spam mail or not.
23685 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
23686 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
23687 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
23689 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
23690 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
23692 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
23693 To enable SpamOracle usage by @file{spam.el}, set the variable
23694 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
23695 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
23696 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
23697 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
23698 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
23699 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
23703 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
23704 spam-split-group "Junk"
23705 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
23706 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23707 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
23710 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
23711 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
23715 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
23716 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
23717 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
23721 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
23722 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
23723 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
23724 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
23725 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
23726 database to live somewhere special, set
23727 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
23730 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
23731 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
23732 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
23733 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
23734 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
23735 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
23736 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @file{spam.el}'s
23737 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
23738 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
23739 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
23741 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
23742 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23743 customizing the group parameter or the
23744 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23745 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
23746 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
23750 Instead of the obsolete
23751 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23752 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23753 the same way, we promise.
23756 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
23757 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23758 customizing the group parameter or the
23759 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
23760 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
23761 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
23766 Instead of the obsolete
23767 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
23768 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
23769 the same way, we promise.
23772 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
23773 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
23776 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
23777 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
23778 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
23780 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
23781 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
23782 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
23783 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
23784 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
23785 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
23787 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
23788 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
23789 @cindex spam filtering
23790 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
23791 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
23793 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
23794 incoming mail, provide the following:
23802 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
23803 "True if blackbox should be used.")
23808 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
23810 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
23814 (gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox ham spam-use-blackbox)
23815 (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox spam spam-use-blackbox)
23818 to @code{spam-list-of-processors}.
23822 (spam-use-blackbox spam-blackbox-register-routine
23824 spam-blackbox-unregister-routine
23828 to @code{spam-registration-functions}. Write the register/unregister
23829 routines using the bogofilter register/unregister routines as a
23830 start, or other restister/unregister routines more appropriate to
23836 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
23837 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other
23838 conventions. See the existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for
23839 examples of what you can do, and stick to the template unless you
23840 fully understand the reasons why you aren't.
23842 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
23843 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
23844 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
23848 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
23855 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
23856 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
23858 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
23859 variables. Instead the form @code{'(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
23860 @code{'(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
23861 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
23864 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
23865 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
23866 Only applicable to spam groups.")
23868 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
23869 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
23870 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
23879 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
23880 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
23882 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
23883 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
23884 variable customization.
23888 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
23890 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
23896 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23897 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
23898 @cindex Paul Graham
23899 @cindex Graham, Paul
23900 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
23901 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
23902 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
23904 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
23905 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
23906 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
23907 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
23908 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
23909 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
23910 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
23911 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
23912 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
23915 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
23916 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
23917 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
23918 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
23919 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
23920 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
23921 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
23922 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
23924 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
23925 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
23926 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
23927 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
23928 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
23931 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
23932 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
23933 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
23936 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23937 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
23939 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
23940 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
23941 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
23942 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
23943 need several hundred emails in both collections.
23945 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
23946 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
23947 per mail. Use the following:
23949 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
23950 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
23951 is treated as one spam mail.
23954 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
23955 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
23956 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
23959 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
23960 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
23961 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
23962 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
23963 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
23964 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
23966 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
23967 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
23968 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
23969 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
23970 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
23973 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
23974 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
23975 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
23976 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
23979 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
23980 reset the dictionary.
23982 @defun spam-stat-reset
23983 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
23986 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
23987 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
23988 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
23989 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
23990 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
23991 only non-spam mails.
23993 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
23994 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
23995 to update the dictionary incrementally.
23998 @defun spam-stat-save
23999 Save the dictionary.
24002 @defvar spam-stat-file
24003 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24004 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24007 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24008 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24010 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24011 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24014 (require 'spam-stat)
24018 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24021 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24022 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24023 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24024 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24026 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24027 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24028 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24029 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24032 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24033 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24037 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24038 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24041 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24042 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24043 expression are considered potential spam.
24046 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24047 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24048 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24052 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24053 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24054 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24055 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24056 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24059 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24060 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24061 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24065 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24066 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24067 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24068 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24069 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24073 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24074 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24075 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24076 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24081 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24082 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24084 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24086 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24087 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24088 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24091 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24092 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24093 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24096 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24097 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24098 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24099 already been processed as non-spam.
24102 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24103 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24104 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24105 been processed as spam.
24108 @defun spam-stat-save
24109 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24110 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24113 @defun spam-stat-load
24114 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24115 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24118 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24119 Return the spam score for a word.
24122 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24123 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24126 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24127 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24128 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24131 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24132 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24135 (require 'spam-stat)
24139 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24142 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24143 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24144 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24145 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24146 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24147 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24148 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24149 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24150 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24151 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24152 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24153 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24154 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24155 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24158 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24161 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24162 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24163 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24164 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24165 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24166 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24170 @section Interaction with other modes
24175 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24176 buffers. It is enabled with
24178 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24183 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24184 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24185 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24188 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24189 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24190 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24194 @findex gnus-dired-print
24195 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24196 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24199 @node Various Various
24200 @section Various Various
24206 @item gnus-home-directory
24207 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24208 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24209 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24211 @item gnus-directory
24212 @vindex gnus-directory
24213 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24214 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24215 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24217 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
24218 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24219 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24220 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24222 @item gnus-default-directory
24223 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24224 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24225 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24226 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24227 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24228 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24229 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24232 @vindex gnus-verbose
24233 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24234 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24235 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24236 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24237 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24239 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24240 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24241 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24242 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24244 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24245 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24246 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24247 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24248 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24249 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24250 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24251 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24252 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24253 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24255 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24256 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24257 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24258 read when doing the operation described above.
24260 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24261 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24263 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24264 @cindex characters in file names
24265 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24266 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24267 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24271 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24276 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24277 Windows (phooey) systems.
24279 @item gnus-hidden-properties
24280 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
24281 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
24282 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
24283 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
24285 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
24286 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
24287 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
24288 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
24289 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
24291 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
24292 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
24293 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
24295 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24296 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24298 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
24299 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
24300 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
24301 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
24304 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
24312 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
24313 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
24315 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
24317 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
24323 Not because of victories @*
24326 but for the common sunshine,@*
24328 the largess of the spring.
24332 but for the day's work done@*
24333 as well as I was able;@*
24334 not for a seat upon the dais@*
24335 but at the common table.@*
24340 @chapter Appendices
24343 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
24344 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
24345 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
24346 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
24347 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
24348 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
24349 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
24350 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
24351 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
24358 @cindex installing under XEmacs
24360 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
24361 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
24362 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
24363 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
24364 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{w3},
24365 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
24372 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
24373 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
24375 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
24376 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
24377 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
24378 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
24379 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
24381 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
24382 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
24383 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
24384 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
24385 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
24386 appropriate name, don't you think?)
24388 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
24389 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
24390 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
24391 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
24394 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
24395 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
24396 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
24397 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
24398 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
24399 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
24400 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
24401 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
24402 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
24406 @node Gnus Versions
24407 @subsection Gnus Versions
24409 @cindex September Gnus
24411 @cindex Quassia Gnus
24412 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
24415 @cindex Gnus versions
24417 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
24418 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
24419 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
24421 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
24422 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
24424 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
24425 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
24427 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
24428 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
24430 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
24431 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
24434 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
24436 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
24437 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
24438 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
24439 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
24440 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
24441 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
24444 @node Other Gnus Versions
24445 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
24448 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
24449 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
24450 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
24451 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
24453 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
24454 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
24455 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
24456 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
24463 What's the point of Gnus?
24465 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
24466 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
24467 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
24468 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
24469 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
24470 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
24471 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
24472 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
24473 keep track of millions of people who post?
24475 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
24476 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
24477 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
24478 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
24479 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
24480 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
24481 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
24482 every one of you to explore and invent.
24484 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
24485 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
24488 @node Compatibility
24489 @subsection Compatibility
24491 @cindex compatibility
24492 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
24493 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
24494 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
24499 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
24503 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
24506 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
24509 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
24510 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
24511 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
24512 important variables have their values copied into their global
24513 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
24514 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
24516 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
24517 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
24518 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
24519 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
24520 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
24524 @cindex highlighting
24525 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
24526 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
24527 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
24528 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
24529 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
24530 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
24533 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
24534 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
24535 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
24536 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
24538 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
24539 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
24540 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
24541 to stop doing it the old way.
24543 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
24545 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
24547 @cindex reporting bugs
24549 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
24550 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
24551 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
24553 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
24554 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
24555 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
24556 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
24561 @subsection Conformity
24563 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
24564 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
24572 There are no known breaches of this standard.
24576 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
24578 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
24579 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
24580 We do have some breaches to this one.
24586 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
24587 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
24588 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
24589 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
24590 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
24595 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
24596 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
24597 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
24598 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
24600 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
24601 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
24602 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
24604 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
24605 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
24607 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
24610 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
24611 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
24612 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
24613 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
24614 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
24617 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
24618 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
24619 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
24620 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
24622 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
24623 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
24625 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
24626 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
24627 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
24628 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
24629 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
24630 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
24631 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
24632 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
24636 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
24637 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
24642 @subsection Emacsen
24648 Gnus should work on:
24656 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
24660 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
24661 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
24662 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
24663 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
24664 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
24666 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
24667 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
24668 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
24672 @node Gnus Development
24673 @subsection Gnus Development
24675 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
24676 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
24677 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
24678 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
24679 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
24680 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
24681 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
24682 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
24684 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
24685 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
24686 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
24687 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
24688 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
24691 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
24692 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
24693 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
24694 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
24695 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
24697 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
24698 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
24699 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
24700 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
24701 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
24702 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
24703 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
24704 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
24705 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
24706 can't be assumed to do so.
24711 @subsection Contributors
24712 @cindex contributors
24714 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
24715 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
24716 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
24717 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
24718 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
24719 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
24720 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
24721 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
24722 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
24723 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
24725 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
24731 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
24734 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
24735 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
24736 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
24737 functionality and stuff.
24740 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
24741 well as numerous other things).
24744 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
24747 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
24750 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
24753 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
24756 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
24757 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
24760 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
24763 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
24766 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
24769 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
24772 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
24775 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
24778 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
24779 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
24782 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
24785 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
24788 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
24791 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
24795 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
24798 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
24801 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
24804 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
24805 well as autoconf support.
24809 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
24810 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
24812 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
24827 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
24829 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
24833 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
24843 Alexei V. Barantsev,
24858 Massimo Campostrini,
24863 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
24864 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
24868 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
24871 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
24877 Michael Welsh Duggan,
24882 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
24886 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
24894 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
24896 Michelangelo Grigni,
24900 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
24902 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
24904 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
24911 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
24912 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
24913 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
24915 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
24925 Peter Skov Knudsen,
24926 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
24928 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
24929 Thor Kristoffersen,
24932 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
24950 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
24951 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
24958 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
24963 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
24967 John McClary Prevost,
24973 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
24978 Christian von Roques,
24981 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
24988 Philippe Schnoebelen,
24990 Randal L. Schwartz,
25004 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25009 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25029 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25030 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25031 (550kB and counting).
25033 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25036 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25037 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25041 @subsection New Features
25042 @cindex new features
25045 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25046 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25047 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25048 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25049 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25050 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10.
25051 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
25054 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25055 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25056 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25059 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25061 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25066 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25067 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25070 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25071 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25074 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25077 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25078 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25079 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25082 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25083 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25084 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25085 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25088 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25089 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25092 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25093 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25094 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25097 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25098 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25101 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25102 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25103 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25106 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25107 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25108 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25111 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25112 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25115 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25116 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25119 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25120 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25123 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25124 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25127 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25128 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25131 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25132 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25135 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25138 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25139 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25142 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25143 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25146 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25147 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25150 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25153 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25154 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25157 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25161 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25165 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25166 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25169 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25175 @node September Gnus
25176 @subsubsection September Gnus
25180 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25184 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25189 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25190 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25194 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25195 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25199 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25203 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25204 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25207 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25211 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25214 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25217 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25220 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25224 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25225 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25228 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25232 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25236 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25240 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25244 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25247 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25248 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25251 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25255 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25256 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25259 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25262 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25263 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25264 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25267 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25271 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25274 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25278 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25279 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
25282 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
25283 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
25286 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
25287 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
25290 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
25291 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
25292 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
25295 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
25296 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
25299 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
25302 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25305 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
25308 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
25311 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
25312 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
25315 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
25319 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
25322 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
25327 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
25330 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
25334 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25337 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
25341 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
25344 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
25347 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
25348 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25351 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
25352 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
25356 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
25357 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
25360 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
25364 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
25365 buffer to allow easier treatment.
25368 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
25371 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
25375 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
25379 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
25380 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
25383 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
25387 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
25388 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25391 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
25392 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25395 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
25399 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
25402 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
25405 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
25411 @subsubsection Red Gnus
25413 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
25417 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
25424 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
25427 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
25428 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25431 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
25432 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
25436 Article washing status can be displayed in the
25437 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
25440 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
25443 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
25444 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
25447 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
25451 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
25452 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
25456 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
25457 Server Internals}).
25460 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
25464 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
25467 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
25468 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
25471 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
25472 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
25473 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
25476 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
25477 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25480 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
25481 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
25484 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
25488 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
25489 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25492 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
25493 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25496 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
25500 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
25503 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
25507 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
25508 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25511 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
25512 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
25515 A new command for reading collections of documents
25516 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
25517 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
25520 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
25524 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
25525 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
25528 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
25529 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
25530 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
25533 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
25534 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
25538 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
25542 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
25546 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
25551 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
25555 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
25559 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
25560 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
25563 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
25569 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
25571 New features in Gnus 5.6:
25576 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
25577 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
25578 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
25581 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
25582 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
25583 group, which is created automatically.
25586 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
25590 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
25593 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
25594 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
25597 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
25601 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
25604 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
25605 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
25608 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
25611 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
25615 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
25616 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
25619 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
25620 control over simplification.
25623 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
25626 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
25630 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
25633 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
25636 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
25637 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
25638 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
25641 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
25642 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
25645 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
25649 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
25650 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
25653 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
25654 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
25657 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
25661 A history of where mails have been split is available.
25664 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
25667 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
25668 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
25671 A new function for citing in Message has been
25672 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
25675 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
25678 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
25682 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
25683 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
25686 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
25687 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
25690 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
25693 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
25697 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
25698 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
25700 New features in Gnus 5.8:
25705 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
25706 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
25708 If you used procmail like in
25711 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
25712 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
25713 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
25714 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
25717 this now has changed to
25721 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
25725 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
25728 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
25729 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
25732 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
25733 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
25736 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
25737 called to position point.
25740 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
25741 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
25744 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
25745 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
25748 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
25749 subtly different manner.
25752 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
25753 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
25754 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
25757 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
25762 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
25765 New features in Gnus 5.10:
25770 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
25774 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
25775 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
25778 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
25779 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
25782 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
25784 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
25785 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
25786 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
25787 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
25788 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
25789 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
25790 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
25791 isn't save in general.
25796 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
25797 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
25798 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
25799 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
25804 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
25805 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
25806 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
25810 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
25813 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
25818 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
25819 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
25821 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
25822 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
25826 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
25827 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
25830 Retrieval of charters and control messages
25832 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
25833 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
25838 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
25839 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
25840 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
25843 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
25844 decompressed when activated.
25847 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
25848 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
25851 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
25854 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
25855 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
25858 Warn about email replies to news
25860 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
25861 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
25865 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
25866 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
25870 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
25871 opposed to old but unread messages).
25874 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
25875 Gcc articles as read.
25878 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
25881 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
25882 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
25885 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
25886 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
25889 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
25890 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
25893 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
25894 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
25897 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
25899 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
25900 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
25901 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
25902 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
25905 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
25907 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
25908 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
25909 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
25910 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
25911 the second parameter.
25913 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
25914 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
25915 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
25916 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
25917 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
25918 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
25919 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
25920 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
25921 cycle used under Unix systems.
25923 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
25927 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
25929 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
25930 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
25931 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
25932 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
25933 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
25937 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
25939 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
25940 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
25941 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
25942 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
25946 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
25948 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
25949 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
25950 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
25951 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
25953 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
25954 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
25955 message cited below.
25958 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
25961 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
25963 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
25964 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
25965 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
25966 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
25967 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
25970 (setq gnus-parameters
25972 (gnus-show-threads nil)
25973 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
25974 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
25975 (to-group . "\\1"))))
25979 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
25981 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
25985 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
25987 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
25988 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
25989 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
25990 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
25991 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
25992 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
25993 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
25994 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
25995 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
25998 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26000 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26001 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26002 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26003 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26004 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26005 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26008 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
26009 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26013 Improved anti-spam features.
26015 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26016 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26017 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26018 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26019 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26022 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26025 Face headers handling.
26028 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26029 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26032 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26035 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26037 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26038 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26039 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26040 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26041 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26042 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26043 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26044 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26045 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26048 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26050 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26051 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26052 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26053 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26054 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26055 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26056 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26057 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26058 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26059 was inserted directly.
26062 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26064 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26065 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26071 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26072 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26073 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26074 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26075 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26076 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26077 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26078 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26079 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26080 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26081 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26082 behaviour of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26083 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26084 is not needed any more.
26087 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26089 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26090 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26091 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26092 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26093 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26097 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26099 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26100 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26103 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26105 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26106 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26107 lisp directory into load-path.
26109 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26110 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26113 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26115 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26118 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26120 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26121 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26122 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26123 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26126 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26128 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26130 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26131 'bbdb-complete-name)
26135 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26137 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26138 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26139 local files as external parts.
26141 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26142 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26143 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26144 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26145 that support editing.
26148 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26150 The default value is determined from the
26151 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26152 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26153 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26156 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26158 Add a new format of match like
26160 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26161 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26163 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26165 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26166 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26170 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26172 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26173 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26174 need add those two headers too.
26177 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26179 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26180 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26181 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26184 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26185 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26186 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26190 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26192 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26195 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26197 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26200 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26202 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26203 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26204 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26207 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26209 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26213 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26215 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26216 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26217 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26218 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26219 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26220 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26221 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26222 The behaviour can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26225 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26227 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26228 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26229 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26230 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26231 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26234 Extended format specs.
26236 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26237 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26238 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26239 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26240 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26241 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26244 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26246 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26247 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26248 out other articles.
26250 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26252 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26253 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26254 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26255 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26258 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26260 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26261 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26262 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26265 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26267 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26268 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26269 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26270 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26271 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26272 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26273 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26274 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
26275 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
26276 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
26277 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
26280 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
26281 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
26284 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
26285 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
26286 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
26287 message, Message Manual}).
26290 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26291 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26293 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26294 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26295 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26297 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26301 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
26302 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
26304 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
26305 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
26306 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
26307 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
26310 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
26313 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
26316 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
26317 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
26320 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
26322 The behaviour for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
26323 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
26324 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
26325 invalidate the digital signature.
26329 @subsubsection No Gnus
26332 New features in No Gnus:
26333 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
26335 @include gnus-news.texi
26341 @section The Manual
26345 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
26346 either @code{texi2dvi}
26348 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
26349 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
26351 to get what you hold in your hands now.
26353 The following conventions have been used:
26358 This is a @samp{string}
26361 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
26364 This is a @file{file}
26367 This is a @code{symbol}
26371 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
26375 (setq flargnoze "yes")
26378 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
26381 (setq flumphel 'yes)
26384 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
26385 ever get them confused.
26389 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
26390 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
26391 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
26392 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
26393 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
26394 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
26395 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
26401 @node On Writing Manuals
26402 @section On Writing Manuals
26404 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
26405 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
26406 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
26407 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
26408 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
26409 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
26412 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
26413 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
26414 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
26417 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
26418 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
26423 @section Terminology
26425 @cindex terminology
26430 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
26431 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
26432 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
26433 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
26434 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
26438 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
26439 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
26440 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
26441 not posting, and replying is not following up.
26445 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
26449 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
26454 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
26455 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
26456 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
26457 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
26458 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
26459 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
26460 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
26461 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
26462 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
26465 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
26466 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
26467 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
26468 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
26469 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
26470 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
26472 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
26473 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
26474 access the articles.
26476 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
26477 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
26478 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
26483 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
26484 default, way of getting news.
26488 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
26489 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
26494 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
26495 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
26499 A message that has been posted as news.
26502 @cindex mail message
26503 A message that has been mailed.
26507 A mail message or news article
26511 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
26516 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
26521 A line from the head of an article.
26525 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
26526 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
26528 @item @acronym{NOV}
26529 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
26530 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
26531 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
26532 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
26533 normal @sc{head} format.
26537 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
26538 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
26539 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
26540 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
26541 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
26542 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
26544 @item killed groups
26545 @cindex killed groups
26546 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
26547 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
26549 @item zombie groups
26550 @cindex zombie groups
26551 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
26554 @cindex active file
26555 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
26556 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
26557 is rather large, as you might surmise.
26560 @cindex bogus groups
26561 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
26562 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
26563 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
26566 @cindex activating groups
26567 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
26568 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
26569 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
26573 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
26575 @item select method
26576 @cindex select method
26577 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
26580 @item virtual server
26581 @cindex virtual server
26582 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
26583 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
26584 whole is a virtual server.
26588 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
26589 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
26592 @item ephemeral groups
26593 @cindex ephemeral groups
26594 @cindex temporary groups
26595 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
26596 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
26597 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
26600 @cindex solid groups
26601 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
26602 group buffer are solid groups.
26604 @item sparse articles
26605 @cindex sparse articles
26606 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
26607 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
26611 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
26612 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
26616 @cindex thread root
26617 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
26618 articles in the thread.
26622 An article that has responses.
26626 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
26630 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
26631 specified by RFC 1153.
26634 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
26635 @cindex mail sorting
26636 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
26637 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
26638 incorrectly called mail filtering.
26644 @node Customization
26645 @section Customization
26646 @cindex general customization
26648 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
26649 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
26650 for some quite common situations.
26653 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
26654 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
26655 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
26656 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
26660 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
26661 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
26663 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
26664 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
26665 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
26669 @item gnus-read-active-file
26670 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
26671 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
26672 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26673 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
26674 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
26676 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
26677 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
26678 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
26679 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
26683 @node Slow Terminal Connection
26684 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
26686 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
26687 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
26688 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
26692 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
26693 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
26694 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
26695 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
26696 horizontal and vertical recentering.
26698 @item gnus-visible-headers
26699 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
26700 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
26701 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
26702 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
26704 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
26706 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
26707 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
26708 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
26711 @item gnus-use-full-window
26712 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
26713 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
26714 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
26715 want to read them anyway.
26717 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
26718 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
26722 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
26723 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
26724 lines, which might save some time.
26728 @node Little Disk Space
26729 @subsection Little Disk Space
26732 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
26733 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
26737 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
26738 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
26739 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26740 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26743 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
26744 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
26745 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
26746 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
26749 @item gnus-save-killed-list
26750 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
26751 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
26752 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
26753 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
26759 @subsection Slow Machine
26760 @cindex slow machine
26762 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
26763 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
26765 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
26766 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
26768 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
26769 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
26770 summary buffer faster.
26772 Gnus uses the internal ELisp-based @code{uncompface} program for
26773 decoding an @code{X-Face} header normally in Emacs. If you feel it is
26774 slow, set @code{uncompface-use-external} to @code{t}. @xref{X-Face}.
26778 @node Troubleshooting
26779 @section Troubleshooting
26780 @cindex troubleshooting
26782 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
26790 Make sure your computer is switched on.
26793 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
26794 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
26798 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
26799 like @samp{T-gnus 6.17.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
26800 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old
26801 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
26804 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
26805 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
26808 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
26809 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
26810 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
26811 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
26812 something like that.
26815 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
26818 @cindex reporting bugs
26820 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26822 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
26823 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
26824 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
26825 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
26827 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
26828 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
26829 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
26830 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
26833 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
26834 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
26835 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
26836 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
26837 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
26838 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
26840 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
26841 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
26842 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
26846 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
26847 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
26850 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
26851 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
26852 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
26853 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
26854 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
26855 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
26856 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
26857 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
26858 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
26859 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
26860 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
26861 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
26862 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
26863 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
26868 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
26869 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
26870 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
26871 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
26872 helps isolating the real problem areas).
26874 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
26875 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
26876 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
26877 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
26878 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
26879 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
26880 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
26881 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
26882 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
26883 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
26884 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
26885 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
26886 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
26889 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
26890 @cindex ding mailing list
26891 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
26892 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
26893 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
26894 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
26898 @node Gnus Reference Guide
26899 @section Gnus Reference Guide
26901 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
26902 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
26903 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
26904 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
26907 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
26908 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
26909 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
26910 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
26911 and general methods of operation.
26914 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
26915 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
26916 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
26917 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
26918 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
26919 * Group Info:: The group info format.
26920 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
26921 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
26922 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
26926 @node Gnus Utility Functions
26927 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
26928 @cindex Gnus utility functions
26929 @cindex utility functions
26931 @cindex internal variables
26933 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
26934 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
26935 Below is a list of the most common ones.
26939 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
26940 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
26941 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
26943 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
26944 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
26945 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
26947 @item gnus-group-real-name
26948 @findex gnus-group-real-name
26949 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
26952 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
26953 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
26954 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
26955 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
26957 @item gnus-get-info
26958 @findex gnus-get-info
26959 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
26961 @item gnus-group-unread
26962 @findex gnus-group-unread
26963 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
26967 @findex gnus-active
26968 The active entry for @var{group}.
26970 @item gnus-set-active
26971 @findex gnus-set-active
26972 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
26974 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26975 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
26976 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
26979 @item gnus-continuum-version
26980 @findex gnus-continuum-version
26981 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
26982 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
26985 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
26986 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
26987 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
26989 @item gnus-news-group-p
26990 @findex gnus-news-group-p
26991 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
26993 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26994 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
26995 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
26997 @item gnus-server-to-method
26998 @findex gnus-server-to-method
26999 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27001 @item gnus-server-equal
27002 @findex gnus-server-equal
27003 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27005 @item gnus-group-native-p
27006 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27007 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27009 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27010 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27011 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27013 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27014 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27015 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27017 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27018 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27019 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27020 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27022 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27023 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27024 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27026 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27027 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27028 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27030 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27031 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27032 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27033 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27036 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27040 @item gnus-read-method
27041 @findex gnus-read-method
27042 Prompts the user for a select method.
27047 @node Back End Interface
27048 @subsection Back End Interface
27050 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27051 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27052 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27053 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27054 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27055 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27057 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27058 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27059 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27060 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27061 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27062 been opened, the function should fail.
27064 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27065 name. Take this example:
27069 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27070 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27073 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27074 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27076 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27077 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27078 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27080 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27081 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27082 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27084 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27085 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27086 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27087 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27088 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27089 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27092 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27093 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27094 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27095 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27098 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27099 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27100 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27101 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27102 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27103 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27104 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27105 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27106 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27107 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27109 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27110 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27111 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27112 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27113 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27114 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27115 of numbers as long as possible.
27117 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27118 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27119 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27121 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27124 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27127 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27128 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27129 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27130 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27131 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27132 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27136 @node Required Back End Functions
27137 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
27141 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
27143 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
27144 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
27145 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27146 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27148 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27149 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27150 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27151 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27153 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27154 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27155 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27156 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27157 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27158 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27159 number, do maximum fetches.
27161 Here's an example HEAD:
27164 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27165 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27166 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27167 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27168 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27169 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27170 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27172 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27173 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27174 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27178 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27179 these in the data buffer.
27181 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27185 head = error / valid-head
27186 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27187 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27188 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27189 header = <text> eol
27193 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27195 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27196 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27200 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27201 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27202 field = <text except TAB>
27205 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27209 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27211 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27212 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27214 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27215 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27216 server. In fact, it should do so.
27218 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27219 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27222 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27224 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27225 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27228 There should be no data returned.
27231 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27233 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27234 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27235 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27236 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27238 There should be no data returned.
27241 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27243 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27244 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27245 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27246 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27248 There should be no data returned.
27251 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27253 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27255 There should be no data returned.
27258 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27260 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27261 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27262 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27263 it would be nice if that were possible.
27265 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27266 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27267 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27268 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27269 into its article buffer.
27271 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27272 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
27273 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
27274 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
27275 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
27276 on successful article retrieval.
27279 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
27281 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
27282 making @var{group} the current group.
27284 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
27287 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
27290 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
27293 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
27294 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
27295 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
27296 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
27297 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
27298 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
27299 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
27300 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
27301 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
27305 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
27306 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
27307 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
27311 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27313 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
27314 a no-op on most back ends.
27316 There should be no data returned.
27319 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
27321 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
27324 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
27327 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
27328 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
27331 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
27332 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
27333 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
27334 and the highest as 0.
27337 active-file = *active-line
27338 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
27340 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
27343 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
27344 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
27345 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
27348 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
27350 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
27351 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
27352 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
27353 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
27354 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
27355 clear if the posting could not be completed.
27357 There should be no result data from this function.
27362 @node Optional Back End Functions
27363 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
27367 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
27369 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
27370 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
27371 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
27373 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
27374 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
27375 former is in the same format as the data from
27376 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
27377 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
27380 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
27384 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
27386 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
27387 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
27388 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
27389 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
27390 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
27392 There should be no result data from this function.
27395 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
27397 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
27398 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
27399 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
27400 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
27401 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
27402 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
27403 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
27404 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
27406 There should be no result data from this function.
27409 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
27411 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
27412 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
27413 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
27414 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
27415 propagate the mark information to the server.
27417 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
27420 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
27423 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
27424 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
27425 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
27426 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
27427 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
27428 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
27429 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
27430 possible, not limit itself to these.
27432 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
27433 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
27434 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
27435 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
27437 An example action list:
27440 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
27441 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
27442 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
27445 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
27446 mark on (currently not used for anything).
27448 There should be no result data from this function.
27450 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
27452 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
27453 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
27454 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
27455 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
27456 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
27458 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
27459 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
27460 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
27463 There should be no result data from this function.
27466 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
27468 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
27469 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
27470 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
27471 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
27472 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
27473 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
27474 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
27475 local if that's practical.
27477 There should be no result data from this function.
27480 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
27482 The result data from this function should be a description of
27486 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
27488 description = <text>
27491 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
27493 The result data from this function should be the description of all
27494 groups available on the server.
27497 description-buffer = *description-line
27501 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
27503 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
27504 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
27505 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
27506 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
27507 in the active buffer format.
27509 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
27510 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
27511 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
27512 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
27513 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
27514 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
27515 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
27518 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27520 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
27522 There should be no return data.
27525 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
27527 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
27528 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
27529 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
27530 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
27531 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
27534 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
27537 There should be no result data returned.
27540 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
27542 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
27543 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
27545 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
27546 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
27547 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
27548 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
27549 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
27550 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
27552 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
27553 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
27556 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27557 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27559 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
27560 article for that group.
27562 There should be no data returned.
27565 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
27567 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
27568 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
27569 this function in short order.
27571 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
27572 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
27574 There should be no data returned.
27577 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
27579 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
27580 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
27582 There should be no data returned.
27585 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
27587 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
27588 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
27589 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
27591 There should be no data returned.
27594 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
27596 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
27597 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
27599 There should be no data returned.
27604 @node Error Messaging
27605 @subsubsection Error Messaging
27607 @findex nnheader-report
27608 @findex nnheader-get-report
27609 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
27610 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
27611 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
27612 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
27613 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
27614 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
27617 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
27619 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
27622 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
27623 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
27624 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
27625 takes one argument---the server symbol.
27627 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
27628 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
27629 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
27632 @node Writing New Back Ends
27633 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
27635 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
27636 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
27637 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
27638 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
27639 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
27642 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
27643 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
27644 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
27646 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
27647 package called @code{nnoo}.
27649 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
27650 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
27656 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
27657 parameters. For instance:
27660 (nnoo-declare nndir
27664 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
27665 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
27668 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
27669 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
27670 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
27672 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
27673 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
27674 a function in those back ends.
27677 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27678 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27679 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27682 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
27683 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
27684 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
27686 @item nnoo-define-basics
27687 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
27691 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27695 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
27696 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
27697 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
27699 @item nnoo-map-functions
27700 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
27701 functions from the parent back ends.
27704 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27705 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27706 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
27709 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
27710 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
27711 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
27712 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
27715 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
27716 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
27717 haven't already been defined.
27723 nnmh-request-newgroups)
27727 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
27728 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
27729 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
27734 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
27737 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
27738 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
27742 (require 'nnheader)
27746 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
27748 (nnoo-declare nndir
27751 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
27752 "Where nndir will look for groups."
27753 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
27755 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
27756 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
27759 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
27761 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
27762 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
27763 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
27765 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
27766 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
27768 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
27770 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
27772 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
27773 (setq nndir-directory
27774 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
27776 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
27777 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
27778 (push `(nndir-current-group
27779 ,(file-name-nondirectory
27780 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27782 (push `(nndir-top-directory
27783 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
27785 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
27787 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
27788 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27789 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
27790 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
27791 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
27795 nnmh-status-message
27797 nnmh-request-newgroups))
27803 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27804 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
27806 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
27807 @findex gnus-declare-backend
27808 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
27809 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
27810 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
27812 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
27813 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
27818 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
27821 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
27823 The abilities can be:
27827 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
27829 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
27831 This back end supports both mail and news.
27833 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
27836 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
27837 articles and groups.
27839 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
27840 true for almost all back ends.
27841 @item prompt-address
27842 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
27843 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
27844 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
27848 @node Mail-like Back Ends
27849 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
27851 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
27852 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
27853 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
27854 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
27857 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
27858 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
27859 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
27862 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
27863 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
27866 This function takes four parameters.
27870 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
27873 @item exit-function
27874 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
27876 @item temp-directory
27877 Where the temporary files should be stored.
27880 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
27881 performed for one group only.
27884 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
27885 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
27886 find the article number assigned to this article.
27888 The function also uses the following variables:
27889 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
27890 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
27891 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
27892 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
27896 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
27897 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
27901 @node Score File Syntax
27902 @subsection Score File Syntax
27904 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
27905 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
27906 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
27908 Here's a typical score file:
27912 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
27919 BNF definition of a score file:
27922 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
27923 element = rule / atom
27924 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
27925 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
27926 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
27927 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
27929 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
27930 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
27931 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
27932 date-header = "date"
27933 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27934 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27935 score = "nil" / <integer>
27936 date = "nil" / <natural number>
27937 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
27938 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
27939 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
27940 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
27941 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27942 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
27943 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
27944 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
27945 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
27946 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
27947 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
27948 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
27949 exclude-files / read-only / touched
27950 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
27951 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
27952 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
27953 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
27954 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
27955 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
27956 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
27957 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
27958 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
27959 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
27960 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
27961 eval = "eval" space <form>
27962 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
27965 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
27968 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
27969 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
27970 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
27971 one looong line, then that's ok.
27973 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
27974 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27978 @subsection Headers
27980 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
27981 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
27982 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
27983 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
27985 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
27986 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
27987 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
27988 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
27989 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
27990 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
27991 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
27993 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
27994 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
27995 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
27996 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
27997 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
27999 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28000 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28006 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28007 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28009 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28010 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28011 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28012 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28014 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28018 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28021 is transformed into
28024 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28027 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28028 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28031 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28034 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28035 is slightly tricky:
28038 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28044 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28047 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28053 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28060 and is equal to the previous range.
28062 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28063 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28064 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28068 range = simple-range / normal-range
28069 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28070 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28071 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28072 number *[ " " contents ]
28075 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28076 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28077 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28078 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28079 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28084 @subsection Group Info
28086 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28087 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28088 describes the group.
28090 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28091 second is a more complex one:
28094 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28096 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28097 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28099 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28102 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28103 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28104 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28105 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28106 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28107 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28108 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28109 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28110 this section is about.
28112 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28113 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28114 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28116 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28119 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28120 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28121 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28122 group = quote <string> quote
28123 ralevel = rank / level
28124 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28125 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28126 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28128 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28129 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28130 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28131 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28134 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28135 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
28138 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
28139 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
28142 @item gnus-info-group
28143 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
28144 @findex gnus-info-group
28145 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28146 Get/set the group name.
28148 @item gnus-info-rank
28149 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28150 @findex gnus-info-rank
28151 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28152 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28154 @item gnus-info-level
28155 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28156 @findex gnus-info-level
28157 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28158 Get/set the group level.
28160 @item gnus-info-score
28161 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28162 @findex gnus-info-score
28163 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28164 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28166 @item gnus-info-read
28167 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28168 @findex gnus-info-read
28169 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28170 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28172 @item gnus-info-marks
28173 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28174 @findex gnus-info-marks
28175 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28176 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28178 @item gnus-info-method
28179 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28180 @findex gnus-info-method
28181 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28182 Get/set the group select method.
28184 @item gnus-info-params
28185 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28186 @findex gnus-info-params
28187 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28188 Get/set the group parameters.
28191 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28192 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28194 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28195 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28196 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28197 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28200 @node Extended Interactive
28201 @subsection Extended Interactive
28202 @cindex interactive
28203 @findex gnus-interactive
28205 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28206 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28207 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28210 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28211 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28216 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28217 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28218 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28219 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28220 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28221 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28222 @code{interactive}.
28224 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28229 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28230 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28234 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28235 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28236 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28239 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28243 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28247 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28253 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28254 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28258 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28259 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28260 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28262 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28263 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28264 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28265 Gnus, that's very useful.
28267 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28268 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28269 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28270 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
28271 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
28272 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
28273 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
28274 following function:
28277 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
28281 (,function ,@@args))
28285 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
28286 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
28287 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
28290 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
28291 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
28292 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
28294 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
28295 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
28296 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
28299 @node Various File Formats
28300 @subsection Various File Formats
28303 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
28304 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
28308 @node Active File Format
28309 @subsubsection Active File Format
28311 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
28312 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
28315 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
28318 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
28319 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
28320 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
28321 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
28322 no.general 1000 900 y
28325 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
28328 active = *group-line
28329 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
28330 group = <non-white-space string>
28332 high-number = <non-negative integer>
28333 low-number = <positive integer>
28334 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
28337 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
28338 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
28341 @node Newsgroups File Format
28342 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
28344 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
28345 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
28346 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
28349 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
28350 Here's the definition:
28354 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
28355 group = <non-white-space string>
28357 description = <string>
28362 @node Emacs for Heathens
28363 @section Emacs for Heathens
28365 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
28366 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
28367 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
28368 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
28369 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
28370 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
28371 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
28375 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
28376 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
28381 @subsection Keystrokes
28385 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
28388 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
28391 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
28392 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
28393 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
28394 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
28395 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
28396 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
28398 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
28399 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
28400 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
28401 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
28402 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
28403 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
28404 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
28406 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
28407 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
28408 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
28409 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
28410 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
28411 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
28412 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
28414 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
28415 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
28416 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
28417 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
28418 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
28424 @subsection Emacs Lisp
28426 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
28427 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
28428 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
28429 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
28431 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
28432 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
28433 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
28434 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
28435 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
28436 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
28437 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
28440 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
28441 write the following:
28444 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
28447 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
28448 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
28449 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
28452 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
28453 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
28454 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
28455 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
28456 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
28458 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
28459 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
28460 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
28464 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
28468 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
28471 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
28472 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
28475 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
28478 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
28479 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
28482 @include gnus-faq.texi
28502 @c Local Variables:
28504 @c coding: iso-8859-1