1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Semi-gnus 6.4.0 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The news reader gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
19 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
20 \usepackage{pagestyle}
28 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
29 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
31 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
33 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
34 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
41 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
42 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
45 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
54 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
55 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
56 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
57 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
58 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
59 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
60 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
62 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
66 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
68 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
71 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
73 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
80 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
82 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
84 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
85 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
88 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
89 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
90 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
95 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
97 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
104 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
105 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1cm}}}
108 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
109 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
112 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
113 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
116 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
117 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
120 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
122 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
123 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
127 \newenvironment{codelist}%
132 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
138 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
143 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
148 \newenvironment{samplist}%
153 \newenvironment{varlist}%
158 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
163 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
164 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
165 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
167 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
172 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
176 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
185 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
187 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
192 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
197 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
201 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
209 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
211 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
221 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
225 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
233 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
235 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
240 \pagenumbering{roman}
241 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
251 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
252 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
254 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
256 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
259 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
262 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
269 \thispagestyle{empty}
271 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
273 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
274 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
275 are preserved on all copies.
277 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
278 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
279 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
280 permission notice identical to this one.
282 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
283 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
292 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
294 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
296 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
297 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
298 are preserved on all copies.
301 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
302 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
303 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
304 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
308 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
309 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
310 permission notice identical to this one.
312 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
313 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
319 @title Semi-gnus 6.4.0 Manual
321 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
324 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
325 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
327 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
328 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
329 are preserved on all copies.
331 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
332 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
333 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
334 permission notice identical to this one.
336 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
337 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
346 @top The gnus Newsreader
350 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
351 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
352 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
355 Semi-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So Semi-gnus
356 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
357 other various kinds of formats. Semi-gnus also supports
358 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
359 API. So Semi-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
360 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
362 This manual corresponds to Semi-gnus 6.4.0.
373 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
374 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
376 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
377 being accused of plagiarism:
379 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
380 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
381 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
382 even read news with it!
384 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
385 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
386 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
387 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
388 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
395 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
396 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
397 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
398 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
399 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
400 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
401 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
402 * Various:: General purpose settings.
403 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
404 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
405 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
406 * Key Index:: Key Index.
410 @chapter Starting gnus
415 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
416 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
419 @findex gnus-other-frame
420 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
421 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
422 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
424 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
425 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
426 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
428 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
429 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
432 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
433 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
434 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
435 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
436 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
437 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
438 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
439 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
440 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
441 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
442 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
446 @node Finding the News
447 @section Finding the News
450 @vindex gnus-select-method
452 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
453 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
454 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
455 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are foreign
458 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
459 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
462 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
465 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
468 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
471 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
472 certainly be much faster.
474 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
476 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
477 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
478 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
479 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
480 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
481 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an
482 @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
484 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
485 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
486 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
487 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
489 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
490 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
491 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
492 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
493 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
494 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
496 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
498 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
499 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
500 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
501 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
502 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
503 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
505 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
507 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
508 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
509 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
510 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
511 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
512 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
515 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
516 would typically set this variable to
519 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
524 @section The First Time
525 @cindex first time usage
527 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
528 be subscribed by default.
530 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
531 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
532 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
533 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
536 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
537 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
538 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
540 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
541 help you with most common problems.
543 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
544 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
548 @node The Server is Down
549 @section The Server is Down
550 @cindex server errors
552 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
553 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
554 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
556 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
557 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
558 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
559 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
560 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
561 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
562 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
564 @findex gnus-no-server
565 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
567 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
568 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
569 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
570 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
571 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
572 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
577 @section Slave Gnusae
580 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
581 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if
582 you are using the two different gnusae to read from two different
583 servers), that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
585 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
588 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
589 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and @dfn{slaves}.
590 (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have taken out a
591 copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in conjunction
592 with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to me. Usage of
593 the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer Applications})
594 will be much more expensive, of course.)
596 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
597 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
598 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
599 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
600 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
601 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
602 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
603 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
605 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
606 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
609 @node Fetching a Group
610 @section Fetching a Group
611 @cindex fetching a group
613 @findex gnus-fetch-group
614 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
615 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
616 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
617 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
618 It takes the group name as a parameter.
626 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
627 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
628 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
629 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
630 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
631 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
632 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
633 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
634 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
637 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
638 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
639 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
643 @node Checking New Groups
644 @subsection Checking New Groups
646 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
647 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
648 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
649 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
650 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
651 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
652 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
653 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
654 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
655 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
657 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
658 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
659 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
660 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
661 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't work.
662 I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server supports
663 @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't. You could
664 @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see whether it lists
665 @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If it does, then it
666 might work. (But there are servers that lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} without
667 supporting the function properly.)
669 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
670 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
671 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
672 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
673 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
674 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
677 @node Subscription Methods
678 @subsection Subscription Methods
680 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
681 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
682 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
684 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
685 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
687 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
691 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
692 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
693 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
694 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
695 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
697 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
698 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
699 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
700 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
702 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
703 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
704 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
706 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
707 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
708 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
709 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
710 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
711 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
712 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
713 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
714 up. Or something like that.
716 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
717 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
718 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask you
719 about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe to
720 will be subscribed hierarchically.
722 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
723 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
728 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
729 A closely related variable is
730 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
731 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
732 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
733 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
736 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
737 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
738 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
739 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
742 @node Filtering New Groups
743 @subsection Filtering New Groups
745 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
746 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
747 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
750 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
753 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
754 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
755 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
756 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
757 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
758 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
759 subscribing these groups.
760 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
761 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
763 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
764 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
765 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
766 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
767 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
768 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
769 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
770 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
772 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
773 Yet another variable that meddles here is
774 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
775 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
776 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
777 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
778 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
779 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
780 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
781 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
783 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
784 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
787 @node Changing Servers
788 @section Changing Servers
789 @cindex changing servers
791 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
792 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
793 very flaky and you want to use another.
795 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
796 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
800 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
801 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
802 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
803 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
806 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
807 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
808 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
809 functions more than absolutely necessary.
811 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
812 @findex gnus-change-server
813 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
814 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
815 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
816 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
817 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
819 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
820 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
821 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
822 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
823 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
825 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
826 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
827 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
828 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
829 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
830 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
834 @section Startup Files
835 @cindex startup files
840 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
841 information is traditionally stored in this file.
843 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{GNUS}. In addition to
844 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
845 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
846 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
847 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{GNUS} would read whichever one of these
848 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
849 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
851 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
852 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
853 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
854 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
855 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
856 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
858 In addition, gnus does not change anything. Hail comrade Lars!
860 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
861 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
862 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
863 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
864 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
865 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
867 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
868 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
869 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
870 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
871 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
872 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
873 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
874 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
875 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
876 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
877 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
878 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
880 @vindex gnus-startup-file
881 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
882 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
883 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
885 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
886 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
887 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
888 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
889 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
890 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
891 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
892 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
893 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
894 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
897 (defun turn-off-backup ()
898 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
900 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
901 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
904 @vindex gnus-init-file
905 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
906 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
907 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
908 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
909 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
910 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
911 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
912 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
913 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
922 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
923 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
924 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
925 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
926 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
929 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
930 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file
933 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
934 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
935 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
937 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
938 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
939 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
940 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
941 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
942 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
945 @node The Active File
946 @section The Active File
948 @cindex ignored groups
950 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
951 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
952 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
954 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
955 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
956 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
957 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
958 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
959 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
960 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
963 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
964 @c if you set it to anything else.
966 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
968 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
969 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
970 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
972 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
973 you actually subscribe to.
975 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
976 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
977 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
978 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
980 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
981 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
982 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
983 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
984 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
985 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
987 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
988 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
989 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
990 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
991 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
992 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
994 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
995 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
997 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
998 secondary select methods.
1001 @node Startup Variables
1002 @section Startup Variables
1006 @item gnus-load-hook
1007 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1008 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1009 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1010 times you start gnus.
1012 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1013 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1014 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1016 @item gnus-startup-hook
1017 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1018 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1020 @item gnus-started-hook
1021 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1022 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1025 @item gnus-started-hook
1026 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1027 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1028 generating the group buffer.
1030 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1031 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1032 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1033 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1034 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1035 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1036 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1037 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1039 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1040 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1041 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1042 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1043 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1044 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1046 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1047 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1048 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1050 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1051 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1052 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1054 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1055 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1056 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1057 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1062 @node The Group Buffer
1063 @chapter The Group Buffer
1064 @cindex group buffer
1066 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1067 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1068 long as gnus is active.
1072 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1073 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1074 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1075 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1076 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1077 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1078 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1079 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1085 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1086 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1087 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1088 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1089 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1090 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1091 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1092 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1093 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1094 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1095 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1096 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1097 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1098 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1099 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1100 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1101 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1105 @node Group Buffer Format
1106 @section Group Buffer Format
1109 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1110 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1111 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1115 @node Group Line Specification
1116 @subsection Group Line Specification
1117 @cindex group buffer format
1119 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1120 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1122 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1125 25: news.announce.newusers
1126 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1131 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1132 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1133 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1134 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1136 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1137 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1138 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1139 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1140 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1141 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1143 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1145 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1146 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1147 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1148 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1151 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1152 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1153 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1155 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1160 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1163 Whether the group is subscribed.
1166 Level of subscribedness.
1169 Number of unread articles.
1172 Number of dormant articles.
1175 Number of ticked articles.
1178 Number of read articles.
1181 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1182 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1185 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1188 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1197 Newsgroup description.
1200 @samp{m} if moderated.
1203 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1212 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1216 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1219 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1220 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1221 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1222 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1223 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1226 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1228 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1232 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1236 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1237 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1238 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1239 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1240 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1241 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1246 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1247 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1248 group, or a bogus native group.
1251 @node Group Modeline Specification
1252 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1253 @cindex group modeline
1255 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1256 The mode line can be changed by setting
1257 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1258 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1262 The native news server.
1264 The native select method.
1268 @node Group Highlighting
1269 @subsection Group Highlighting
1270 @cindex highlighting
1271 @cindex group highlighting
1273 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1274 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1275 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1276 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1277 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1279 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1283 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1284 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1285 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1286 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1287 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1289 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1290 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1291 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1292 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1293 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1294 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1297 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1299 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1306 The number of unread articles in the group.
1310 Whether the group is a mail group.
1312 The level of the group.
1314 The score of the group.
1316 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1318 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1319 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1321 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1322 topic being inserted.
1325 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1326 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1327 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1329 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1330 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1331 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1332 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1333 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1336 @node Group Maneuvering
1337 @section Group Maneuvering
1338 @cindex group movement
1340 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1341 expected, hopefully.
1347 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1348 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1349 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1355 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1356 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1357 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1361 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1362 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1366 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1367 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1371 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1372 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1373 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1377 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1378 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1379 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1382 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1388 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1389 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1390 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1395 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1396 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1397 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1401 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1402 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1403 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1406 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1407 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1408 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1409 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1413 @node Selecting a Group
1414 @section Selecting a Group
1415 @cindex group selection
1420 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1421 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1422 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1423 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1424 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1425 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1426 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1427 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1428 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1429 negative, gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1433 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1434 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1435 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1436 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1437 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1441 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1442 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1443 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1444 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1445 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1446 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1447 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1448 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1449 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1450 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1453 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1454 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1455 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1456 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1457 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1460 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1461 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1462 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1463 doing any processing of its contents
1464 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1465 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1466 manner will have no permanent effects.
1470 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1471 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1472 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1473 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1474 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1475 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1476 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1477 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1480 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1481 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1482 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1483 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1488 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1489 full summary buffer.
1492 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1495 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1499 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1500 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1501 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1505 @node Subscription Commands
1506 @section Subscription Commands
1507 @cindex subscription
1515 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1516 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1517 Toggle subscription to the current group
1518 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1524 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1525 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1526 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1527 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1533 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1534 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1535 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1541 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1542 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1545 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1546 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1547 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1548 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1549 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1555 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1556 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1560 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1561 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1564 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1565 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1566 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1567 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1568 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1569 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1570 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1571 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1572 @file{.newsrc} file.
1576 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1586 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1587 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1588 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1589 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1590 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1591 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group
1592 from the group buffer.
1596 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1597 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1598 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1602 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1603 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1604 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1606 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1607 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1608 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1609 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1610 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1611 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1618 @section Group Levels
1622 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1623 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1624 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1625 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1626 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1628 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1634 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1635 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1636 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1637 prompted for a level.
1640 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1641 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1642 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1643 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1644 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1645 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1646 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1647 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1648 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1649 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1650 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1651 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1652 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1653 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1654 reasons of efficiency.
1656 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1657 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1659 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1660 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1661 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1663 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1664 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1665 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1666 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1667 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1668 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1669 relevant valid ranges.
1671 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1672 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1673 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1674 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1675 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1676 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1679 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1680 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1681 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1684 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1685 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1686 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1687 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1690 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1691 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1692 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1693 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1695 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1696 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1697 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1698 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1699 to 5. The default is 6.
1703 @section Group Score
1708 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1709 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1710 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1713 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1714 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1715 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1716 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1717 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1718 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1719 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1721 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1722 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1723 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1724 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1725 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1726 action after each summary exit, you can add
1727 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1728 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1729 slow things down somewhat.
1732 @node Marking Groups
1733 @section Marking Groups
1734 @cindex marking groups
1736 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1737 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1738 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1739 bidding on those groups.
1741 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1742 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1743 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1751 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1752 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1758 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1759 Remove the mark from the current group
1760 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1764 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1765 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1769 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1770 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1774 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1775 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1779 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1780 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1781 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1784 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1786 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1787 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1788 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1789 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1790 the command to be executed.
1793 @node Foreign Groups
1794 @section Foreign Groups
1795 @cindex foreign groups
1797 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1798 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1799 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1800 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1807 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1808 @cindex making groups
1809 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1810 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1811 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1815 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1816 @cindex renaming groups
1817 Rename the current group to something else
1818 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1819 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1825 @findex gnus-group-customize
1826 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1830 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1831 @cindex renaming groups
1832 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1833 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1837 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1838 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1839 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1843 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1844 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1845 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1849 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1851 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1852 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1857 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1858 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1862 @cindex (ding) archive
1863 @cindex archive group
1864 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1865 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1866 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1867 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1868 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1869 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1870 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1874 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1876 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1877 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1878 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1879 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1883 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1885 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1886 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1887 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1891 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1892 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1894 Make a group based on some file or other
1895 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1896 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1897 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1898 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1899 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1900 this command without a prefix, gnus will guess at the file type.
1901 @xref{Document Groups}.
1905 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1910 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1911 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1912 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1913 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1914 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1915 @xref{Web Searches}.
1917 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1918 to a particular group by using a match string like
1919 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1922 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1923 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1924 This function will delete the current group
1925 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1926 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1927 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1928 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1929 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1933 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1934 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1935 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1939 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1940 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1941 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1944 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1947 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1948 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number, gnus
1949 will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup. This
1950 might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of groups
1951 from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1954 @node Group Parameters
1955 @section Group Parameters
1956 @cindex group parameters
1958 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1959 Here's an example group parameter list:
1962 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1966 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing
1967 before the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value.
1968 All the parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs,
1969 which are not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
1971 The following group parameters can be used:
1976 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
1979 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
1982 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
1983 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
1984 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
1985 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
1986 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
1988 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1989 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1990 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1991 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1992 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1993 list address instead.
1997 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2000 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2003 It is totally ignored
2004 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2005 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2007 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2008 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2009 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2010 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2011 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2013 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2014 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2015 sending the message.
2019 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2020 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2021 of whether it has any unread articles.
2023 @item broken-reply-to
2024 @cindex broken-reply-to
2025 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2026 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2027 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2028 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2029 broken behavior. So there!
2033 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2034 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2038 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2039 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2040 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2045 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2046 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2047 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2048 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2049 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2050 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2051 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2055 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2056 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2057 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2060 @cindex total-expire
2061 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2062 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2063 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2064 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2069 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2070 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2071 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2072 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2073 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2074 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2077 @cindex score file group parameter
2078 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2079 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2080 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2083 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2084 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2085 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2086 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2089 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2090 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2091 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2092 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2095 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2096 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2100 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2103 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2108 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2109 arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by gnus,
2110 but provide a place for you to store information on particular groups.
2112 @item @var{(variable form)}
2113 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2114 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2115 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2116 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2117 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2118 @code{eval}ed there.
2120 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2121 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2122 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2123 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2124 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2128 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2129 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2133 @node Listing Groups
2134 @section Listing Groups
2135 @cindex group listing
2137 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2145 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2146 List all groups that have unread articles
2147 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2148 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2149 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2150 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2157 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2158 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2159 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2160 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2161 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2162 unsubscribed groups).
2166 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2167 List all unread groups on a specific level
2168 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2169 with no unread articles.
2173 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2174 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2175 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2176 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2181 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2182 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2186 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2187 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2188 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2192 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2193 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2197 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2198 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2199 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2200 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2201 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2202 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2203 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2204 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2208 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2209 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2210 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2214 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2215 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2216 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2220 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2221 @cindex visible group parameter
2222 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2223 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2224 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2225 get the same effect.
2227 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2228 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2229 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2230 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2231 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2234 @node Sorting Groups
2235 @section Sorting Groups
2236 @cindex sorting groups
2238 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2239 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2240 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2241 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2242 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2243 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2248 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2249 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2250 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2252 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2253 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2254 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2256 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2257 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2258 Sort by group level.
2260 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2261 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2262 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2264 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2265 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2266 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2267 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2269 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2270 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2271 Sort by number of unread articles.
2273 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2274 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2275 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2280 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2281 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2285 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2286 some sorting criteria:
2290 @kindex G S a (Group)
2291 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2292 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2293 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2296 @kindex G S u (Group)
2297 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2298 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2299 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2302 @kindex G S l (Group)
2303 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2304 Sort the group buffer by group level
2305 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2308 @kindex G S v (Group)
2309 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2310 Sort the group buffer by group score
2311 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2314 @kindex G S r (Group)
2315 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2316 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2317 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2320 @kindex G S m (Group)
2321 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2322 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2323 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2327 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2329 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2333 @kindex G P a (Group)
2334 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2335 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2336 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2339 @kindex G P u (Group)
2340 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2341 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2342 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2345 @kindex G P l (Group)
2346 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2347 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2348 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2351 @kindex G P v (Group)
2352 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2353 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2354 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2357 @kindex G P r (Group)
2358 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2359 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2360 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2363 @kindex G P m (Group)
2364 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2365 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2366 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2372 @node Group Maintenance
2373 @section Group Maintenance
2374 @cindex bogus groups
2379 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2380 Find bogus groups and delete them
2381 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2385 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2386 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2387 If given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2391 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2392 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2393 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2394 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2397 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2398 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2399 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2400 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2405 @node Browse Foreign Server
2406 @section Browse Foreign Server
2407 @cindex foreign servers
2408 @cindex browsing servers
2413 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2414 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2415 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2416 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2419 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2420 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2421 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2422 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2424 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2429 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2430 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2434 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2435 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2438 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2439 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2440 Enter the current group and display the first article
2441 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2444 @kindex RET (Browse)
2445 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2446 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2450 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2451 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2452 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2458 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2459 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2463 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2464 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2465 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2470 @section Exiting gnus
2471 @cindex exiting gnus
2473 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
2478 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2479 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit
2480 gnus, but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure
2481 why this is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2485 @findex gnus-group-exit
2486 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2487 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-quit
2492 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files
2493 (@code{gnus-group-quit}). The dribble file will be saved, though
2494 (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2497 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2498 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2499 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
2500 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
2501 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2506 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2507 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2508 trying to customize meta-variables.
2513 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2514 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2515 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2521 @section Group Topics
2524 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2525 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2526 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2527 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2528 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2529 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2533 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2534 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2545 2: alt.religion.emacs
2548 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2550 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2551 13: comp.sources.unix
2554 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2556 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2557 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2558 is a toggling command.)
2560 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2561 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2562 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2563 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2566 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2567 the hook for the group mode:
2570 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2574 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2575 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2576 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2577 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2578 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2582 @node Topic Variables
2583 @subsection Topic Variables
2584 @cindex topic variables
2586 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2587 really neat, I think.
2589 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2590 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2591 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2604 Number of groups in the topic.
2606 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2608 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2611 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2612 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2613 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2616 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2617 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2619 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2620 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2621 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2624 @node Topic Commands
2625 @subsection Topic Commands
2626 @cindex topic commands
2628 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2629 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2630 definitions slightly.
2636 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2637 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2638 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2642 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2643 Move the current group to some other topic
2644 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2645 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2649 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2650 Copy the current group to some other topic
2651 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2652 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2656 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2657 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2658 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2659 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2663 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2664 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2665 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2669 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2670 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2671 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2675 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2676 Toggle hiding empty topics
2677 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2681 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2682 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2683 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2686 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2687 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2688 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2689 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2693 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2695 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2696 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2697 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2698 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2699 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2700 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2703 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2704 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2705 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2706 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2707 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2711 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2712 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2713 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2717 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2718 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2719 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2724 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2725 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2728 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2729 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2730 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2734 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2735 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2736 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2740 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2741 @cindex group parameters
2742 @cindex topic parameters
2744 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2745 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2751 @subsection Topic Sorting
2752 @cindex topic sorting
2754 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2760 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2761 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2762 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2763 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2766 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2767 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2768 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2769 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2772 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2773 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2774 Sort the current topic by group level
2775 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2778 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2779 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2780 Sort the current topic by group score
2781 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2784 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2785 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2786 Sort the current topic by group rank
2787 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2790 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2791 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2792 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2793 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2797 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2800 @node Topic Topology
2801 @subsection Topic Topology
2802 @cindex topic topology
2805 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2811 2: alt.religion.emacs
2814 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2816 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2817 13: comp.sources.unix
2820 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2821 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2822 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2827 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2828 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2832 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2833 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2834 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2835 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2836 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2837 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2839 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2840 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2841 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2844 @node Topic Parameters
2845 @subsection Topic Parameters
2846 @cindex topic parameters
2848 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2849 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2850 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2852 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2853 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2854 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2855 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2861 2: alt.religion.emacs
2865 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2867 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2868 13: comp.sources.unix
2872 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2873 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2874 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2875 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2876 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2877 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2879 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2880 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2881 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2882 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2883 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2885 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2886 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2887 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2888 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2889 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2890 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2891 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2892 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2895 @node Misc Group Stuff
2896 @section Misc Group Stuff
2899 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2900 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
2901 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2902 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
2909 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2910 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2911 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2915 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2916 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2917 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2921 @findex gnus-group-mail
2922 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2926 Variables for the group buffer:
2930 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2931 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2932 is called after the group buffer has been
2935 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2936 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2937 is called after the group buffer is
2938 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2941 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
2942 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2943 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
2944 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
2946 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2947 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2948 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2949 whether they are empty or not.
2954 @node Scanning New Messages
2955 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2956 @cindex new messages
2957 @cindex scanning new news
2963 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2964 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
2965 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2966 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2967 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2968 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
2973 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2974 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2975 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
2976 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2977 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2978 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2979 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2981 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2982 @cindex activating groups
2984 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2985 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2990 @findex gnus-group-restart
2991 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
2992 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
2993 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
2997 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2998 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3000 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3001 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3005 @node Group Information
3006 @subsection Group Information
3007 @cindex group information
3008 @cindex information on groups
3015 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3016 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3019 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3020 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3021 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3022 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3023 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3024 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3025 for fetching the file.
3027 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3028 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3032 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3034 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3035 @cindex describing groups
3036 @cindex group description
3037 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3038 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3039 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3043 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3044 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3045 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3052 @findex gnus-version
3053 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3057 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3058 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3061 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3064 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3065 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3069 @node Group Timestamp
3070 @subsection Group Timestamp
3072 @cindex group timestamps
3074 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3075 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3076 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3079 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3082 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3084 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3085 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3088 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3089 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3092 This will result in lines looking like:
3095 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3096 0: custom 19961002T012713
3099 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3100 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3104 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3105 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3110 @subsection File Commands
3111 @cindex file commands
3117 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3118 @vindex gnus-init-file
3119 @cindex reading init file
3120 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3121 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3125 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3126 @cindex saving .newsrc
3127 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3128 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3129 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3132 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3133 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3134 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3139 @node The Summary Buffer
3140 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3141 @cindex summary buffer
3143 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3144 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3146 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3147 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3149 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3152 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3153 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3154 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3155 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3156 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3157 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3158 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3159 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3160 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3161 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3162 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3163 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3164 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3165 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3166 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3167 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3168 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3169 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3170 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3171 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3172 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3173 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3174 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3175 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3176 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3177 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3178 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3182 @node Summary Buffer Format
3183 @section Summary Buffer Format
3184 @cindex summary buffer format
3188 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3189 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3190 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3196 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3197 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3198 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3201 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3202 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3203 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3204 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3205 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3206 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3207 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3208 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3209 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3210 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3211 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3212 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3213 other function instead.
3215 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3216 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3217 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3218 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3221 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3222 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3224 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3225 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3226 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3227 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3228 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3230 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3232 The following format specification characters are understood:
3240 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3241 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3242 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3244 Full @code{From} header.
3246 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3248 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3249 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3250 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3251 may be more thorough.
3253 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3256 Number of lines in the article.
3258 Number of characters in the article.
3260 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3262 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3263 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3265 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3266 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3268 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3269 for adopted articles.
3271 One space for each thread level.
3273 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3278 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3279 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3283 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3285 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3286 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3287 default level. If the difference between
3288 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3289 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3297 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3299 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3305 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3306 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3308 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3309 article has any children.
3315 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3316 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3317 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3318 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3319 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3320 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3323 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3324 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3325 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3326 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3327 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3328 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3330 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3331 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3333 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3336 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3337 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3339 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3340 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3341 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3342 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3344 Here are the elements you can play with:
3350 Unprefixed group name.
3352 Current article number.
3356 Number of unread articles in this group.
3358 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3361 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3362 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3363 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3364 and no unselected ones.
3366 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3367 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3369 Subject of the current article.
3371 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3373 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3375 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3377 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3379 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3381 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3385 @node Summary Highlighting
3386 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3390 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3391 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3392 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3393 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3394 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3396 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3397 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3398 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3399 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3401 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3402 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3403 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3404 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3406 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3407 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3408 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3409 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3410 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3411 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3413 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3414 ((> score default) . bold))
3416 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3417 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3421 @node Summary Maneuvering
3422 @section Summary Maneuvering
3423 @cindex summary movement
3425 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3426 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3428 None of these commands select articles.
3433 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3434 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3435 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3436 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3437 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3441 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3442 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3443 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3444 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3445 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3450 @kindex G j (Summary)
3451 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3452 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3453 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3456 @kindex G g (Summary)
3457 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3458 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3459 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3462 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3463 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3464 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3465 to the group buffer.
3467 Variables related to summary movement:
3471 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3472 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3473 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3474 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
3475 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3476 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3477 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
3478 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3479 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
3480 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3481 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3482 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3483 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3484 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3486 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3487 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3488 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3489 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3490 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3491 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3492 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3494 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3495 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3496 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3497 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3498 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3500 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3501 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3502 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3503 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3504 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3505 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3506 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3507 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3513 @node Choosing Articles
3514 @section Choosing Articles
3515 @cindex selecting articles
3518 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3519 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3523 @node Choosing Commands
3524 @subsection Choosing Commands
3526 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3527 and they all select and display an article.
3531 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3532 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3533 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3534 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3539 @kindex G n (Summary)
3540 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3541 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3542 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3547 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3548 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3549 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3554 @kindex G N (Summary)
3555 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3556 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3561 @kindex G P (Summary)
3562 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3563 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3566 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3567 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3568 Go to the next article with the same subject
3569 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3572 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3573 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3574 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3575 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3579 @kindex G f (Summary)
3581 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3582 Go to the first unread article
3583 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3587 @kindex G b (Summary)
3589 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3590 Go to the article with the highest score
3591 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3596 @kindex G l (Summary)
3597 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3598 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3601 @kindex G o (Summary)
3602 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3604 @cindex article history
3605 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3606 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3607 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3608 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
3609 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
3610 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3614 @node Choosing Variables
3615 @subsection Choosing Variables
3617 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3620 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3621 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3622 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3623 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3624 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3625 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3627 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3628 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3629 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3630 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3632 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3633 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3634 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3635 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3636 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3637 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3638 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3639 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3640 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3641 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3642 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3643 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3644 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3645 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3650 @node Paging the Article
3651 @section Scrolling the Article
3652 @cindex article scrolling
3657 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3658 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3659 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3660 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3661 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3664 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3665 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3666 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3669 @kindex RET (Summary)
3670 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3671 Scroll the current article one line forward
3672 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3676 @kindex A g (Summary)
3678 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3679 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3680 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3681 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3682 the way it came from the server.
3687 @kindex A < (Summary)
3688 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3689 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3690 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3695 @kindex A > (Summary)
3696 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3697 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3701 @kindex A s (Summary)
3703 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3704 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3705 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3709 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
3710 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
3715 @node Reply Followup and Post
3716 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3719 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3720 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3724 @node Summary Mail Commands
3725 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3727 @cindex composing mail
3729 Commands for composing a mail message:
3735 @kindex S r (Summary)
3737 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3738 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3739 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3740 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3741 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3746 @kindex S R (Summary)
3747 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3748 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3749 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3750 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3751 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3754 @kindex S w (Summary)
3755 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3756 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3757 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3758 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3759 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3762 @kindex S W (Summary)
3763 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3764 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3765 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3766 the process/prefix convention.
3769 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3770 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3771 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3772 Forward the current article to some other person
3773 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3774 headers of the forwarded article.
3779 @kindex S m (Summary)
3780 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3781 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3782 Send a mail to some other person
3783 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3786 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3787 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3788 @cindex bouncing mail
3789 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3790 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3791 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3792 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3793 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3794 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
3795 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3796 very well fail, though.
3799 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3800 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3801 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3802 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3803 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3804 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3805 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3806 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3807 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3808 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3810 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3811 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3812 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3813 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3814 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3816 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3817 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3820 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3821 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3822 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3823 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3824 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3827 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3828 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3829 @cindex crossposting
3830 @cindex excessive crossposting
3831 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3832 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3834 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3835 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
3836 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3837 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3838 command understands the process/prefix convention
3839 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3843 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3846 @node Summary Post Commands
3847 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3849 @cindex composing news
3851 Commands for posting a news article:
3857 @kindex S p (Summary)
3858 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3859 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3860 Post an article to the current group
3861 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3866 @kindex S f (Summary)
3867 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3868 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3869 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3873 @kindex S F (Summary)
3875 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3876 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3877 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3878 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3879 process/prefix convention.
3882 @kindex S n (Summary)
3883 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3884 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3885 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3888 @kindex S N (Summary)
3889 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
3890 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3891 message through mail and include the original message
3892 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3893 the process/prefix convention.
3896 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3897 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3898 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3899 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3900 headers of the forwarded article.
3903 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3904 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3906 @cindex making digests
3907 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3908 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3909 process/prefix convention.
3912 @kindex S u (Summary)
3913 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3914 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3915 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3916 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3919 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
3922 @node Canceling and Superseding
3923 @section Canceling Articles
3924 @cindex canceling articles
3925 @cindex superseding articles
3927 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3928 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3930 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3932 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3934 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3935 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3936 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3937 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3938 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3939 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3941 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3942 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3945 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
3946 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
3947 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
3949 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3950 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3951 your original article.
3953 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3955 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3956 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3957 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3960 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3961 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3962 have posted almost the same article twice.
3964 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3965 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3966 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3967 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3968 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3969 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3970 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3971 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3972 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3973 canceled/superseded.
3975 Just remember, kids: There is no `c' in `supersede'.
3978 @node Marking Articles
3979 @section Marking Articles
3980 @cindex article marking
3981 @cindex article ticking
3984 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3986 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3987 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3988 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3990 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3993 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3994 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3995 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3999 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4003 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4004 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4008 @node Unread Articles
4009 @subsection Unread Articles
4011 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4016 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4017 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4019 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4020 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4021 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4022 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4023 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4027 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4028 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4030 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4031 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4032 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4035 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4036 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4038 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4043 @subsection Read Articles
4044 @cindex expirable mark
4046 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4051 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4052 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4053 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4056 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4057 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4060 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4061 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4062 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4065 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4066 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4069 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4070 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4073 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4074 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4077 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4078 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4081 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4082 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4085 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4086 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4089 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4090 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4094 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4095 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4096 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4100 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4101 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4103 One more special mark, though:
4107 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4108 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4110 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4111 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4112 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4113 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at any time.
4118 @subsection Other Marks
4119 @cindex process mark
4122 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4128 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4129 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4130 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4131 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4132 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4135 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4136 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4137 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4138 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4141 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4142 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4143 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
4146 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4147 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4148 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4149 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4152 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4153 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4154 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4155 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4156 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4159 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4160 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4161 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4162 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4163 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4164 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4168 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4169 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4170 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4172 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4173 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4174 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4178 @subsection Setting Marks
4179 @cindex setting marks
4181 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4186 @kindex M c (Summary)
4187 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4188 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4189 @cindex mark as unread
4190 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4191 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4197 @kindex M t (Summary)
4198 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4199 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4200 @xref{Article Caching}
4205 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4206 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4207 Mark the current article as dormant
4208 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
4212 @kindex M d (Summary)
4214 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4215 Mark the current article as read
4216 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4220 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4221 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4222 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4227 @kindex M k (Summary)
4228 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4229 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4230 and then select the next unread article
4231 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4235 @kindex M K (Summary)
4236 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4237 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4238 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4239 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4242 @kindex M C (Summary)
4243 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4244 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4245 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4248 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4249 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4250 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4251 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4254 @kindex M H (Summary)
4255 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4256 Catchup the current group to point
4257 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4260 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4261 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4262 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4263 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4266 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4267 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4268 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4269 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4273 @kindex M e (Summary)
4275 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4276 Mark the current article as expirable
4277 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4280 @kindex M b (Summary)
4281 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4282 Set a bookmark in the current article
4283 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4286 @kindex M B (Summary)
4287 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4288 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4289 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4292 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4293 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4294 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4295 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4298 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4299 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4300 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4301 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4304 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4305 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4306 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4307 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4308 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4311 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4312 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4313 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4314 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4315 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4316 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4317 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4318 The default is @code{t}.
4321 @node Setting Process Marks
4322 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4323 @cindex setting process marks
4330 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4331 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4332 Mark the current article with the process mark
4333 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4334 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4338 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4339 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4340 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4341 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4344 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4345 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4346 Remove the process mark from all articles
4347 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4350 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4351 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4352 Invert the list of process marked articles
4353 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4356 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4357 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4358 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
4359 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4362 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4363 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4364 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4367 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4368 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4369 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4370 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4373 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4374 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4375 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4376 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4379 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4380 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4381 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4382 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4385 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4387 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4390 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4391 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4392 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4393 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4396 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4397 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4398 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4401 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4402 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4403 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4404 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4407 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4408 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4409 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4410 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4413 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4414 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4415 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4416 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4419 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4420 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4421 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4422 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4431 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4432 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4433 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4436 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
4437 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
4438 additional articles.
4444 @kindex / / (Summary)
4445 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4446 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4447 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4450 @kindex / a (Summary)
4451 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4452 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4453 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4457 @kindex / u (Summary)
4459 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4460 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4461 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4462 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4463 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4466 @kindex / m (Summary)
4467 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4468 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
4469 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4472 @kindex / t (Summary)
4473 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4474 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4475 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4476 articles younger than that number of days.
4479 @kindex / n (Summary)
4480 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4481 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4482 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4483 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4486 @kindex / w (Summary)
4487 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4488 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4489 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4493 @kindex / v (Summary)
4494 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4495 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4496 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4500 @kindex M S (Summary)
4501 @kindex / E (Summary)
4502 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4503 Include all expunged articles in the limit
4504 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4507 @kindex / D (Summary)
4508 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4509 Include all dormant articles in the limit
4510 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4513 @kindex / * (Summary)
4514 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
4515 Include all cached articles in the limit
4516 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
4519 @kindex / d (Summary)
4520 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4521 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
4522 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4525 @kindex / T (Summary)
4526 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4527 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
4530 @kindex / c (Summary)
4531 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4532 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
4533 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4536 @kindex / C (Summary)
4537 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4538 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4539 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4540 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4548 @cindex article threading
4550 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4551 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4552 hierarchical fashion.
4554 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4555 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4556 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4557 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
4558 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4559 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4560 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4562 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4566 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4569 A tree-like article structure.
4572 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4575 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4576 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4577 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
4578 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4579 called loose threads.
4581 @item thread gathering
4582 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4584 @item sparse threads
4585 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4586 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4592 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4593 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4597 @node Customizing Threading
4598 @subsection Customizing Threading
4599 @cindex customizing threading
4602 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4603 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4604 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4605 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4610 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4613 @cindex loose threads
4616 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4617 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4618 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4619 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4620 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4621 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4623 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
4624 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
4625 There are four possible values:
4629 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4630 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4631 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4632 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4633 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4638 @cindex adopting articles
4643 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4644 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4645 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4646 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4649 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4650 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4651 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4652 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4653 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4654 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4655 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4658 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4659 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4660 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4664 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4665 display them after one another.
4668 Don't gather loose threads.
4671 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4672 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4673 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4674 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
4675 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4676 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4677 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4678 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4679 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4680 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
4681 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4683 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4684 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
4685 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4688 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4689 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4690 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4691 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4692 simplification is used.
4694 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4695 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4696 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4697 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4699 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4701 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4707 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4708 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4709 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4710 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4715 (mapconcat 'identity
4716 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4718 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4721 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4724 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4725 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4726 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4727 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4728 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4729 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4731 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4734 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4735 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4736 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4738 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4739 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4742 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4743 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4744 Remove excessive whitespace.
4747 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4750 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4751 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4752 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4753 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4754 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4755 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4756 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4757 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4759 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4760 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4761 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4762 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4763 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4764 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4765 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4766 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4767 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4771 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4772 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4773 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4774 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4776 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4777 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4778 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4781 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4785 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4786 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4792 @node Filling In Threads
4793 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4796 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4797 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4798 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4799 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
4800 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
4801 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
4802 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
4803 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
4804 old headers only works if the backend you are using carries overview
4805 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4806 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4807 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
4809 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4810 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4811 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4813 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4814 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4815 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4816 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4817 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4818 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4819 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
4820 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4821 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
4822 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
4823 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4824 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
4825 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4826 @code{nil} by default.
4831 @node More Threading
4832 @subsubsection More Threading
4835 @item gnus-show-threads
4836 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4837 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4838 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4839 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4840 slower and more awkward.
4842 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4843 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4844 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4847 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4848 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4849 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4850 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4851 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4852 threads are expunged.
4854 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4855 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4856 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4859 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4860 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4861 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4862 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4863 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4866 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4867 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4868 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4874 @node Low-Level Threading
4875 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
4879 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4880 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4881 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
4882 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
4883 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
4884 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
4886 @item gnus-alter-header-function
4887 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
4888 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
4889 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
4890 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
4891 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
4892 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
4893 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
4894 meaningful. Here's one example:
4897 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
4899 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
4900 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
4902 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
4904 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
4911 @node Thread Commands
4912 @subsection Thread Commands
4913 @cindex thread commands
4919 @kindex T k (Summary)
4920 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4921 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4922 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4923 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4924 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4929 @kindex T l (Summary)
4930 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4932 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4933 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4936 @kindex T i (Summary)
4937 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4938 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4939 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4942 @kindex T # (Summary)
4943 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4944 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4945 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4948 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4949 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4950 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4951 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4954 @kindex T T (Summary)
4955 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4956 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4959 @kindex T s (Summary)
4960 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4961 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4962 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4965 @kindex T h (Summary)
4966 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4967 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4970 @kindex T S (Summary)
4971 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4972 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4975 @kindex T H (Summary)
4976 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4977 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4980 @kindex T t (Summary)
4981 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4982 Re-thread the current article's thread
4983 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4984 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4987 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4988 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4989 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4990 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
4994 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4995 understand the numeric prefix.
5000 @kindex T n (Summary)
5001 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5002 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5005 @kindex T p (Summary)
5006 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5007 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5010 @kindex T d (Summary)
5011 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5012 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5015 @kindex T u (Summary)
5016 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5017 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5020 @kindex T o (Summary)
5021 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5022 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5025 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5026 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5027 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5028 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5029 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5030 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5031 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5032 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5033 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5034 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5035 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5036 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5043 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5044 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5045 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5046 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5047 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5048 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5049 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5050 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5051 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
5052 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5053 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5054 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5055 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5056 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5058 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5059 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5060 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
5061 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
5062 in the list. You should probably always include
5063 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5064 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5065 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5066 ascending article order.
5068 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
5069 number, you could do something like:
5072 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5073 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5074 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5075 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
5078 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5079 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5080 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5081 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5082 which the articles arrived.
5084 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5088 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5090 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5091 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5094 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5095 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5096 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5097 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5100 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5101 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5102 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5103 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5104 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5105 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5106 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5107 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5108 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5109 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5110 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5111 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5112 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5114 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5118 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5119 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5120 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5125 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5126 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5127 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5128 @cindex article pre-fetch
5131 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5132 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5133 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5134 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5135 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5137 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5138 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5140 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5141 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5142 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5143 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5144 connection is blocked.
5146 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5147 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5148 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5149 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
5151 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5152 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5153 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5154 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5157 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5160 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5161 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5162 happen automatically.
5164 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5165 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5166 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5167 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5168 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5169 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5170 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5172 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5173 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5174 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5175 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5176 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5177 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5178 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5179 data structure as the only parameter.
5181 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
5182 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5185 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5186 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5187 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5188 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5191 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5194 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5195 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much. It's
5196 probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5198 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5199 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5200 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5201 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5205 Remove articles when they are read.
5208 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5211 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5213 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5214 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5215 from the next group.
5218 @node Article Caching
5219 @section Article Caching
5220 @cindex article caching
5223 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5224 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5225 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5226 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5227 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5229 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5231 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5232 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5233 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5234 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5235 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5236 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5237 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5238 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5240 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5241 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5242 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5243 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5244 as dormant, and don't worry.
5246 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5248 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5249 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5250 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5251 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5252 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5253 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5254 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5255 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5256 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5257 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5259 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5260 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5261 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5262 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5263 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5264 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5265 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5266 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5267 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5268 not then be downloaded by this command.
5270 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5271 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
5272 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5273 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5274 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
5275 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
5276 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
5279 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5280 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5281 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5282 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5283 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5284 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
5285 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5286 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5287 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5291 @node Persistent Articles
5292 @section Persistent Articles
5293 @cindex persistent articles
5295 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5296 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5297 useful in my opinion.
5299 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5300 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5301 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5302 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5303 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5304 the expiry going on at the news server.
5306 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5307 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5308 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5314 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5315 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5318 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5319 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5320 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5321 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5325 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5327 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5328 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5329 interested in persistent articles:
5332 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5336 @node Article Backlog
5337 @section Article Backlog
5339 @cindex article backlog
5341 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5342 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5343 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
5344 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5345 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5346 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5347 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
5348 increase memory usage some.
5350 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5351 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
5352 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5353 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
5354 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5355 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5356 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5358 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5361 @node Saving Articles
5362 @section Saving Articles
5363 @cindex saving articles
5365 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5366 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5367 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5368 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5369 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5371 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5372 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
5373 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5375 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5376 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5377 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5378 deleted before saving.
5384 @kindex O o (Summary)
5386 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5387 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5388 Save the current article using the default article saver
5389 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5392 @kindex O m (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5394 Save the current article in mail format
5395 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5398 @kindex O r (Summary)
5399 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5400 Save the current article in rmail format
5401 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5404 @kindex O f (Summary)
5405 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5406 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5407 Save the current article in plain file format
5408 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5411 @kindex O F (Summary)
5412 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5413 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5414 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5417 @kindex O b (Summary)
5418 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5419 Save the current article body in plain file format
5420 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5423 @kindex O h (Summary)
5424 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5425 Save the current article in mh folder format
5426 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5429 @kindex O v (Summary)
5430 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5431 Save the current article in a VM folder
5432 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5435 @kindex O p (Summary)
5436 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5437 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5438 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5441 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5442 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5443 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5444 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5445 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5446 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5447 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5448 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5449 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5450 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5451 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5452 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5456 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5457 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5458 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5459 functions below, or you can create your own.
5463 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5464 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5465 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5466 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5467 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5468 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5469 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5471 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5472 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5473 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5474 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5475 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5476 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5478 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5479 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5480 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5481 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5482 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5483 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5484 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5486 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5487 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5488 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5489 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5490 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5492 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5493 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5494 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5495 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5496 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5499 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5500 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5501 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5502 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5503 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5505 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5506 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5507 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5508 reader to use this setting.
5511 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5512 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5513 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5514 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5517 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5518 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5519 available functions that generate names:
5523 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5524 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5525 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5527 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5528 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5529 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5531 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5532 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5533 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5535 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5536 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5537 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5540 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5541 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp
5542 into the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would
5543 like to save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and
5544 articles related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable
5548 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5549 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5550 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5551 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5554 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5555 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5556 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5557 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5558 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5559 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5560 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5561 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5562 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5564 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5565 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5566 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5567 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5569 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5570 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5571 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file name.
5573 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5574 lots of mail groups called things like
5575 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5576 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5577 following will do just that:
5580 (defun my-save-name (group)
5581 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5582 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5584 (setq gnus-split-methods
5585 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5590 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5591 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5592 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5593 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5594 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5595 all the files in the top level directory
5596 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5597 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5598 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5599 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5601 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5602 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5603 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5604 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5605 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5608 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5612 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5613 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5616 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5617 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5618 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5619 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5622 @node Decoding Articles
5623 @section Decoding Articles
5624 @cindex decoding articles
5626 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5627 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5630 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5631 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5632 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5633 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5634 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5635 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5639 @cindex article series
5640 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5641 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5642 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5643 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5644 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5646 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5647 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5648 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5650 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
5651 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5652 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5654 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5655 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5656 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5659 @node Uuencoded Articles
5660 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5662 @cindex uuencoded articles
5667 @kindex X u (Summary)
5668 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5669 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5670 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5673 @kindex X U (Summary)
5674 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5675 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5676 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5679 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5680 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5681 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5684 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5685 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5686 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5687 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5691 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5692 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5693 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5694 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5695 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5697 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5698 @sc{GNUS 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5699 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5700 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5703 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5704 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5705 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5706 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5707 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5708 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5712 @node Shell Archives
5713 @subsection Shell Archives
5715 @cindex shell archives
5716 @cindex shared articles
5718 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5719 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5720 some commands to deal with these:
5725 @kindex X s (Summary)
5726 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5727 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5730 @kindex X S (Summary)
5731 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5732 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5735 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5736 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5737 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5740 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5741 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5742 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5743 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5747 @node PostScript Files
5748 @subsection PostScript Files
5754 @kindex X p (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5756 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5759 @kindex X P (Summary)
5760 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5761 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5762 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5765 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5766 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5767 View the current PostScript series
5768 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5771 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5772 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5773 View and save the current PostScript series
5774 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5779 @subsection Other Files
5783 @kindex X o (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5785 Save the current series
5786 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5789 @kindex X b (Summary)
5790 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5791 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5792 doesn't really work yet.
5796 @node Decoding Variables
5797 @subsection Decoding Variables
5799 Adjective, not verb.
5802 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5803 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5804 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5808 @node Rule Variables
5809 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5810 @cindex rule variables
5812 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5813 variables are of the form
5816 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5823 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5824 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5826 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5827 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5830 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5831 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5834 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5835 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5836 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5837 user and default view rules.
5839 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5840 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5841 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5846 @node Other Decode Variables
5847 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5850 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5852 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5853 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5854 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5855 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5856 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5860 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5861 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5864 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5865 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5866 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5869 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5870 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5871 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5872 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5873 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5876 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5877 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5878 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5880 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5881 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5882 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5883 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5884 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5887 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5888 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5889 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5891 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5892 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5893 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5894 looking for files to display.
5896 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5897 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5898 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5901 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5902 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5903 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5906 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5907 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5908 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5911 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5912 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5913 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5916 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5917 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5918 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5919 decoded articles as unread.
5921 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5922 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5923 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5924 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5926 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5927 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
5928 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
5930 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5931 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5933 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5934 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5935 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5936 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5938 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5939 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5940 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5941 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5942 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5943 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5944 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5945 simply dropped them.
5950 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5951 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5955 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5956 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5957 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5958 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5959 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5960 for you when you post the article.
5962 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5963 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5964 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5965 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5967 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5968 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5969 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5970 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
5971 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5972 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5973 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5975 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5976 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5977 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5978 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5979 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5980 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5981 Default is @code{t}.
5987 @subsection Viewing Files
5988 @cindex viewing files
5989 @cindex pseudo-articles
5991 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
5992 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5993 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5994 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
5995 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5996 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5997 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5999 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6000 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6001 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6002 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6004 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6005 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6006 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6008 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6009 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6010 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6011 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6012 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6014 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6015 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6016 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6017 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6018 a list of parameters to that command.
6020 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6021 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6022 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6024 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6025 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6026 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6029 @node Article Treatment
6030 @section Article Treatment
6032 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6033 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6034 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6035 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6036 these articles easier.
6039 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6040 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6041 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6042 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6043 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6044 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6045 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6049 @node Article Highlighting
6050 @subsection Article Highlighting
6053 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6054 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6059 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6060 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6061 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
6064 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6066 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6067 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6068 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6069 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
6070 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6071 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6072 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6073 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6074 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6077 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6078 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6079 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6081 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6084 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6086 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6087 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6088 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6090 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6091 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6092 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6094 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6095 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6096 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6098 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6099 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6100 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6101 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6102 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6103 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6105 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6106 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6107 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6109 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6110 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6111 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6113 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6114 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6115 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6116 that it's a citation.
6118 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6119 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6120 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6122 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6123 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6124 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6126 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6127 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6128 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6129 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6135 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6136 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6137 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6138 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6139 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6140 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6141 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6142 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6148 @node Article Fontisizing
6149 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6151 @cindex article emphasis
6153 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6154 @kindex W e (Summary)
6155 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6156 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6157 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6158 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6160 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
6161 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6162 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
6163 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6164 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6165 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6166 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6167 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6171 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6172 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6173 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6176 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6177 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6178 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6179 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6180 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6181 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6182 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6183 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6184 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6185 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6186 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6187 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6188 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6190 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6191 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6192 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6196 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6200 @node Article Hiding
6201 @subsection Article Hiding
6202 @cindex article hiding
6204 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6205 too much cruft in most articles.
6210 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6211 @findex gnus-article-hide
6212 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
6215 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6216 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6217 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6221 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6222 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6223 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6224 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6227 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6229 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6233 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6235 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6236 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6237 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6238 signature has been hidden.
6241 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6242 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6243 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6244 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6247 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6248 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6249 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6250 customizing the hiding:
6254 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6255 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6256 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6257 50), hide the cited text.
6259 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6260 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6261 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6264 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6265 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6266 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6267 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6268 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6273 Start point of the hidden text.
6275 End point of the hidden text.
6277 Length of the hidden text.
6280 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6281 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6282 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6287 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6288 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6289 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6290 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6291 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6292 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6296 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6297 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6298 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6300 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6301 citation customization.
6304 @node Article Washing
6305 @subsection Article Washing
6307 @cindex article washing
6309 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6310 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6312 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6313 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6319 @kindex W l (Summary)
6320 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6321 Remove page breaks from the current article
6322 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
6325 @kindex W r (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6327 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6328 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6329 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6330 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6331 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6333 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6334 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6335 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6336 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6339 @kindex W t (Summary)
6340 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6341 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6342 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6345 @kindex W v (Summary)
6346 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6347 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6348 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6351 @kindex W m (Summary)
6352 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6353 Toggle whether to display the article as @sc{mime} message
6354 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6357 @kindex W o (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6359 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6362 @kindex W d (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
6364 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}).
6367 @kindex W w (Summary)
6368 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6369 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6370 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6371 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6373 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6377 @kindex W c (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6379 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6380 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6383 @kindex W f (Summary)
6385 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6386 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6387 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6388 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6394 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6395 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6396 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6397 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6398 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6399 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6400 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6401 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6402 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6403 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6404 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6405 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6406 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6407 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6411 @kindex W b (Summary)
6412 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6413 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6414 @xref{Article Buttons}
6417 @kindex W B (Summary)
6418 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6419 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6420 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6423 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6424 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6425 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6426 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6429 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6430 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6431 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6432 lines with a single empty line.
6433 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6436 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6437 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6438 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6439 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6442 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6443 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6444 Do all the three commands above
6445 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6448 @kindex W E A (Summary)
6449 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
6450 Remove all blank lines
6451 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
6454 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6455 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6456 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6457 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6462 @node Article Buttons
6463 @subsection Article Buttons
6466 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6467 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6468 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6469 button on these references.
6471 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6472 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6473 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6478 @item gnus-button-alist
6479 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6480 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6483 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6489 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6490 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6491 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6494 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6495 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6496 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6499 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6500 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6501 avoid false matches.
6504 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6507 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6508 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6512 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6515 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6518 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6519 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6520 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6521 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6522 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6525 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6528 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6530 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6531 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6532 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6533 default values of the variables above.
6535 @item gnus-article-button-face
6536 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6537 Face used on buttons.
6539 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6540 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6541 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6547 @subsection Article Date
6549 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6550 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6551 when the article was sent.
6556 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6557 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6558 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6559 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6562 @kindex W T i (Summary)
6563 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
6565 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
6566 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
6569 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6570 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6571 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6574 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6575 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6576 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6577 @findex format-time-string
6578 Display the date using a user-defined format
6579 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6580 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6581 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6582 for a list of possible format specs.
6585 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6587 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
6588 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
6589 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6590 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). If you want to have this line
6591 updated continually, you can put
6594 (gnus-start-date-timer)
6597 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
6598 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
6602 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6603 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6604 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6605 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6606 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6607 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6608 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6613 @node Article Signature
6614 @subsection Article Signature
6616 @cindex article signature
6618 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6619 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6620 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6621 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6622 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6623 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6624 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6625 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6626 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6629 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6630 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6631 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6632 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6633 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6634 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6635 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6636 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6639 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6642 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6643 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6648 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6651 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6654 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6655 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6657 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6658 in question is not a signature.
6661 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6662 listed above. Here's an example:
6665 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6666 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6669 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6670 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6671 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6672 signature after all.
6675 @node Article Commands
6676 @section Article Commands
6683 @kindex A P (Summary)
6684 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6685 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6686 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6687 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6688 run just before printing the buffer.
6693 @node Summary Sorting
6694 @section Summary Sorting
6695 @cindex summary sorting
6697 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6698 can't really see why you'd want that.
6703 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6704 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6705 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6708 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6709 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6710 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6713 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6714 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6715 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6718 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6719 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6720 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6723 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6724 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6725 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6728 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6729 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6730 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6733 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6734 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6735 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6736 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6737 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6741 @node Finding the Parent
6742 @section Finding the Parent
6743 @cindex parent articles
6744 @cindex referring articles
6749 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6750 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6751 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6752 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6753 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6754 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6755 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6756 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6757 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6759 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6760 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6761 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
6762 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6763 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6767 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6768 @kindex A R (Summary)
6769 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
6770 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6773 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
6774 @kindex A T (Summary)
6775 Display the full thread where the current article appears
6776 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
6777 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
6778 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
6779 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
6780 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
6781 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
6783 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
6784 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
6785 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
6786 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
6787 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
6788 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
6791 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6792 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6794 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6795 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6796 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6797 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6798 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6799 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6800 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6803 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6804 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6805 by giving this command a prefix.
6807 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6808 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6809 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6810 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6811 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6812 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6815 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6816 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6817 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6818 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6819 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6820 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6823 @node Alternative Approaches
6824 @section Alternative Approaches
6826 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6827 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6830 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6831 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6836 @subsection Pick and Read
6837 @cindex pick and read
6839 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6840 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6841 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6842 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6844 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6845 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6846 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6847 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6848 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6849 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6851 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6856 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6857 Pick the article on the current line
6858 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6859 go to that article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6860 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6863 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6864 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6865 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6866 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6870 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6871 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6875 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6876 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6880 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6881 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6885 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6886 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6890 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6891 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6895 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6896 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6900 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6901 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6905 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6906 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6910 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6911 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6915 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6916 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6920 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6921 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6922 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6923 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6924 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6925 will still be visible when you are reading.
6929 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6932 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6935 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6936 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6938 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6939 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6940 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6942 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6943 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
6944 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6945 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6946 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6947 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6948 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6952 @subsection Binary Groups
6953 @cindex binary groups
6955 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6956 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6957 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6958 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6959 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6960 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6961 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6964 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6965 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
6966 command, when you have turned on this mode
6967 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6969 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6970 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6974 @section Tree Display
6977 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6978 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
6979 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6980 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6983 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6986 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6987 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6988 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6990 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6991 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6992 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6993 is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list of valid specs, @pxref{Summary
6996 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6997 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6998 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6999 default is @code{modeline}.
7001 @item gnus-tree-line-format
7002 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
7003 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
7004 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
7005 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
7006 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
7007 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
7013 The name of the poster.
7015 The @code{From} header.
7017 The number of the article.
7019 The opening bracket.
7021 The closing bracket.
7026 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
7028 Variables related to the display are:
7031 @item gnus-tree-brackets
7032 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
7033 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
7034 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
7035 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
7036 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
7038 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7039 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
7040 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
7041 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
7045 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
7046 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
7047 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
7048 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
7049 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
7050 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
7051 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
7052 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
7053 other windows displayed next to it.
7055 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
7056 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
7057 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7058 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
7059 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
7060 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
7061 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
7065 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
7068 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
7078 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
7082 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
7083 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
7085 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
7087 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
7092 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
7093 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
7094 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
7097 (setq gnus-use-trees t
7098 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
7099 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
7100 (gnus-add-configuration
7104 (summary 0.75 point)
7109 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7112 @node Mail Group Commands
7113 @section Mail Group Commands
7114 @cindex mail group commands
7116 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7117 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7119 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7120 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7125 @kindex B e (Summary)
7126 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7127 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7128 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7131 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7132 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7133 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7134 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7135 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7136 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7139 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7140 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7141 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7142 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7143 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7144 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7147 @kindex B m (Summary)
7149 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7150 Move the article from one mail group to another
7151 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7154 @kindex B c (Summary)
7156 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7157 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7158 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7159 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7162 @kindex B B (Summary)
7163 @cindex crosspost mail
7164 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7165 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7166 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7167 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7168 be properly updated.
7171 @kindex B i (Summary)
7172 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7173 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7174 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7175 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7178 @kindex B r (Summary)
7179 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7180 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7181 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7182 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7183 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7187 @kindex B w (Summary)
7189 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7190 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7191 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7192 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7193 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7194 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7197 @kindex B q (Summary)
7198 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7199 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7200 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7201 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7204 @kindex B p (Summary)
7205 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7206 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7207 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7208 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7209 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7210 article from your news server (or rather, from
7211 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7212 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7213 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7214 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7215 just not have arrived yet.
7219 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7220 @cindex moving articles
7221 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
7222 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7223 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7224 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7225 suggestions you find reasonable.
7228 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7229 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7230 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7231 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7235 @node Various Summary Stuff
7236 @section Various Summary Stuff
7239 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7240 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7241 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7242 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7246 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7247 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7248 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7250 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7251 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7252 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7253 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7254 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7255 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7258 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7259 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7260 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7261 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7262 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7264 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7265 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7266 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7267 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7268 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7269 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7270 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
7271 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7272 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7273 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7278 @node Summary Group Information
7279 @subsection Summary Group Information
7284 @kindex H f (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7286 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7287 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7288 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7289 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7290 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7291 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7292 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7293 be used for fetching the file.
7296 @kindex H d (Summary)
7297 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7298 Give a brief description of the current group
7299 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7300 rereading the description from the server.
7303 @kindex H h (Summary)
7304 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7305 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7306 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7309 @kindex H i (Summary)
7310 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7311 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7315 @node Searching for Articles
7316 @subsection Searching for Articles
7321 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7322 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7323 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7324 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7327 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7328 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7329 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7330 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7334 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7335 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7336 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7337 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7341 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7342 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7343 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7344 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7347 @node Summary Generation Commands
7348 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7353 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7354 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7355 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7358 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7359 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7360 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7361 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7366 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7367 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7372 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7373 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7374 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7375 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7376 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7377 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7378 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7379 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7380 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7384 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7385 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7386 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7387 several documents into one biiig group
7388 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7389 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7390 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7391 command understands the process/prefix convention
7392 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7395 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7396 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7397 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7398 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7399 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7400 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7404 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7405 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7406 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7409 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
7411 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
7412 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
7417 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7418 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7419 @cindex summary exit
7420 @cindex exiting groups
7422 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7423 group and return you to the group buffer.
7429 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7431 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7432 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7433 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7434 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7435 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7436 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7437 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7438 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7439 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7440 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7441 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7445 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7447 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7448 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7449 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7453 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7455 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7456 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7457 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7458 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7461 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7462 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7463 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7464 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7467 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7468 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7469 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7470 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7473 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7474 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7475 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7476 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7477 all articles, both read and unread.
7481 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7482 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7483 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7484 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7485 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7486 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7487 articles, both read and unread.
7490 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7491 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7492 Exit the group and go to the next group
7493 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7496 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7497 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7498 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7499 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7502 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7503 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7504 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7505 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7506 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7507 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7510 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7511 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7514 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7515 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7516 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7517 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7518 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7519 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7520 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7521 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7522 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7523 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7524 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7525 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7527 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7529 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7530 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7531 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7532 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7533 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7534 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7535 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7536 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7537 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7540 @node Crosspost Handling
7541 @section Crosspost Handling
7545 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7546 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7547 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7548 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7549 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7550 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7553 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7554 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7555 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7556 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7557 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7559 @cindex cross-posting
7562 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7563 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7564 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7565 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7566 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7567 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7568 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7569 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7570 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7571 the cross reference mechanism.
7573 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7574 @cindex overview.fmt
7575 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7576 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7577 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7578 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7579 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7580 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7583 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7584 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7585 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7590 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7593 @node Duplicate Suppression
7594 @section Duplicate Suppression
7596 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7597 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7598 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7599 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various reasons.
7603 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7604 is evil and not very common.
7607 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7608 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7611 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7612 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7615 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7618 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7619 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7621 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7622 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7623 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7624 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7625 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7626 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7627 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7630 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7631 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7632 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7633 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7634 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7638 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7639 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7640 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7642 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7643 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7644 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7645 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7646 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
7647 session are suppressed.
7649 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7650 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7651 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7652 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7654 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7655 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7656 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7657 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7660 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
7661 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7662 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7663 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7664 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
7665 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7666 to you to figure out, I think.
7669 @node The Article Buffer
7670 @chapter The Article Buffer
7671 @cindex article buffer
7673 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7674 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7675 tell gnus otherwise.
7678 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7679 * Using MIME:: Pushing to mime articles as @sc{mime} messages.
7680 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7681 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7682 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7686 @node Hiding Headers
7687 @section Hiding Headers
7688 @cindex hiding headers
7689 @cindex deleting headers
7691 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7692 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7694 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7695 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7696 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7697 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7698 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7699 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7700 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7701 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7702 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7704 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7708 @item gnus-visible-headers
7709 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7710 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7711 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7712 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7714 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7715 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7718 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7721 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7724 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7725 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7726 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7727 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7728 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7729 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7731 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
7732 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
7735 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7738 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7741 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7742 variable will have no effect.
7746 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7747 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7748 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7749 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7750 the headers are to be displayed.
7752 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7753 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7756 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7759 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7760 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed
7763 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7764 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7765 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7766 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7767 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7768 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7769 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7770 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7771 @dfn{boring conditions} that gnus can check and remove from sight.
7773 These conditions are:
7776 Remove all empty headers.
7778 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7781 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7782 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7784 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7787 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7790 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
7792 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
7795 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7798 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7799 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7802 This is also the default value for this variable.
7806 @section Using @sc{mime}
7809 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7810 while people stand around yawning.
7812 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7813 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7815 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7816 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7817 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7819 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7820 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
7821 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7822 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
7823 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7824 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
7825 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
7826 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
7827 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
7828 existed yet, sorry).
7830 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7831 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7832 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7833 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7834 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7835 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7837 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
7838 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
7839 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
7840 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
7841 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
7842 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
7843 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
7844 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
7845 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
7848 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7850 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
7851 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
7852 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
7853 buffer when there are nobody else.
7856 @node Customizing Articles
7857 @section Customizing Articles
7858 @cindex article customization
7860 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7861 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7862 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7863 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7865 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7866 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7867 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7868 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7869 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7870 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7871 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7872 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7873 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7875 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7876 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7877 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7878 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7879 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7882 @node Article Keymap
7883 @section Article Keymap
7885 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7886 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7887 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7888 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7891 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7896 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7897 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7898 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7901 @kindex DEL (Article)
7902 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7903 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7906 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7907 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7908 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7909 @kbd{r}, gnus will try to get that article from the server
7910 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7913 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7914 @findex gnus-article-mail
7915 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7916 given a prefix, include the mail.
7920 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7921 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7922 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7926 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7927 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7928 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7931 @kindex TAB (Article)
7932 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7933 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
7934 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7937 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7938 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7939 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
7945 @section Misc Article
7949 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7950 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7951 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7952 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7955 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7956 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7957 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7958 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7959 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7960 the contents of the article buffer.
7962 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7963 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7964 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7965 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7966 hiding headers, and the like.
7968 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7969 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7970 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7972 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7973 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7974 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7975 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7977 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7978 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7979 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7980 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7981 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7985 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7986 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7990 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7992 @item gnus-break-pages
7993 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7994 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7995 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7996 paging will not be done.
7998 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7999 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
8000 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
8005 @node Composing Messages
8006 @chapter Composing Messages
8007 @cindex composing messages
8010 @cindex sending mail
8015 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
8016 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
8017 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
8018 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
8019 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
8020 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
8021 to make gnus try to post using the foreign server.
8024 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
8025 * Post:: Posting and following up.
8026 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
8027 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
8028 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
8029 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
8030 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
8033 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
8034 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
8040 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
8043 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
8044 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
8045 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
8046 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
8048 @item gnus-add-to-list
8049 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
8050 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
8051 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
8059 Variables for composing news articles:
8062 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8063 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
8064 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
8065 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
8066 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
8067 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
8068 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
8069 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
8070 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
8073 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8074 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
8075 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
8076 file. It is 1000 by default.
8081 @node Posting Server
8082 @section Posting Server
8084 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
8085 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
8087 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
8089 @vindex gnus-post-method
8091 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
8092 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
8093 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
8094 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
8095 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
8098 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
8101 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
8102 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
8103 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
8104 the ``current'' server for posting.
8106 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
8107 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
8109 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
8110 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
8113 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
8114 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
8115 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
8120 @section Mail and Post
8122 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
8126 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
8127 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
8128 @cindex mailing lists
8130 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
8131 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
8132 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
8133 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
8134 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
8135 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
8136 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
8137 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
8138 still a pain, though.
8142 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8143 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8144 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8147 @findex ispell-message
8149 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8153 @node Archived Messages
8154 @section Archived Messages
8155 @cindex archived messages
8156 @cindex sent messages
8158 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8159 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8160 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8161 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8164 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8165 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
8166 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8170 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
8171 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
8172 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
8173 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
8176 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8177 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8178 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8179 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8182 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8183 '(nnfolder "archive"
8184 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8185 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8186 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8189 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8191 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8192 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8193 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8195 This variable can be used to do the following:
8199 Messages will be saved in that group.
8200 @item a list of strings
8201 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8202 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8203 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8205 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8210 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8212 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8215 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8217 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8220 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8222 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8223 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8224 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8225 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8230 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8231 '((if (message-news-p)
8236 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8237 messages in one file per month:
8240 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8241 '((if (message-news-p)
8243 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8244 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8247 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8248 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8250 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8251 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8252 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8253 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8254 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8255 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8256 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8257 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8258 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8259 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8261 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8262 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8263 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8264 this will disable archiving.
8267 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8268 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8269 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8270 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8271 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8274 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8275 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8276 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8279 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8280 but the latter is the preferred method.
8284 @c @node Posting Styles
8285 @c @section Posting Styles
8286 @c @cindex posting styles
8289 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
8291 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8292 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8293 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8296 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8297 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8298 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8299 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8300 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8305 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
8306 @c (organization . "What me?"))
8308 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
8309 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8310 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
8313 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8314 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8315 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8316 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8317 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8318 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8319 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8320 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8322 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8323 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8324 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8325 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8326 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8327 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8330 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8331 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8332 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
8333 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8334 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8337 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8338 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8339 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8341 @c So here's a new example:
8344 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
8346 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
8347 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
8348 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8349 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
8351 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8352 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8353 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
8354 @c (posting-from-work-p
8355 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
8356 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
8357 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
8359 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
8366 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8367 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8368 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8369 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8370 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8372 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8373 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8374 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8375 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8376 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8380 @vindex nndraft-directory
8381 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8382 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8383 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8384 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8385 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8386 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8388 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8389 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8392 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8393 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8394 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8395 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8396 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8397 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8398 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8399 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8400 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8401 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8402 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8403 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8404 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8405 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8407 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8408 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8409 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8411 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8413 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8414 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8415 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8417 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8420 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8421 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8422 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8423 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8424 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8425 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8426 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8429 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8430 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8431 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8434 @node Rejected Articles
8435 @section Rejected Articles
8436 @cindex rejected articles
8438 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8439 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8440 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8441 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8443 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
8444 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8445 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8446 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
8447 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8449 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8450 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8451 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8454 @node Select Methods
8455 @chapter Select Methods
8456 @cindex foreign groups
8457 @cindex select methods
8459 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8460 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8461 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8462 personal mail group.
8464 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8465 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8466 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8467 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8468 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8469 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8471 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8472 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8474 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8477 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8478 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8479 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8480 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8481 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8483 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8486 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8487 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8488 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8489 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8490 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8491 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8495 @node The Server Buffer
8496 @section The Server Buffer
8498 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8499 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8500 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8501 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8502 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8503 backend represents a virtual server.
8505 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8506 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8507 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8508 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8510 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8511 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8512 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8513 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8514 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8515 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8516 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8518 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8519 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8522 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8523 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8524 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8525 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8526 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8527 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8528 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8531 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8532 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8535 @node Server Buffer Format
8536 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8537 @cindex server buffer format
8539 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8540 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8541 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8542 variable, with some simple extensions:
8547 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8550 The name of this server.
8553 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8556 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8559 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8560 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8561 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
8572 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8575 @node Server Commands
8576 @subsection Server Commands
8577 @cindex server commands
8583 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8584 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8588 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8589 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8592 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8593 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8594 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8598 @findex gnus-server-exit
8599 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8603 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8604 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8608 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8609 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8613 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8614 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8618 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8619 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8623 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8624 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8625 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8630 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8631 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8632 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8633 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8638 @node Example Methods
8639 @subsection Example Methods
8641 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8644 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8647 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8653 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8654 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8657 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8658 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8660 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8661 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8665 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8668 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8669 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8671 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8672 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8673 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8677 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8680 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8683 Here's the method for a public spool:
8687 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8688 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8691 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8692 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8693 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8694 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8695 should probably look something like this:
8699 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8700 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8701 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8702 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8703 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8706 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
8707 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
8708 server that would look something like this:
8712 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
8713 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
8714 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8715 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8716 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8717 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
8720 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
8721 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
8722 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
8723 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
8726 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8727 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8729 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8730 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8732 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8733 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8734 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8736 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8738 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8739 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8740 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8741 will contain the following:
8751 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8752 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8753 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8756 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8757 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8758 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8761 @node Server Variables
8762 @subsection Server Variables
8764 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8765 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8766 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8767 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8768 won't change the "derived" variables.
8770 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8771 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8772 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8773 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8774 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8775 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8776 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8777 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8778 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8782 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8783 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8784 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8788 @node Servers and Methods
8789 @subsection Servers and Methods
8791 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8792 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8793 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8794 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8798 @node Unavailable Servers
8799 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8801 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8802 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8803 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8804 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8805 actually the case or not.
8807 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8808 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8809 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8810 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8811 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8812 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8813 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8814 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8816 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8817 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8819 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8820 with the following commands:
8826 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8827 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8828 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8832 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8833 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8834 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8838 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8839 Mark the current server as unreachable
8840 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8843 @kindex M-o (Server)
8844 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8845 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8846 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8849 @kindex M-c (Server)
8850 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8851 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8852 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8856 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8857 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8858 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8864 @section Getting News
8865 @cindex reading news
8866 @cindex news backends
8868 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8869 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8870 or it can read from a local spool.
8873 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8874 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8879 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8882 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8883 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8884 server as the, uhm, address.
8886 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8887 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8888 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8889 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8891 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8892 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8893 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8895 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8900 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8901 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8902 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8904 @cindex authentification
8905 @cindex nntp authentification
8906 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8907 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8908 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
8909 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
8910 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
8911 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
8912 present in this hook.
8914 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8915 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8916 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8917 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
8918 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8919 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
8920 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
8921 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
8922 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
8923 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
8924 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
8925 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
8929 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
8932 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
8933 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password}, and
8934 @samp{force}. (The latter is not a valid @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp}
8935 token, which is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format deviates
8936 from the @file{.netrc} file format.)
8940 Here's an example file:
8943 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
8944 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
8947 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
8948 have to be first, for instance.
8950 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
8951 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
8952 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
8953 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
8954 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
8955 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
8956 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
8958 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
8960 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8961 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8962 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8963 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8964 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8967 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8971 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8973 The default value is
8976 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8977 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8980 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8981 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8983 @item nntp-maximum-request
8984 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8985 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8986 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8987 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8988 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8989 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8990 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8992 @c @item nntp-connection-timeout
8993 @c @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8994 @c If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8995 @c regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8996 @c responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8997 @c time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8998 @c somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8999 @c that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
9000 @c connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
9001 @c no timeouts are done.
9003 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
9004 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
9005 @c @cindex PPP connections
9006 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
9007 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
9008 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
9009 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
9010 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
9011 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
9012 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
9013 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
9014 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
9015 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
9017 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
9018 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
9019 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
9020 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
9023 @item nntp-server-hook
9024 @vindex nntp-server-hook
9025 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
9028 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
9029 @findex nntp-open-telnet
9030 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
9031 @item nntp-open-connection-function
9032 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
9033 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Three pre-made
9034 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
9035 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
9036 two are @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an @samp{rlogin} on the
9037 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
9038 available there, and @code{nntp-open-telnet}, which does a @samp{telnet}
9039 to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet} to get to the
9042 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
9046 @item nntp-rlogin-program
9047 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
9048 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
9049 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
9051 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
9052 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
9053 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
9055 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9056 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9057 User name on the remote system.
9061 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
9064 @item nntp-telnet-command
9065 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
9066 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
9068 @item nntp-telnet-switches
9069 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
9070 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
9072 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
9073 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
9074 User name for log in on the remote system.
9076 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
9077 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
9078 Password to use when logging in.
9080 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
9081 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
9082 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
9085 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9086 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
9087 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
9088 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
9090 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9091 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
9092 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
9093 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
9094 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
9098 @item nntp-end-of-line
9099 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
9100 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
9101 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
9102 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
9104 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
9105 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
9106 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
9110 @vindex nntp-address
9111 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
9113 @item nntp-port-number
9114 @vindex nntp-port-number
9115 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
9118 @item nntp-buggy-select
9119 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
9120 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
9122 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
9123 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
9124 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
9125 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
9128 @item nntp-xover-commands
9129 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
9132 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
9133 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
9137 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
9138 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
9139 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
9140 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
9141 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
9142 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
9143 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
9144 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
9145 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
9146 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
9147 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
9149 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
9150 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
9151 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
9153 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9154 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
9155 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
9156 server closes connection.
9158 @item nntp-record-commands
9159 @vindex nntp-record-commands
9160 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
9161 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
9162 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
9163 that doesn't seem to work.
9169 @subsection News Spool
9173 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
9174 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
9175 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
9178 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
9179 anything else) as the address.
9181 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
9182 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
9183 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
9184 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
9188 @item nnspool-inews-program
9189 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
9190 Program used to post an article.
9192 @item nnspool-inews-switches
9193 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
9194 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
9196 @item nnspool-spool-directory
9197 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
9198 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
9199 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
9201 @item nnspool-nov-directory
9202 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9203 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9204 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9206 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9207 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9208 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9210 @item nnspool-active-file
9211 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9212 The path to the active file.
9214 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9215 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9216 The path to the group descriptions file.
9218 @item nnspool-history-file
9219 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9220 The path to the news history file.
9222 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9223 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9224 The path to the active date file.
9226 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9227 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9228 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9231 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9232 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9234 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9235 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9236 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9242 @section Getting Mail
9243 @cindex reading mail
9246 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9250 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9251 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9252 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9253 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9254 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9255 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9256 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9257 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9258 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9259 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9260 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9264 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9265 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9267 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9268 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9269 and things will happen automatically.
9271 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9272 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9275 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9276 '((nnml "private")))
9279 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9280 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9281 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9282 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9283 like any other group.
9285 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9288 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9289 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9290 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9294 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9295 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9296 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9299 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9300 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9301 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9304 @node Splitting Mail
9305 @subsection Splitting Mail
9306 @cindex splitting mail
9307 @cindex mail splitting
9309 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9310 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9311 to be split into groups.
9314 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9315 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9316 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9320 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9321 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9322 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9323 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9324 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
9325 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
9326 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
9329 ("list.\\1" "From:.*\\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
9332 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
9333 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
9336 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9337 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9338 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9339 mail belongs in that group.
9341 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9342 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9343 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9344 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9345 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9346 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9348 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9349 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9350 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9351 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9352 thinks should carry this mail message.
9354 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9355 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9356 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9357 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9359 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9360 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9361 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9362 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9363 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9365 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9368 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9369 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9370 links. If that's the case for you, set
9371 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9372 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9374 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9375 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9376 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9377 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9379 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9380 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9381 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9382 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9383 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9384 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9385 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9386 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9390 @node Mail Backend Variables
9391 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9393 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9397 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9398 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9399 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9400 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9402 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9403 @item nnmail-spool-file
9407 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9408 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9409 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9410 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9411 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9412 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9413 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9414 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9415 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9416 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9417 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9418 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9419 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9420 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9421 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9423 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9425 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9426 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9429 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9430 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9431 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9432 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9433 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9434 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9436 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9437 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9438 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9439 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9440 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9441 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9442 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9445 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9446 @item nnmail-crash-box
9447 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9448 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9449 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9452 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9453 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9454 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9455 used for, well, anything, really.
9457 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9458 @item nnmail-split-hook
9459 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9460 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9461 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9462 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9463 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9464 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9465 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9466 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9468 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9469 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9470 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9471 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9472 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9473 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9474 starting to handle the new mail) and
9475 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9476 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9477 default file modes the new mail files get:
9480 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9481 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9483 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9484 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9487 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9488 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9489 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9490 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9491 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9492 it will be used instead.
9494 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9495 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9496 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9497 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9499 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9500 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9503 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9504 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9505 @cindex incoming mail files
9506 @cindex deleting incoming files
9507 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9508 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9511 @c This is @code{nil} by
9512 @c default for reasons of security.
9514 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9515 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9516 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9517 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9518 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9521 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9523 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9524 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9525 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9526 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9527 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9528 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9529 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9531 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9532 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9534 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9536 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9537 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9538 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9539 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9540 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9545 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9546 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9547 @cindex mail splitting
9548 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9550 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9551 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9552 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9553 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9554 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9555 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9557 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9560 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9561 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9562 ;; from real errors.
9563 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9565 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9566 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9567 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9568 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9569 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9570 ;; Other mailing lists...
9571 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9572 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9574 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9575 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9579 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9580 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9581 the five possible split syntaxes:
9586 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
9589 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9590 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9591 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9594 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9595 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9596 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9597 be stored in one or more groups.
9600 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9601 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9604 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9608 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9609 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9610 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9615 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9616 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9617 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9618 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9619 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9621 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9622 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9623 are expanded as specified by the variable
9624 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9625 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9628 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9629 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9630 when all this splitting is performed.
9632 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9633 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9634 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
9637 (any "debian-\\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9640 @node Mail and Procmail
9641 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9646 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9647 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9648 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9649 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9650 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9652 If you have a combined @code{procmail}/POP/mailbox setup, you can do
9653 something like the following:
9655 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9657 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
9658 (setq nnmail-spool-file
9659 '("/usr/spool/mail/my-name" "po:my-name"))
9662 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9663 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9666 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9667 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9668 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9669 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9670 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9671 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9673 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9676 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9678 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9679 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9681 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9682 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9683 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9684 to include all your mail groups.
9686 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9687 method will be created automatically.
9689 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9690 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9691 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9692 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9693 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9694 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9695 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9696 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9698 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9699 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9700 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9701 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9702 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9704 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9705 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9706 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9707 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9708 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9709 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9711 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9712 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9713 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9714 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9715 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9718 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9719 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9720 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9721 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9722 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9726 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9727 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9729 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9730 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9731 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9734 Doing so can be quite easy.
9736 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9737 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9738 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9739 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9740 your @code{nnml} groups.
9746 Go to the group buffer.
9749 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9750 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9753 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9756 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9757 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9760 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9761 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9764 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9765 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9766 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9767 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9768 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9770 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9771 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9772 using the new mail backend.
9776 @subsection Expiring Mail
9777 @cindex article expiry
9779 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9780 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9781 different approach to mail reading.
9783 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9784 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9785 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9786 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9787 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9788 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9791 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9792 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9793 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9794 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9795 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9796 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9797 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9798 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9800 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9801 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9802 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9803 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9804 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9805 column in the summary buffer.
9807 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9808 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9809 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9810 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9813 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9815 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9816 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9817 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9820 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
9821 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
9822 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
9823 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
9824 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
9826 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
9827 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
9830 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9831 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
9834 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
9835 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
9837 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9838 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9839 don't really mix very well.
9841 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9842 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9843 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
9844 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
9847 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9848 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9849 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9850 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9853 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9855 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9857 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9859 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9861 ((string= group "important")
9867 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9868 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9870 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9871 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
9872 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
9875 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9876 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9878 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9879 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9880 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9881 easier for procmail users.
9883 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9884 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9885 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9886 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9887 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9888 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9889 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9890 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9891 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9892 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9893 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9894 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9895 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9898 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9902 @subsection Washing Mail
9903 @cindex mail washing
9904 @cindex list server brain damage
9905 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9907 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9908 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9909 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9910 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9911 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9912 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9914 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9915 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9916 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9919 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9920 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9921 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9922 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9925 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9926 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9927 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9928 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9931 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9932 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9933 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9934 Emacs running on MS machines.
9938 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9939 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9940 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9941 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9944 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9945 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9946 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9947 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
9949 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9950 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9951 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9952 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9953 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
9954 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
9955 also be a list of regexp.
9957 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
9958 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
9961 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
9962 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
9965 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
9966 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
9967 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
9971 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9972 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9973 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
9977 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
9978 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
9979 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
9986 @subsection Duplicates
9988 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
9989 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
9990 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
9991 @cindex duplicate mails
9992 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
9993 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
9994 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
9995 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
9996 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
9997 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
9998 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
9999 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
10000 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
10001 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
10002 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
10003 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
10004 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
10006 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
10007 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
10008 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
10009 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
10011 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
10014 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
10015 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
10019 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
10020 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
10021 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
10022 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
10023 (any mail "mail.misc")
10030 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10031 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
10036 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
10037 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
10038 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
10039 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
10040 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
10043 @node Not Reading Mail
10044 @subsection Not Reading Mail
10046 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
10047 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
10048 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
10050 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
10051 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
10053 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10054 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10055 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10056 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10057 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10058 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
10059 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
10060 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
10061 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
10062 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
10063 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
10065 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
10066 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
10070 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
10071 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
10073 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
10074 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
10075 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
10078 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
10079 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
10080 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
10081 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
10082 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
10086 @node Unix Mail Box
10087 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
10089 @cindex unix mail box
10091 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10092 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10093 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
10094 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
10095 which group it belongs in.
10097 Virtual server settings:
10100 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
10101 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
10102 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
10104 @item nnmbox-active-file
10105 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
10106 The name of the active file for the mail box.
10108 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
10109 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
10110 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
10116 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
10120 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10121 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10122 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
10123 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
10124 article to say which group it belongs in.
10126 Virtual server settings:
10129 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
10130 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
10131 The name of the rmail mbox file.
10133 @item nnbabyl-active-file
10134 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
10135 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
10137 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10138 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
10139 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
10144 @subsubsection Mail Spool
10146 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
10148 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
10149 format. It should be used with some caution.
10151 @vindex nnml-directory
10152 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
10153 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
10154 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
10155 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
10157 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
10160 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
10161 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
10162 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
10163 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
10164 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
10165 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
10166 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
10167 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
10169 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
10170 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
10171 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
10172 backend when it comes to reading mail.
10174 Virtual server settings:
10177 @item nnml-directory
10178 @vindex nnml-directory
10179 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
10181 @item nnml-active-file
10182 @vindex nnml-active-file
10183 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
10185 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
10186 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
10187 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
10190 @item nnml-get-new-mail
10191 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
10192 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
10194 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
10195 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
10196 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
10198 @item nnml-nov-file-name
10199 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
10200 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
10202 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10203 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
10204 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
10208 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
10209 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
10210 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
10211 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
10212 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
10213 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
10214 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10219 @subsubsection MH Spool
10221 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10223 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10224 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10225 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10226 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10228 Virtual server settings:
10231 @item nnmh-directory
10232 @vindex nnmh-directory
10233 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10235 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10236 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10237 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10240 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10241 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10242 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10243 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10244 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10245 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10246 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10251 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10253 @cindex mbox folders
10254 @cindex mail folders
10256 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10257 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10258 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10261 Virtual server settings:
10264 @item nnfolder-directory
10265 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10266 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10268 @item nnfolder-active-file
10269 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10270 The name of the active file.
10272 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10273 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10274 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10276 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10277 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10278 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10281 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10282 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10283 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10284 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10285 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10286 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10289 @node Other Sources
10290 @section Other Sources
10292 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10293 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10297 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10298 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10299 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10300 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10301 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10302 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10306 @node Directory Groups
10307 @subsection Directory Groups
10309 @cindex directory groups
10311 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10312 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10315 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10316 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10317 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10318 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10320 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10321 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10322 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10323 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10324 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10326 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10328 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10329 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10330 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10331 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10334 @node Anything Groups
10335 @subsection Anything Groups
10338 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10339 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10340 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10343 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10344 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10345 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10346 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10347 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10348 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10349 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10350 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10351 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10352 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10355 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10356 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10357 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10358 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10360 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10361 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10362 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10363 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10365 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10366 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10367 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10368 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10369 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10370 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10371 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10372 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10377 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10378 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10379 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10380 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10382 @item nneething-exclude-files
10383 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10384 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10385 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10387 @item nneething-map-file
10388 @vindex nneething-map-file
10389 Name of the map files.
10393 @node Document Groups
10394 @subsection Document Groups
10396 @cindex documentation group
10399 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10400 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10407 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10412 The standard Unix mbox file.
10414 @cindex MMDF mail box
10416 The MMDF mail box format.
10419 Several news articles appended into a file.
10422 @cindex rnews batch files
10423 The rnews batch transport format.
10424 @cindex forwarded messages
10427 Forwarded articles.
10431 @cindex MIME digest
10432 @cindex 1153 digest
10433 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10434 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10435 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10437 @item standard-digest
10438 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10441 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10444 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10445 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10446 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10449 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10450 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10451 group. And that's it.
10453 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10454 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10455 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10456 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10457 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10458 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10459 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10460 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10461 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10462 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10464 Virtual server variables:
10467 @item nndoc-article-type
10468 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10469 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10470 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10471 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{standard-digest},
10472 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or @code{guess}.
10474 @item nndoc-post-type
10475 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10476 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10477 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10482 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10486 @node Document Server Internals
10487 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10489 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10490 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10491 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10492 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10494 First, here's an example document type definition:
10498 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10499 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10502 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10503 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10504 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10505 types can be defined with very few settings:
10508 @item first-article
10509 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10510 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10513 @item article-begin
10514 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10515 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10517 @item head-begin-function
10518 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10521 @item nndoc-head-begin
10522 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10525 @item nndoc-head-end
10526 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10527 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10529 @item body-begin-function
10530 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10534 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10537 @item body-end-function
10538 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10542 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10545 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10546 regexp will be totally ignored.
10550 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10551 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10552 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10553 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10554 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10557 @item prepare-body-function
10558 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10559 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10560 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10562 @item article-transform-function
10563 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10564 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10565 body of the article.
10567 @item generate-head-function
10568 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10569 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10570 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10571 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10575 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10580 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10581 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10582 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10583 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10584 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10585 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10586 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10587 (subtype digest guess))
10590 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10591 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10592 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10593 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10594 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10596 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10597 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10598 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10599 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10600 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
10601 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10602 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10603 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10604 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10605 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10613 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10614 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10615 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10617 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10618 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10619 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10622 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10623 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10624 that interested in doing things properly.
10626 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10627 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10630 First some terminology:
10635 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10636 get news and/or mail from.
10639 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10640 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10643 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10647 @item message packets
10648 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10649 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10650 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10652 @item response packets
10653 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10654 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10655 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10665 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10666 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10667 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10668 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10671 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10674 You put the packet in your home directory.
10677 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10678 the native or secondary server.
10681 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10682 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10685 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10689 You transfer this packet to the server.
10692 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10695 You then repeat until you die.
10699 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10700 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10703 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10704 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10705 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10709 @node SOUP Commands
10710 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10712 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10716 @kindex G s b (Group)
10717 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10718 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10719 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10720 process/prefix convention.
10723 @kindex G s w (Group)
10724 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10725 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10728 @kindex G s s (Group)
10729 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10730 Send all replies from the replies packet
10731 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10734 @kindex G s p (Group)
10735 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10736 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10739 @kindex G s r (Group)
10740 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10741 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10744 @kindex O s (Summary)
10745 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10746 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10747 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10748 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10753 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10758 @item gnus-soup-directory
10759 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10760 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10761 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10763 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10764 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10765 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10766 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10768 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10769 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10770 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10771 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10773 @item gnus-soup-packer
10774 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10775 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10776 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10778 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10779 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10780 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10781 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10783 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10784 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10785 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10787 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10788 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10789 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10790 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
10796 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
10799 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
10800 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
10801 you can read them at leisure.
10803 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
10807 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
10808 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
10809 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
10810 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
10812 @item nnsoup-directory
10813 @vindex nnsoup-directory
10814 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
10815 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
10817 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
10818 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
10819 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
10820 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
10822 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
10823 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
10824 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
10825 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
10826 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
10828 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
10829 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
10830 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
10831 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
10833 @item nnsoup-active-file
10834 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
10835 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
10836 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
10837 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
10838 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10840 @item nnsoup-packer
10841 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10842 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10843 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
10845 @item nnsoup-unpacker
10846 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
10847 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
10848 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10850 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
10851 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
10852 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
10855 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
10856 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10857 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10860 @item nnsoup-always-save
10861 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
10862 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
10868 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10870 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10871 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10872 more for that to happen.
10874 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10875 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10876 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10879 In specific, this is what it does:
10882 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10883 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10886 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10887 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10888 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10892 @subsection Web Searches
10896 @cindex InReference
10897 @cindex Usenet searches
10898 @cindex searching the Usenet
10900 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10901 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10902 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10903 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10904 searches without having to use a browser.
10906 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10907 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10908 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10909 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10910 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10912 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10913 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10914 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10915 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10916 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
10917 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10918 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10919 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10920 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10921 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
10924 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10925 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10926 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10927 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10928 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10929 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10931 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10932 to use @code{nnweb}.
10934 Virtual server variables:
10939 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10940 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
10944 @vindex nnweb-search
10945 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10947 @item nnweb-max-hits
10948 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10949 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10952 @item nnweb-type-definition
10953 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
10954 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
10955 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
10960 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
10964 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
10967 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
10970 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
10974 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
10981 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
10982 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
10983 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
10986 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
10987 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
10988 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
10990 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
10996 @item nngateway-address
10997 @vindex nngateway-address
10998 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
11000 @item nngateway-header-transformation
11001 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
11002 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
11003 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
11004 transformation should be called, and defaults to
11005 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
11006 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
11009 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
11010 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
11011 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
11014 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
11017 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
11020 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
11025 So, to use this, simply say something like:
11028 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
11032 @node Combined Groups
11033 @section Combined Groups
11035 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
11039 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
11040 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
11044 @node Virtual Groups
11045 @subsection Virtual Groups
11047 @cindex virtual groups
11049 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
11052 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
11053 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
11054 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
11056 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
11057 regexp to match component groups.
11059 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
11060 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
11061 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
11062 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
11063 the virtual group.)
11065 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
11066 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
11069 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
11072 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
11073 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
11075 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
11076 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
11077 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
11078 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
11081 "^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+some\\.server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
11084 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
11085 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
11086 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
11088 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
11089 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
11090 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
11091 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
11092 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
11094 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
11095 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
11096 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
11098 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
11099 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
11100 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
11101 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
11102 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
11103 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
11104 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
11105 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
11106 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
11107 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
11108 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
11111 @node Kibozed Groups
11112 @subsection Kibozed Groups
11116 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
11117 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
11118 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
11119 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
11121 @kindex G k (Group)
11122 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
11125 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
11126 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
11127 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
11128 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
11130 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
11131 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
11132 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
11134 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
11135 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
11136 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
11137 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
11138 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
11139 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
11140 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
11141 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
11143 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
11144 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
11145 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
11146 Stranger things have happened.
11148 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
11149 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
11151 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
11152 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
11153 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
11154 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
11155 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
11156 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
11158 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
11159 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
11162 @node Gnus Unplugged
11163 @section Gnus Unplugged
11168 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
11170 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
11171 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
11172 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
11173 read news. Believe it or not.
11175 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
11176 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
11177 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
11178 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
11179 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
11181 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
11182 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
11183 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
11184 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
11185 reading news on a machine.
11187 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
11191 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
11192 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
11196 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
11197 @file{.gnus.el} file:
11204 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
11206 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
11209 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
11210 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
11211 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
11212 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
11213 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
11214 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
11215 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
11216 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
11221 @subsection Agent Basics
11223 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
11225 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
11226 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
11227 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
11228 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11230 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11231 connected to the net continuously.
11233 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11234 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11236 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11241 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11242 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11243 already fetched while in this mode.
11246 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11247 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11248 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11251 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11252 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11253 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11254 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11257 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11258 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11259 then you read the news offline.
11262 And then you go to step 2.
11265 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11271 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11272 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11273 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11274 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11275 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11276 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11279 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
11286 @node Agent Categories
11287 @subsection Agent Categories
11289 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11290 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11291 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11292 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11293 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11294 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11295 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11297 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11298 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11299 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11302 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11303 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11304 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11308 @node Category Syntax
11309 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11311 A category consists of two things.
11315 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11316 are eligible for downloading; and
11319 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11320 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11321 score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
11324 A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
11327 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11329 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11330 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11336 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11337 short (for some value of ``short'').
11339 Here's a more complex predicate:
11348 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11349 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11352 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11353 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11354 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11356 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11357 you want to do, you can write your own.
11361 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11362 lines; default 100.
11365 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11366 lines; default 200.
11369 True iff the article has a download score less than
11370 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11373 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11374 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11377 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11378 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11379 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11388 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11389 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11390 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11393 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11394 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11395 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11396 following headers can be scored on: @code{From}, @code{Subject},
11397 @code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
11398 and @code{References}.
11401 @node The Category Buffer
11402 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11404 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11405 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11406 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11408 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11412 @kindex q (Category)
11413 @findex gnus-category-exit
11414 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11417 @kindex k (Category)
11418 @findex gnus-category-kill
11419 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11422 @kindex c (Category)
11423 @findex gnus-category-copy
11424 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11427 @kindex a (Category)
11428 @findex gnus-category-add
11429 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11432 @kindex p (Category)
11433 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11434 Edit the predicate of the current category
11435 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11438 @kindex g (Category)
11439 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11440 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11441 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11444 @kindex s (Category)
11445 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11446 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11447 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
11450 @kindex l (Category)
11451 @findex gnus-category-list
11452 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
11456 @node Category Variables
11457 @subsubsection Category Variables
11460 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
11461 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
11462 Hook run in category buffers.
11464 @item gnus-category-line-format
11465 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
11466 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
11467 Variables}). Legal elements are:
11471 The name of the category.
11474 The number of groups in the category.
11477 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
11478 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
11479 Format of the category mode line.
11481 @item gnus-agent-short-article
11482 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
11483 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
11485 @item gnus-agent-long-article
11486 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
11487 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
11489 @item gnus-agent-low-score
11490 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
11491 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
11494 @item gnus-agent-high-score
11495 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
11496 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
11502 @node Agent Commands
11503 @subsection Agent Commands
11505 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
11506 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
11507 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
11511 * Group Agent Commands::
11512 * Summary Agent Commands::
11513 * Server Agent Commands::
11516 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
11517 following incantation:
11519 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11521 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
11526 @node Group Agent Commands
11527 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
11531 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
11532 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
11533 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
11534 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
11537 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
11538 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
11539 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
11542 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
11543 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
11544 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
11545 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
11548 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
11549 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
11550 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
11551 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
11554 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
11555 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
11556 Add the current group to an Agent category
11557 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
11562 @node Summary Agent Commands
11563 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
11567 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
11568 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
11569 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
11572 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
11573 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
11574 Remove the downloading mark from the article
11575 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
11578 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
11579 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
11580 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
11583 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
11584 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
11585 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
11590 @node Server Agent Commands
11591 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
11595 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
11596 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
11597 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
11598 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
11601 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
11602 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
11603 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
11604 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
11610 @subsection Agent Expiry
11612 @vindex gnus-agent-expiry-days
11613 @findex gnus-agent-expiry
11614 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expiry
11615 @cindex Agent expiry
11616 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
11619 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
11620 @code{gnus-agent-expiry} command that will expire all read articles that
11621 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expiry-days} days. It can be run
11622 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
11623 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
11624 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
11626 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
11627 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
11628 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
11629 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
11630 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
11633 @node Outgoing Messages
11634 @subsection Outgoing Messages
11636 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
11637 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
11638 after posting, and edit them at will.
11640 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
11641 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
11642 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
11643 messages in the draft group.
11647 @node Agent Variables
11648 @subsection Agent Variables
11651 @item gnus-agent-directory
11652 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
11653 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
11654 @file{~/News/agent/}.
11656 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
11657 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
11658 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
11659 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
11660 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
11663 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11664 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11665 Hook run when connecting to the network.
11667 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11668 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11669 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
11674 @node Example Setup
11675 @subsection Example Setup
11677 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
11678 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
11679 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
11682 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
11683 ;;; from your ISP's server.
11684 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
11686 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
11687 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
11688 (setenv "MAILHOST" "pop.your-isp.com")
11689 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
11691 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
11692 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11694 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
11698 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
11699 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
11702 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
11703 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
11704 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
11705 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
11706 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
11709 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
11710 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
11711 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
11712 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
11713 back all the killed groups.)
11715 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
11716 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
11717 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
11720 @node Batching Agents
11721 @subsection Batching Agents
11723 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
11724 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
11725 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
11729 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
11738 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
11739 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
11740 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
11743 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
11744 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
11745 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
11746 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
11747 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
11749 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
11750 before generating the summary buffer.
11752 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
11753 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
11754 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
11756 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
11757 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
11758 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
11759 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
11762 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
11763 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
11764 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
11765 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
11766 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
11767 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
11768 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
11769 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
11770 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
11771 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
11772 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
11773 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
11774 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
11775 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
11776 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
11777 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
11781 @node Summary Score Commands
11782 @section Summary Score Commands
11783 @cindex score commands
11785 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
11786 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
11787 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
11788 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
11789 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
11791 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
11792 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
11793 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
11794 score file the current one.
11796 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
11801 @kindex V s (Summary)
11802 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
11803 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
11806 @kindex V S (Summary)
11807 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
11808 Display the score of the current article
11809 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
11812 @kindex V t (Summary)
11813 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
11814 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
11815 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
11818 @kindex V R (Summary)
11819 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
11820 Run the current summary through the scoring process
11821 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
11822 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
11823 effect you're having.
11826 @kindex V a (Summary)
11827 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
11828 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
11829 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
11832 @kindex V c (Summary)
11833 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
11834 Make a different score file the current
11835 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
11838 @kindex V e (Summary)
11839 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
11840 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
11841 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
11845 @kindex V f (Summary)
11846 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
11847 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
11848 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
11851 @kindex V F (Summary)
11852 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
11853 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
11854 after editing score files.
11857 @kindex V C (Summary)
11858 @findex gnus-score-customize
11859 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
11860 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
11864 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
11869 @kindex V m (Summary)
11870 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
11871 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
11872 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
11875 @kindex V x (Summary)
11876 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
11877 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
11878 expunge all articles below this score
11879 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
11882 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
11883 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
11886 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
11887 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
11891 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
11892 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
11894 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
11895 keys are available:
11899 Score on the author name.
11902 Score on the subject line.
11905 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
11908 Score on thread---the References line.
11914 Score on the number of lines.
11917 Score on the Message-ID.
11920 Score on followups.
11930 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
11931 what headers you are scoring on.
11943 Substring matching.
11946 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
11975 Greater than number.
11980 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
11981 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
11982 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
11986 Temporary score entry.
11989 Permanent score entry.
11992 Immediately scoring.
11997 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
11998 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
11999 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
12000 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
12002 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
12003 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
12004 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
12005 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
12006 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
12008 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
12009 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
12010 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
12011 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
12012 current score file.
12014 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
12015 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
12016 pretend they are keymaps or not.
12019 @node Group Score Commands
12020 @section Group Score Commands
12021 @cindex group score commands
12023 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
12028 @kindex W f (Group)
12029 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
12030 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
12031 all the time. This command will flush the cache
12032 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
12036 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
12038 @findex gnus-batch-score
12039 @cindex batch scoring
12041 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l gnus -f gnus-batch-score
12045 @node Score Variables
12046 @section Score Variables
12047 @cindex score variables
12051 @item gnus-use-scoring
12052 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
12053 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
12054 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
12056 @item gnus-kill-killed
12057 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
12058 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
12059 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
12060 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
12061 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
12062 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
12063 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
12065 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
12066 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
12067 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
12068 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
12069 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
12071 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
12072 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
12073 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
12074 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
12076 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12077 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
12078 @cindex score cache
12079 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
12080 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
12081 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
12082 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
12083 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
12084 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
12087 @item gnus-save-score
12088 @vindex gnus-save-score
12089 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
12090 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
12091 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
12093 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12094 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
12095 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
12096 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
12097 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
12098 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
12099 manually entered data.
12101 @item gnus-summary-default-score
12102 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
12103 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
12105 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
12106 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
12107 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
12108 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
12109 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
12110 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
12112 @item gnus-score-over-mark
12113 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
12114 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
12115 default. Default is @samp{+}.
12117 @item gnus-score-below-mark
12118 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
12119 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
12120 default. Default is @samp{-}.
12122 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12123 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
12124 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
12125 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
12127 Predefined functions available are:
12130 @item gnus-score-find-single
12131 @findex gnus-score-find-single
12132 Only apply the group's own score file.
12134 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
12135 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
12136 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
12137 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
12138 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
12139 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
12140 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
12141 then a regexp match is done.
12143 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
12144 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
12146 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
12147 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
12148 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
12149 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
12151 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12152 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
12153 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
12154 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
12155 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
12158 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
12159 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
12160 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
12161 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
12162 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
12163 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
12166 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
12167 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
12168 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
12169 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
12170 are expired. It's 7 by default.
12172 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12173 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
12174 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
12175 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
12176 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
12177 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
12178 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
12181 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12182 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
12183 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
12185 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
12186 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
12187 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
12188 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
12189 threading---according to the current value of
12190 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
12191 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
12192 simplified in this manner.
12197 @node Score File Format
12198 @section Score File Format
12199 @cindex score file format
12201 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
12202 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
12203 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
12205 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
12209 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
12211 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
12213 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
12215 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
12220 (mark-and-expunge -10)
12224 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
12225 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
12226 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
12227 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
12231 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
12232 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
12234 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
12235 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
12236 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
12238 Six keys are supported by this alist:
12243 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
12244 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
12245 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
12246 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
12247 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
12248 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
12249 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
12250 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
12251 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
12252 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
12253 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
12254 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
12255 to articles that matches these score entries.
12257 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
12258 score entry has one to four elements.
12262 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
12263 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
12267 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
12268 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
12269 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
12270 is successful. If this element is not present, the
12271 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
12272 instead. This is 1000 by default.
12275 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
12276 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
12277 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
12278 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
12279 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
12282 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
12283 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
12284 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
12285 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
12288 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
12289 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
12290 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
12291 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
12292 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
12293 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
12294 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
12295 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
12296 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
12297 instead, if you feel like.
12300 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
12301 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
12302 careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
12303 @code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
12304 lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
12305 the articles with few lines.
12308 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12309 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12310 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12311 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12312 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12313 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12314 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12318 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12319 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12320 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12321 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12322 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12323 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12324 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12325 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12328 @item Head, Body, All
12329 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12333 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12334 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12335 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12336 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12337 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12338 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12339 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12343 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12344 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12345 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12346 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12347 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12348 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12349 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12350 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12351 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12352 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12356 @cindex Score File Atoms
12358 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12359 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12362 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12363 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12365 @item mark-and-expunge
12366 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12367 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12370 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12371 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12372 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12373 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12374 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12377 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12378 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12381 @item exclude-files
12382 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12383 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12387 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12388 ignored when handling global score files.
12391 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12392 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
12393 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
12394 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
12397 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12398 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12399 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12400 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12402 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12406 (mark-and-expunge -100)
12409 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
12410 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
12411 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
12412 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
12413 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
12415 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
12416 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
12417 ordinary scoring rules.
12420 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
12421 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
12422 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
12423 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
12424 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
12425 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
12426 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12427 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
12428 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
12429 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
12430 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
12434 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
12435 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
12436 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
12437 file for a number of groups.
12440 @cindex local variables
12441 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
12442 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
12443 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
12444 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
12445 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
12449 @node Score File Editing
12450 @section Score File Editing
12452 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
12453 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
12454 with a mode for that.
12456 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
12457 additional commands:
12462 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
12463 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
12464 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
12465 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
12468 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
12469 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
12470 Insert the current date in numerical format
12471 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
12472 you were wondering.
12475 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
12476 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
12477 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
12478 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
12479 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
12484 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
12486 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
12487 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
12489 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
12490 e} to begin editing score files.
12493 @node Adaptive Scoring
12494 @section Adaptive Scoring
12495 @cindex adaptive scoring
12497 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
12498 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
12499 stupidity, to be precise.
12501 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
12502 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
12503 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
12504 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
12505 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12506 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
12507 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
12508 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
12509 variable to @code{(word line)}.
12511 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12512 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
12513 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
12514 might look something like this:
12517 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12518 '((gnus-unread-mark)
12519 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
12520 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
12521 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
12522 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
12523 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
12524 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
12525 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
12526 (gnus-ancient-mark)
12527 (gnus-low-score-mark)
12528 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
12531 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
12532 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
12533 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
12534 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
12535 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
12536 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
12539 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
12540 will be applied to each article.
12542 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
12543 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
12544 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
12545 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
12547 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
12548 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
12549 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
12550 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
12552 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
12553 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
12554 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
12555 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
12557 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
12558 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
12559 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
12560 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
12561 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
12562 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
12564 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
12565 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
12566 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
12567 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
12568 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
12569 aspirins afterwards.)
12571 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
12572 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
12573 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
12575 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
12576 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
12577 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
12579 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
12580 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
12581 let you use different rules in different groups.
12583 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
12584 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
12585 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
12588 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
12589 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
12590 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
12591 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
12592 the length of the match is less than
12593 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
12594 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
12597 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12598 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
12599 headers. If you adapt on words, the
12600 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
12601 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
12604 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12605 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
12606 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
12607 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
12608 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
12611 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
12612 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
12613 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
12614 score with 30 points.
12616 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
12617 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
12618 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
12619 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
12620 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
12622 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
12623 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
12624 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
12625 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
12627 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
12628 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
12629 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
12630 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
12632 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
12633 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
12634 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
12636 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
12637 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
12638 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
12639 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
12642 @node Home Score File
12643 @section Home Score File
12645 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
12646 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
12647 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
12648 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
12650 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
12651 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
12652 could perhaps use the same home score file.
12654 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
12655 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
12660 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
12664 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
12665 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
12669 A list. The elements in this list can be:
12673 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
12674 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
12677 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
12678 the home score file.
12681 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
12684 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
12689 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
12692 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12693 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
12696 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
12697 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
12700 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12701 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
12704 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
12706 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
12707 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
12708 their own home score files:
12711 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12712 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
12713 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
12714 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
12715 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
12718 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
12719 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
12720 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
12721 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
12722 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
12724 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
12725 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
12726 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
12727 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
12728 precedence over this variable.
12731 @node Followups To Yourself
12732 @section Followups To Yourself
12734 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
12735 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
12736 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
12737 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
12738 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
12739 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
12743 @item gnus-score-followup-article
12744 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
12745 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
12748 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
12749 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
12750 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
12754 @vindex message-sent-hook
12755 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
12756 @code{message-sent-hook}.
12758 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
12759 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
12763 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12764 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12767 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
12768 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
12773 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
12777 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
12778 is system-dependent.
12782 @section Scoring Tips
12783 @cindex scoring tips
12789 @cindex scoring crossposts
12790 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
12791 the @code{Xref} header.
12793 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
12796 @item Multiple crossposts
12797 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
12798 more than, say, 3 groups:
12800 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
12803 @item Matching on the body
12804 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
12805 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
12806 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
12807 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
12808 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
12809 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
12810 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
12813 @item Marking as read
12814 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
12815 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
12816 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
12820 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
12822 @item Negated character classes
12823 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
12824 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
12825 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
12829 @node Reverse Scoring
12830 @section Reverse Scoring
12831 @cindex reverse scoring
12833 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
12834 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
12835 like this in your score file:
12839 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
12844 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
12845 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
12848 @node Global Score Files
12849 @section Global Score Files
12850 @cindex global score files
12852 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
12853 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
12854 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
12856 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
12857 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
12858 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
12860 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
12861 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
12862 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
12863 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
12864 files are applicable to which group.
12866 Say you want to use the score file
12867 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
12868 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
12871 (setq gnus-global-score-files
12872 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
12873 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
12876 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
12877 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
12878 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
12879 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
12880 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
12882 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
12883 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
12885 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
12886 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
12887 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
12888 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
12889 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
12890 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
12892 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
12898 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
12900 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
12902 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
12904 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
12905 lowered out of existence.
12907 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
12908 articles completely.
12911 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
12912 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
12913 old articles for a long time.
12916 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
12917 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
12918 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
12919 holding our breath yet?
12923 @section Kill Files
12926 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
12927 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
12928 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
12930 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
12931 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
12932 files into score files.
12934 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
12935 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
12936 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
12937 that isn't a very good idea.
12939 Normal kill files look like this:
12942 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12943 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
12947 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
12948 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
12950 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
12951 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
12954 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
12959 @kindex M-k (Summary)
12960 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
12961 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
12964 @kindex M-K (Summary)
12965 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
12966 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
12969 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
12974 @kindex M-k (Group)
12975 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
12976 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
12979 @kindex M-K (Group)
12980 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
12981 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
12984 Kill file variables:
12987 @item gnus-kill-file-name
12988 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
12989 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
12990 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
12991 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
12992 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
12993 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
12995 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
12996 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
12997 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
12998 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
13001 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
13002 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
13003 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
13004 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
13005 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
13006 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
13007 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
13008 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
13009 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
13011 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13012 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
13013 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
13018 @node Converting Kill Files
13019 @section Converting Kill Files
13021 @cindex converting kill files
13023 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
13024 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
13025 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
13028 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
13029 You can fetch it from
13030 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
13032 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
13033 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
13034 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
13042 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
13043 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
13044 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
13046 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
13047 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
13048 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
13049 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
13050 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
13051 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
13052 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
13053 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
13057 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
13058 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
13059 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
13060 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
13064 @node Using GroupLens
13065 @subsection Using GroupLens
13067 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
13069 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
13070 better bit in town at the moment.
13072 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
13076 @item gnus-use-grouplens
13077 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
13078 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
13079 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
13081 @item grouplens-pseudonym
13082 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
13083 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
13084 with the Better Bit Bureau.
13086 @item grouplens-newsgroups
13087 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
13088 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
13092 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
13093 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
13094 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
13095 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
13096 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
13097 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
13100 @node Rating Articles
13101 @subsection Rating Articles
13103 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
13104 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
13105 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
13106 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
13109 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
13114 @kindex r (GroupLens)
13115 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
13116 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
13119 @kindex k (GroupLens)
13120 @findex grouplens-score-thread
13121 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
13122 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
13123 threads in rec.humor.
13127 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
13128 the score of the article you're reading.
13133 @kindex n (GroupLens)
13134 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
13135 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
13138 @kindex , (GroupLens)
13139 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
13140 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
13144 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
13145 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
13148 @node Displaying Predictions
13149 @subsection Displaying Predictions
13151 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
13152 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
13153 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
13154 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
13155 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
13157 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
13158 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
13159 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
13160 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
13161 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
13162 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
13163 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
13164 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
13165 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
13166 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
13167 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
13168 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
13169 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
13171 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
13172 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
13173 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
13174 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
13176 The following are valid values for that variable.
13179 @item prediction-spot
13180 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
13183 @item confidence-interval
13184 A numeric confidence interval.
13186 @item prediction-bar
13187 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
13189 @item confidence-bar
13190 Numerical confidence.
13192 @item confidence-spot
13193 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
13195 @item prediction-num
13196 Plain-old numeric value.
13198 @item confidence-plus-minus
13199 Prediction +/- confidence.
13204 @node GroupLens Variables
13205 @subsection GroupLens Variables
13209 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
13210 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
13211 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
13212 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
13215 @item grouplens-bbb-host
13216 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
13219 @item grouplens-bbb-port
13220 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
13222 @item grouplens-score-offset
13223 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
13224 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
13227 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
13228 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
13229 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
13234 @node Advanced Scoring
13235 @section Advanced Scoring
13237 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
13238 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
13239 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
13240 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
13241 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
13243 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
13247 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
13248 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
13249 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
13253 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
13254 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
13256 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
13257 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
13258 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
13259 non-@code{nil} value.
13261 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
13262 operator, and various match operators.
13269 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13270 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
13271 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
13276 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
13277 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
13278 then this operator will return @code{false}.
13283 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
13284 logical negation of the value of its argument.
13288 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
13289 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
13290 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
13291 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
13292 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
13293 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
13294 the ancestry you want to go.
13296 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
13297 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
13298 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
13299 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
13300 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
13303 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
13304 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
13306 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
13307 when he's talking about Gnus:
13311 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13312 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13318 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13322 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13329 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13330 really don't want to read what he's written:
13334 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13335 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13339 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13340 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13341 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13348 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13349 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13350 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13351 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13355 The possibilities are endless.
13358 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13359 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13361 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13362 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13363 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13364 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13365 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13366 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13367 @samp{subject}) first.
13369 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13370 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13381 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13382 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13388 ("subject" "Gnus")))
13395 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
13396 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
13401 @section Score Decays
13402 @cindex score decays
13405 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
13406 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
13407 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
13408 use them in any sensible way.
13410 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
13411 @findex gnus-decay-score
13412 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
13413 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
13414 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
13415 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
13416 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
13417 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
13418 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
13419 definition of that function:
13422 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
13423 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant' and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
13426 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
13428 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
13430 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
13433 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
13434 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
13435 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
13436 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
13440 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
13443 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
13446 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
13450 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
13451 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
13452 the new score, which should be an integer.
13454 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
13455 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
13462 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
13463 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
13464 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
13465 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
13466 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
13467 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
13468 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
13469 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
13470 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
13471 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
13472 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
13473 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
13474 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
13475 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
13476 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
13477 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
13478 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
13479 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
13483 @node Process/Prefix
13484 @section Process/Prefix
13485 @cindex process/prefix convention
13487 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
13488 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
13490 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
13491 command to be performed on.
13495 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
13496 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
13497 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
13498 with the current one.
13500 @vindex transient-mark-mode
13501 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
13502 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
13504 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
13505 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
13508 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
13509 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
13511 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
13514 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
13515 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
13516 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
13517 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13519 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
13520 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
13521 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
13522 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
13523 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
13524 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
13525 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
13526 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
13530 @section Interactive
13531 @cindex interaction
13535 @item gnus-novice-user
13536 @vindex gnus-novice-user
13537 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
13538 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
13539 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
13540 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
13543 @item gnus-expert-user
13544 @vindex gnus-expert-user
13545 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
13546 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
13547 matter how strange.
13549 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
13550 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
13551 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
13552 is @code{t} by default.
13554 @item gnus-interactive-exit
13555 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
13556 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13561 @node Symbolic Prefixes
13562 @section Symbolic Prefixes
13563 @cindex symbolic prefixes
13565 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
13566 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
13567 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
13568 rule of 900 to the current article.
13570 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
13571 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
13572 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
13573 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
13574 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
13575 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
13576 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
13578 @kindex M-i (Summary)
13579 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
13580 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
13581 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
13582 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
13583 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
13584 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
13585 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
13586 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
13588 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
13589 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
13590 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
13592 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
13596 @node Formatting Variables
13597 @section Formatting Variables
13598 @cindex formatting variables
13600 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
13601 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
13602 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
13603 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
13606 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
13607 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
13608 lots of percentages everywhere.
13611 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
13612 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
13613 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
13614 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
13617 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
13618 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
13619 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
13620 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
13621 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
13622 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
13623 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
13624 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
13626 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
13627 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
13629 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
13630 @findex gnus-update-format
13631 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
13632 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
13633 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
13634 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
13638 @node Formatting Basics
13639 @subsection Formatting Basics
13641 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
13642 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
13643 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
13645 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
13646 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
13647 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
13648 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
13649 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
13652 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
13653 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
13654 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
13655 less than 4 characters wide.
13658 @node Advanced Formatting
13659 @subsection Advanced Formatting
13661 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
13662 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
13663 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
13664 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
13666 These are the valid modifiers:
13671 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
13675 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
13680 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
13683 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
13688 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
13691 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
13694 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
13697 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
13701 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
13702 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
13703 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
13704 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
13705 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
13706 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
13707 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
13709 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
13710 last operation, padding.
13712 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
13713 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
13714 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
13715 @xref{Compilation}.
13718 @node User-Defined Specs
13719 @subsection User-Defined Specs
13721 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
13722 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
13723 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
13724 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
13725 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
13726 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
13727 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
13728 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
13729 should protect against that.
13731 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
13732 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
13733 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
13734 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
13738 @node Formatting Fonts
13739 @subsection Formatting Fonts
13741 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
13742 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
13743 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
13744 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
13747 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
13748 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
13749 default. If you say @samp{%1[}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
13750 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
13751 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
13752 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
13754 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
13757 ;; Create three face types.
13758 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
13759 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
13761 ;; We want the article count to be in
13762 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
13763 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
13764 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
13766 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
13767 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
13769 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
13770 (setq gnus-group-line-format
13771 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
13774 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
13775 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
13777 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
13778 mode-line variables.
13781 @node Windows Configuration
13782 @section Windows Configuration
13783 @cindex windows configuration
13785 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
13787 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
13788 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
13789 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
13790 @code{t} by default.
13792 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
13793 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
13794 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
13797 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
13798 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
13799 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13803 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
13804 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
13805 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
13806 possible names is listed below.
13808 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
13809 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
13812 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13816 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
13817 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
13818 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
13819 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
13820 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
13821 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
13822 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
13823 size spec per split.
13825 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
13826 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
13827 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
13828 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
13829 present) gets focus.
13831 Here's a more complicated example:
13834 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
13835 (summary 0.25 point)
13836 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
13840 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
13841 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
13842 occupy, not a percentage.
13844 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
13845 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
13846 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
13847 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
13848 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
13851 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
13854 (article (horizontal 1.0
13859 (summary 0.25 point)
13864 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
13865 @code{horizontal} thingie?
13867 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
13868 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
13869 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
13870 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
13871 the screen is to be given to this strip.
13873 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
13874 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
13875 lines from the splits.
13877 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
13881 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
13882 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
13883 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
13884 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
13885 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
13886 size = number | frame-params
13887 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
13890 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
13891 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
13892 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
13893 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
13895 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
13896 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
13897 @cindex window height
13898 @cindex window width
13899 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
13900 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
13901 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
13902 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
13903 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
13904 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
13906 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
13907 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
13908 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
13909 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
13911 @findex gnus-configure-frame
13912 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
13913 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
13914 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
13915 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
13916 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
13917 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
13918 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
13919 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
13920 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
13921 configuration list.
13924 (gnus-configure-frame
13928 (article 0.3 point))
13936 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
13937 @code{frame} split:
13940 (gnus-configure-frame
13943 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
13945 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
13946 (user-position . t)
13947 (left . -1) (top . 1))
13952 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
13953 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
13954 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
13955 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
13956 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
13957 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
13958 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
13959 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
13962 Here's a list of all possible keys for
13963 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
13965 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
13966 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
13967 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
13968 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
13969 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
13970 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
13972 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
13973 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
13974 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
13978 (message (horizontal 1.0
13979 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
13981 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
13986 @findex gnus-add-configuration
13987 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
13988 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
13989 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
13990 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
13993 (gnus-add-configuration
13994 '(article (vertical 1.0
13996 (summary .25 point)
14000 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
14001 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
14002 Gnus has been loaded.
14004 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
14005 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
14006 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
14007 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
14008 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
14011 @node Faces and Fonts
14012 @section Faces and Fonts
14017 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
14018 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
14019 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
14024 @section Compilation
14025 @cindex compilation
14026 @cindex byte-compilation
14028 @findex gnus-compile
14030 Remember all those line format specification variables?
14031 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
14032 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
14033 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
14034 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
14035 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
14038 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
14039 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
14040 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
14041 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
14042 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
14043 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
14044 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
14048 @section Mode Lines
14051 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
14052 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
14053 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
14054 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
14055 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
14056 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
14057 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
14060 @cindex display-time
14062 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
14063 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
14064 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
14065 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
14066 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
14067 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
14068 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
14069 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
14072 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
14074 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
14075 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
14077 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
14078 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
14079 (length display-time-string)))))
14082 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
14083 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
14084 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
14085 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
14086 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
14089 @node Highlighting and Menus
14090 @section Highlighting and Menus
14092 @cindex highlighting
14095 @vindex gnus-visual
14096 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
14097 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
14098 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
14101 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
14102 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
14105 @item group-highlight
14106 Do highlights in the group buffer.
14107 @item summary-highlight
14108 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
14109 @item article-highlight
14110 Do highlights in the article buffer.
14112 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
14114 Create menus in the group buffer.
14116 Create menus in the summary buffers.
14118 Create menus in the article buffer.
14120 Create menus in the browse buffer.
14122 Create menus in the server buffer.
14124 Create menus in the score buffers.
14126 Create menus in all buffers.
14129 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
14130 buffers, you could say something like:
14133 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
14136 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
14139 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
14142 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
14143 in all Gnus buffers.
14145 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
14148 @item gnus-mouse-face
14149 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
14150 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
14151 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
14155 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
14159 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
14160 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
14161 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
14163 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
14164 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
14165 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
14167 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
14168 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
14169 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
14171 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
14172 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
14173 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
14175 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
14176 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
14177 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
14179 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
14180 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
14181 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
14192 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
14193 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
14194 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
14195 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
14196 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
14200 @vindex gnus-carpal
14201 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
14202 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
14203 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
14208 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14209 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
14210 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
14212 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
14213 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
14214 Face used on buttons.
14216 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
14217 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
14218 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
14220 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14221 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
14222 Buttons in the group buffer.
14224 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14225 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
14226 Buttons in the summary buffer.
14228 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14229 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
14230 Buttons in the server buffer.
14232 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14233 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
14234 Buttons in the browse buffer.
14237 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
14238 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
14239 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
14247 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
14248 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
14249 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
14250 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
14251 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
14253 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
14254 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
14255 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
14257 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
14258 been idle for thirty minutes:
14261 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
14264 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
14268 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
14271 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
14272 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
14273 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14275 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
14276 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
14277 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
14278 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
14280 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
14281 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
14282 @var{idle} minutes.
14284 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
14285 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
14288 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
14289 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
14290 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
14292 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
14293 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
14294 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
14295 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
14297 @vindex gnus-use-demon
14298 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
14299 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
14301 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
14302 your @file{.gnus} file:
14304 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
14306 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
14309 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
14310 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
14311 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
14312 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
14313 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
14314 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
14315 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
14316 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
14317 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
14318 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
14319 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
14321 @findex gnus-demon-init
14322 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
14323 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
14324 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
14325 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14326 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14328 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
14329 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14330 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14339 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14340 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14342 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14343 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14344 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14345 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14348 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14349 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14350 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14351 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14353 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
14354 this will make spam disappear.
14356 There are some variables to customize, of course:
14359 @item gnus-use-nocem
14360 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
14361 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
14364 @item gnus-nocem-groups
14365 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
14366 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
14367 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
14368 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
14370 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
14371 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
14372 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
14373 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
14374 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
14375 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
14376 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
14378 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
14381 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
14382 @cindex Chris Lewis
14383 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
14384 usenet abuse than anybody else.
14387 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
14388 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
14389 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
14391 @item jem@@xpat.com;
14393 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
14396 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
14397 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
14398 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
14401 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
14402 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
14403 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
14404 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
14405 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
14406 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
14407 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
14408 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
14409 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
14410 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
14412 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
14413 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
14416 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
14419 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
14420 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
14423 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
14426 The specs are applied left-to-right.
14429 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
14430 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
14432 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
14433 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
14434 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
14435 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
14437 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
14438 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
14441 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
14443 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
14451 This might be dangerous, though.
14453 @item gnus-nocem-directory
14454 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
14455 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
14456 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
14458 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14459 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14460 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
14461 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
14462 might then see old spam.
14466 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
14467 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
14468 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
14469 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
14476 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
14477 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
14478 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
14480 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
14481 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
14482 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
14483 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
14484 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
14485 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
14486 @code{undo} function.
14488 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
14489 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
14490 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
14491 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
14492 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
14493 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
14494 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
14495 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
14496 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
14497 never be totally undoable.
14499 @findex gnus-undo-mode
14500 @vindex gnus-use-undo
14502 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
14503 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
14504 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
14505 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
14510 @section Moderation
14513 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
14514 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
14515 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
14518 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
14522 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
14525 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
14527 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
14532 You split your incoming mail by matching on
14533 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
14534 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
14537 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
14538 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
14541 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
14542 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
14546 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
14549 (setq gnus-moderated-list
14550 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
14554 @node XEmacs Enhancements
14555 @section XEmacs Enhancements
14558 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
14562 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
14563 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
14564 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
14565 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
14578 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
14579 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
14580 over your shoulder as you read news.
14583 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
14584 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
14585 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
14586 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
14587 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
14592 @subsubsection Picon Basics
14594 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
14603 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
14604 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
14605 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
14606 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
14607 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
14608 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
14609 @code{GIF} formats.
14612 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14613 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
14614 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
14615 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string
14616 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
14618 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14619 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
14620 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at
14621 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
14622 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
14623 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14626 @node Picon Requirements
14627 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
14629 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
14630 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
14633 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
14634 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
14635 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
14637 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14638 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
14639 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
14640 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
14641 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
14645 @subsubsection Easy Picons
14647 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
14648 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
14651 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
14652 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14653 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
14656 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
14657 containing the Picons databases.
14659 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
14662 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
14667 @subsubsection Hard Picons
14675 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
14676 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
14677 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
14678 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
14679 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
14684 @item gnus-picons-database
14685 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14686 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
14687 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
14688 subdirectories. This is only useful if
14689 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
14690 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
14692 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14693 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
14694 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
14695 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
14696 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
14697 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
14698 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14700 @item gnus-picons-display-where
14701 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14702 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
14703 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
14704 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
14705 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
14706 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
14707 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
14709 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14710 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
14711 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
14716 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
14717 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
14719 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
14720 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
14723 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
14724 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14726 @item gnus-article-display-picons
14727 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14728 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
14729 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
14730 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14732 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
14733 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14734 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
14735 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14739 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
14740 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
14743 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14747 @node Picon Useless Configuration
14748 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
14756 The following variables offer further control over how things are
14757 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
14758 don't need to worry about.
14762 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
14763 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
14764 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14765 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
14767 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
14768 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
14769 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
14770 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
14772 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
14773 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
14774 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14775 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
14776 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
14778 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14779 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14780 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
14781 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
14782 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
14783 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
14784 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
14786 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14787 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14788 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
14789 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
14791 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14792 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
14793 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
14794 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
14795 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
14796 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
14797 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
14799 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14800 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
14801 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
14802 Defaults to @code{nil}.
14804 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
14805 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
14806 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
14807 Defaults to @code{t}.
14809 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14810 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
14811 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
14812 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
14814 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14815 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
14816 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
14817 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
14819 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14820 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
14821 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
14822 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
14823 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
14824 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
14825 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
14826 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
14837 @subsection Smileys
14842 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
14847 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
14848 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
14850 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
14851 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14854 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
14857 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
14858 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
14859 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
14860 text and maps that to file names.
14862 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
14863 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
14864 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
14865 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
14866 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
14867 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
14869 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
14870 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
14872 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
14873 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
14874 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
14876 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
14877 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
14881 @item smiley-data-directory
14882 @vindex smiley-data-directory
14883 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
14885 @item smiley-flesh-color
14886 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
14887 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
14889 @item smiley-features-color
14890 @vindex smiley-features-color
14891 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
14893 @item smiley-tongue-color
14894 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
14895 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
14897 @item smiley-circle-color
14898 @vindex smiley-circle-color
14899 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
14901 @item smiley-mouse-face
14902 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
14903 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
14909 @subsection Toolbar
14919 @item gnus-use-toolbar
14920 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
14921 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
14922 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
14923 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
14925 @item gnus-group-toolbar
14926 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
14927 The toolbar in the group buffer.
14929 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
14930 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
14931 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
14933 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
14934 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
14935 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
14941 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
14944 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
14945 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
14946 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
14947 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
14948 unusual directory structure.
14950 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
14951 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
14952 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
14953 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
14955 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
14956 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
14957 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
14958 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
14959 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
14960 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
14962 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
14963 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
14964 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
14978 @node Fuzzy Matching
14979 @section Fuzzy Matching
14980 @cindex fuzzy matching
14982 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
14983 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
14985 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
14986 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
14987 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
14989 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
14990 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
14991 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
14992 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
14993 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
14996 @node Thwarting Email Spam
14997 @section Thwarting Email Spam
15001 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
15003 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
15004 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
15005 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
15006 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
15007 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
15008 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
15009 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
15010 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
15013 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
15014 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
15015 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
15016 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
15017 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
15018 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
15022 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
15023 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
15025 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
15026 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
15027 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
15028 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
15029 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
15030 part of the mail address.)
15033 (setq message-default-news-headers
15034 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
15037 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15038 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
15043 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
15044 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
15045 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
15051 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
15052 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
15053 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
15054 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
15056 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
15057 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
15058 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
15059 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
15060 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
15061 your fancy split rule in this way:
15066 (to "larsi" "misc")
15070 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
15071 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
15072 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
15073 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
15074 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
15076 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
15077 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
15078 at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
15079 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
15080 cosmic balance somewhat.
15082 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
15083 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
15084 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
15085 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
15088 @node Various Various
15089 @section Various Various
15095 @item gnus-home-directory
15096 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
15097 defaults to @file{~/}.
15099 @item gnus-directory
15100 @vindex gnus-directory
15101 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
15102 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
15103 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
15105 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
15106 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
15107 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
15108 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
15110 @item gnus-default-directory
15111 @vindex gnus-default-directory
15112 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
15113 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
15114 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
15115 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15116 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
15117 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
15120 @vindex gnus-verbose
15121 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
15122 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
15123 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
15124 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
15125 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
15127 @item gnus-verbose-backends
15128 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
15129 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
15130 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
15132 @item nnheader-max-head-length
15133 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
15134 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
15135 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
15136 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
15137 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
15138 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
15139 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
15140 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
15141 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
15143 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
15144 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
15145 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
15146 read when doing the operation described above.
15148 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15149 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15151 @cindex invalid characters in file names
15152 @cindex characters in file names
15153 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
15154 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
15155 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
15158 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
15162 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
15163 Windows (phooey) systems.
15165 @item gnus-hidden-properties
15166 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
15167 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
15168 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
15169 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
15171 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
15172 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
15173 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
15174 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
15175 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
15177 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
15178 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
15179 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
15188 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
15189 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
15191 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
15193 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
15199 Not because of victories @*
15202 but for the common sunshine,@*
15204 the largess of the spring.
15208 but for the day's work done@*
15209 as well as I was able;@*
15210 not for a seat upon the dais@*
15211 but at the common table.@*
15216 @chapter Appendices
15219 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
15220 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
15221 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
15222 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
15223 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
15224 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
15225 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
15233 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
15234 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
15236 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
15237 can point your (feh!) web browser to
15238 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
15239 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
15240 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
15242 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
15243 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
15244 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
15245 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
15246 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
15247 appropriate name, don't you think?)
15249 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
15250 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
15251 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
15252 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
15254 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
15255 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
15256 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
15258 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
15259 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
15261 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
15262 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4''.
15264 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
15265 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
15266 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
15267 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
15268 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
15272 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
15273 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
15274 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
15275 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
15276 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
15277 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
15278 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
15285 What's the point of Gnus?
15287 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
15288 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
15289 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
15290 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
15291 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
15292 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
15293 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
15294 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
15295 keep track of millions of people who post?
15297 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
15298 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
15299 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
15300 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
15301 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
15302 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
15303 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
15304 every one of you to explore and invent.
15306 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
15307 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
15310 @node Compatibility
15311 @subsection Compatibility
15313 @cindex compatibility
15314 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
15315 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
15316 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
15321 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
15325 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
15328 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
15331 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
15332 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
15333 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
15334 important variables have their values copied into their global
15335 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
15336 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
15338 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
15339 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
15340 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
15341 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
15342 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
15346 @cindex highlighting
15347 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
15348 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
15349 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
15350 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
15351 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
15352 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
15355 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
15356 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
15357 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
15358 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
15360 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
15361 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
15362 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
15363 to stop doing it the old way.
15365 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
15367 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
15369 @cindex reporting bugs
15371 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
15372 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
15373 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
15375 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
15376 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
15377 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
15378 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
15383 @subsection Conformity
15385 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
15386 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
15393 There are no known breaches of this standard.
15397 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
15399 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
15400 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
15401 We do have some breaches to this one.
15406 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
15407 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
15410 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
15411 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
15412 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
15413 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
15414 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
15419 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
15420 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
15425 @subsection Emacsen
15431 Gnus should work on :
15436 Emacs 19.32 and up.
15439 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
15442 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
15446 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
15447 reliably, at least.
15449 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
15450 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
15451 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
15456 @subsection Contributors
15457 @cindex contributors
15459 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
15460 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
15461 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
15462 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
15463 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
15464 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
15465 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
15466 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
15467 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
15468 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
15470 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
15476 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
15479 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
15480 well as numerous other things).
15483 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
15486 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
15489 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
15490 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
15493 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
15496 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
15497 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15500 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
15503 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
15506 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
15509 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
15512 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
15513 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
15516 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
15519 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
15522 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
15525 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
15529 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
15532 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
15535 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
15538 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
15539 well as autoconf support.
15543 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
15544 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
15546 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
15555 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
15559 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
15580 Massimo Campostrini,
15585 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
15591 Michael Welsh Duggan,
15594 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
15598 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
15603 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
15605 Michelangelo Grigni,
15608 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
15610 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
15612 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
15617 François Felix Ingrand,
15618 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
15620 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
15628 Peter Skov Knudsen,
15629 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
15630 Thor Kristoffersen,
15632 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
15649 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
15650 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
15657 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
15661 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
15663 John McClary Prevost,
15668 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
15673 Christian von Roques,
15675 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
15681 Philippe Schnoebelen,
15682 Randal L. Schwartz,
15709 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
15711 Shenghuo Zhu. @c Zhu
15713 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
15714 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
15715 (550kB and counting).
15717 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
15720 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
15721 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
15725 @subsection New Features
15726 @cindex new features
15729 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
15730 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
15731 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
15732 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6.11.
15735 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
15736 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
15737 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
15741 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
15743 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
15748 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
15749 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
15752 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
15753 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
15756 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
15759 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
15760 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
15761 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15764 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
15765 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
15766 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
15767 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
15770 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
15771 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15774 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
15775 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
15776 (@pxref{The Active File}).
15779 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
15780 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
15783 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
15784 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
15785 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
15788 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
15789 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
15790 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
15793 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
15794 the @file{.emacs} file.
15797 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
15798 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15801 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
15802 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
15805 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
15806 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15809 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
15810 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
15813 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
15814 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
15817 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
15820 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
15821 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
15824 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
15825 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
15828 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
15829 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
15832 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
15835 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
15836 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15839 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
15843 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
15847 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
15848 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
15851 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
15857 @node September Gnus
15858 @subsubsection September Gnus
15862 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
15866 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
15871 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
15872 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
15876 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
15877 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
15881 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
15885 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
15886 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
15889 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
15893 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15896 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
15899 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
15902 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
15906 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
15907 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
15910 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
15914 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
15918 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
15922 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
15926 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
15929 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
15930 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
15933 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
15937 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
15938 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
15941 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
15944 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
15945 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
15946 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15949 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
15953 The Gnus cache is much faster.
15956 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
15960 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
15961 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
15964 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
15965 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
15968 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
15969 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15972 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
15973 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
15974 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
15977 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
15978 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
15981 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
15984 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
15987 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15988 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
15992 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
15995 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
15998 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
15999 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
16002 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
16006 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
16009 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
16014 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
16017 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
16021 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
16024 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
16028 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
16031 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
16034 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
16035 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
16038 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
16039 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
16043 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
16044 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
16047 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
16051 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
16052 buffer to allow easier treatment.
16055 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
16058 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
16062 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
16066 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
16067 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
16070 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
16074 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
16075 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
16078 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
16079 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16082 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
16086 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
16089 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
16090 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
16094 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
16097 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
16103 @subsubsection Red Gnus
16105 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
16109 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
16116 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
16119 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
16120 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
16123 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
16124 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
16128 Article washing status can be displayed in the
16129 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
16132 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
16135 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
16136 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
16139 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
16143 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
16144 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
16148 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
16149 Server Internals}).
16152 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
16156 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
16159 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
16160 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
16163 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
16164 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
16165 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
16168 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
16169 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16172 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
16173 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
16176 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
16180 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
16181 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16184 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
16185 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
16188 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
16192 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
16195 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
16199 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
16200 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
16203 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
16204 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
16207 A new command for reading collections of documents
16208 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
16209 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
16212 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
16216 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
16217 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
16220 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
16221 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
16222 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
16225 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
16226 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
16230 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
16234 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
16238 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
16243 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
16247 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
16251 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
16252 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
16255 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
16258 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
16265 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
16267 New features in Gnus 5.6.11:
16272 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
16273 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
16274 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
16277 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
16278 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
16279 group, which is created automatically.
16282 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
16286 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
16289 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
16290 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
16293 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
16297 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
16300 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
16301 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
16304 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
16307 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
16308 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
16311 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
16312 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
16315 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
16316 control over simplification.
16319 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
16322 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
16326 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
16329 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16332 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
16333 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
16334 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
16337 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
16338 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
16341 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
16345 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
16346 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
16349 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
16350 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
16353 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
16357 A history of where mails have been split is available.
16360 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
16363 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
16364 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
16367 A new function for citing in Message has been
16368 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
16371 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
16374 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
16378 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
16379 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
16382 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
16383 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
16386 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
16389 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
16394 @node Newest Features
16395 @subsection Newest Features
16398 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
16401 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
16403 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
16404 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
16407 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
16412 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
16415 Really do unbinhexing.
16418 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
16419 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
16422 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
16425 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
16428 facep is not declared.
16431 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
16432 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
16435 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
16440 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
16441 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
16442 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
16443 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
16444 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
16445 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
16446 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
16451 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
16454 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
16457 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
16459 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
16460 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
16462 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
16464 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
16466 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
16467 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
16469 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
16471 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
16472 be marked as unread.
16474 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
16476 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
16478 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
16479 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
16481 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
16483 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
16485 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
16486 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
16488 topics that contain just groups with ticked
16489 articles aren't displayed.
16491 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
16493 implement gnus-score-thread
16495 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
16496 make the mail groups killed.
16498 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
16500 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
16501 and articles have to be removed.
16503 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
16506 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
16508 finding short score file names takes forever.
16510 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16512 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
16514 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
16516 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
16518 nnweb doesn't work properly.
16520 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
16522 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
16523 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
16527 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
16529 really unbinhex binhex files.
16531 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
16532 bar and the Gnus bar.
16535 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
16536 `(canonize-message-id id)'
16537 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
16538 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
16539 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
16540 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
16545 nnml .overview directory with splits.
16549 postponed commands.
16551 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
16553 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
16556 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
16557 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
16559 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
16560 inherit copy prompts and save files.
16562 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
16564 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
16565 for backends that support that.
16567 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
16569 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
16570 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
16572 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
16573 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
16575 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
16577 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
16579 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
16581 server mode command: close/open all connections
16583 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
16584 has been changed before using it.
16586 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
16588 hide (sub)threads with low score.
16590 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
16592 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
16594 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
16595 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
16597 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
16598 contain groups that match a regexp.
16600 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
16603 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
16606 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
16607 from subject lines.
16609 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
16611 nntp-ping-before-connect
16613 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
16615 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
16616 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
16618 message annotations.
16620 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
16622 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
16623 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
16625 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
16630 support qmail maildir spools
16632 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
16634 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
16636 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
16638 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
16639 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
16641 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
16643 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
16645 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
16646 finds and generate proper active ranges.
16648 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
16649 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
16651 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
16653 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
16655 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
16656 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
16658 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
16660 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
16662 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
16663 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
16666 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
16668 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
16670 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
16671 `C-c C-c' when posting.
16673 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
16676 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
16677 should be marker as expirable.
16679 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
16681 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
16682 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
16684 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
16685 Also consult Date headers.
16687 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
16689 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
16691 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
16692 Message-ID, delete the "original".
16694 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
16695 into a See-Also header.
16697 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
16699 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
16701 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
16702 should be listed as such and not as "K".
16704 generate font names dynamically.
16706 score file mode auto-alist.
16708 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
16709 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
16711 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
16712 absolutely all headers there is.
16714 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
16715 and pipe them to the process.
16717 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
16718 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
16719 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
16721 function for starting to edit a file to put into
16722 the current mail group.
16724 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
16726 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
16727 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
16729 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
16730 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
16732 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
16734 when replying to several process-marked articles,
16735 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
16737 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
16738 groups it has been mailed to.
16740 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
16742 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
16744 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
16746 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
16747 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
16749 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
16750 newlines) should be ignored.
16752 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
16753 groups in subtopics as well.
16755 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
16757 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
16760 add edit and forward secondary marks.
16762 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
16764 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
16766 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
16768 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
16770 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
16772 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
16773 or the formatted article.
16775 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
16777 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
16778 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
16780 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
16782 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
16784 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
16786 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
16787 even unread articles.
16789 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
16791 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
16793 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
16795 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
16797 canceling articles in foreign groups.
16799 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
16802 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
16803 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
16805 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
16806 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
16808 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
16810 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
16812 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
16813 from a particular server? Hm.
16815 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
16816 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
16818 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
16820 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
16821 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
16823 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
16824 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
16826 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
16827 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
16828 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
16831 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
16832 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
16834 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
16836 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
16838 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
16840 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
16843 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
16846 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
16847 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
16849 command to show and edit group scores
16851 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
16854 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
16856 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
16858 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
16859 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
16862 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
16863 that are of that length.
16865 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
16867 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
16869 asynchronous posting under nntp.
16871 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
16873 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
16875 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
16877 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
16878 a score lower than this number.
16880 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
16882 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
16884 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
16885 so that each copy can be edited separately.
16887 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
16889 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
16890 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
16892 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
16895 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
16896 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
16897 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
16898 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
16900 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
16903 command to remove all topic stuff.
16905 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
16906 and splitting the resulting digests.
16908 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
16910 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
16912 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
16913 matches an alist -- before saving.
16915 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
16917 variable to activate each group before entering them
16918 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
16920 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
16921 starting Gnus first if necessary.
16923 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
16924 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
16926 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
16928 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
16929 of several groups at once.
16931 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
16932 matches some regexp(s).
16934 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
16936 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
16938 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
16940 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
16942 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
16944 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
16946 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
16948 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
16949 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
16950 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
16951 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
16953 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
16954 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
16956 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
16958 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
16959 recently cited text.
16961 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
16963 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
16966 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
16967 server and just read the articles in the server
16969 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
16970 value of nnoo variables.
16972 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
16974 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
16975 listed in each group info.
16977 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
16980 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
16981 should only be applied to some groups.
16983 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
16984 mail-copies-to: never.
16986 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
16987 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
16989 the slave dribble files should autosave to the slave file names.
16991 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
16994 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
16997 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
16999 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
17002 group user-defined meta-parameters.
17006 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
17008 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
17009 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
17010 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
17011 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
17012 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
17014 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at
17015 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
17022 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
17023 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
17025 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
17026 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
17028 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
17029 "Return the date the group was last read."
17030 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
17035 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
17036 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
17037 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
17038 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
17042 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
17043 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
17045 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
17048 They could be used like this:
17052 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
17053 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
17054 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
17056 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
17058 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
17061 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
17064 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
17065 affect the summary line format.
17069 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
17071 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
17072 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
17074 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
17077 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
17079 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
17081 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
17083 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
17085 - For other files, just find them normally.
17087 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
17088 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
17091 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
17092 tell him what you are doing.
17095 Currently, I get prompted:
17099 decend into sci.something ?
17103 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
17104 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
17105 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
17106 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
17109 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
17110 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
17111 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
17112 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
17115 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
17116 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
17122 more than n blank lines
17124 more than m identical lines
17125 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
17127 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
17131 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
17132 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
17133 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
17134 "same" subject for threading purposes.
17137 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
17138 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
17139 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
17140 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
17143 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
17146 soup - bowl of soup
17147 score below - dim light bulb
17148 score over - bright light bulb
17151 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
17156 show-list-of-articles-in-group
17157 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17158 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
17159 if (articles-selected)
17160 start-reading-selected-articles;
17161 junk-unread-articles;
17166 else if (key-pressed = '.')
17167 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
17168 select-thread-under-cursor;
17170 select-article-under-cursor;
17174 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
17175 if (more-pages-in-article)
17177 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
17184 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
17185 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
17186 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
17189 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
17190 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
17191 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
17192 the wildcard expression).
17195 It would be nice if it also handled
17197 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
17199 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
17204 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
17205 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
17206 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
17207 article versions) variable.
17209 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
17211 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
17212 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
17216 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
17219 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
17220 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
17221 (message-sent-hook).
17223 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
17226 * Enhancements to Gnus:
17230 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
17231 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
17234 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
17235 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
17236 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
17239 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
17240 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
17244 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
17247 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
17251 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
17252 the nnmail duplicate checking.
17255 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
17256 value of the signature file.
17259 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
17260 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
17263 (setq message-tab-alist
17264 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
17265 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
17267 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
17271 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
17274 a command to import a buffer into a group.
17277 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
17280 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
17281 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
17284 a command to process mark all unread articles.
17287 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
17288 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
17289 do more gathering by subject.
17292 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
17293 article numerical order.
17296 (gnus-thread-total-score
17297 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
17301 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
17304 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
17305 in the summary buffer.
17308 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
17309 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
17312 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
17313 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
17314 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
17315 and/or newsgroup name.
17318 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
17321 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
17324 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
17327 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
17328 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
17329 will automatically get the process mark.
17332 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
17333 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
17334 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
17337 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
17341 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
17342 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
17345 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
17346 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
17350 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
17351 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
17354 be able to post via DejaNews.
17357 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
17360 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
17361 allow them to be displayed separately.
17364 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
17365 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
17368 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
17369 articles that match a certain From header.
17372 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
17373 saving living summary buffers.
17376 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
17377 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
17380 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
17381 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
17384 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
17385 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
17388 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
17389 (goto-char (point-min))
17390 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
17391 (replace-match "`" t t))
17392 (goto-char (point-min))
17393 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
17394 (replace-match "'" t t))
17395 (goto-char (point-min))
17396 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
17397 (replace-match "\"" t t))
17398 (goto-char (point-min))
17399 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
17400 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
17405 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
17407 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
17408 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
17409 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
17410 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
17414 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
17417 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
17418 numbers and match on the age of the article.
17421 gnus-cacheable-groups
17425 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
17426 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
17427 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
17429 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
17430 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
17432 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
17433 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
17438 all commands that react to the process mark should push
17439 the current process mark set onto the stack.
17442 gnus-article-hide-pgp
17443 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
17445 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
17447 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
17448 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
17451 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
17452 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
17455 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
17459 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
17460 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
17463 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
17466 nndraft-request-group should tally autosave files.
17469 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
17472 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
17476 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
17482 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
17485 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
17489 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
17490 X characters in the body.
17493 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
17496 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
17499 format spec to "tab" to a position.
17502 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
17505 command to display all dormant articles.
17508 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
17511 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
17512 to something someone else has said.
17515 Read Netscape discussion groups:
17516 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
17519 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
17520 the displayed version.
17523 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
17527 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
17530 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
17531 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
17532 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
17536 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
17537 in the head or body.
17540 Allow breaking lengthy NNTP commands.
17543 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
17546 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
17547 in a special, unique buffer.
17550 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
17553 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
17554 is less than a certain number of days old.
17557 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
17560 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
17563 Solve the halting problem.
17572 @section The Manual
17576 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
17577 either @code{texi2dvi}
17579 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
17580 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
17582 to get what you hold in your hands now.
17584 The following conventions have been used:
17589 This is a @samp{string}
17592 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
17595 This is a @file{file}
17598 This is a @code{symbol}
17602 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
17606 (setq flargnoze "yes")
17609 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
17612 (setq flumphel 'yes)
17615 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
17616 ever get them confused.
17620 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
17621 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
17622 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
17623 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
17624 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
17625 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
17626 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
17634 @section Terminology
17636 @cindex terminology
17641 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
17642 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
17643 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
17644 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
17645 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
17649 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
17650 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
17651 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
17652 not posting, and replying is not following up.
17656 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
17660 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
17665 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
17666 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
17667 is all done by the backends.
17671 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
17672 default, way of getting news.
17676 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
17677 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
17682 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
17683 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
17687 A message that has been posted as news.
17690 @cindex mail message
17691 A message that has been mailed.
17695 A mail message or news article
17699 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
17704 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
17709 A line from the head of an article.
17713 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
17714 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
17718 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
17719 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
17720 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
17721 normal @sc{head} format.
17725 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
17726 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
17727 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
17728 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
17729 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
17730 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
17732 @item killed groups
17733 @cindex killed groups
17734 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
17735 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
17737 @item zombie groups
17738 @cindex zombie groups
17739 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
17742 @cindex active file
17743 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
17744 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
17745 is rather large, as you might surmise.
17748 @cindex bogus groups
17749 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
17750 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
17751 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
17754 @cindex activating groups
17755 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
17756 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
17757 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
17761 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
17763 @item select method
17764 @cindex select method
17765 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
17768 @item virtual server
17769 @cindex virtual server
17770 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
17771 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
17772 whole is a virtual server.
17776 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
17777 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
17780 @item ephemeral groups
17781 @cindex ephemeral groups
17782 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
17783 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
17784 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
17787 @cindex solid groups
17788 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
17789 group buffer are solid groups.
17791 @item sparse articles
17792 @cindex sparse articles
17793 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
17794 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
17798 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
17799 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
17803 @cindex thread root
17804 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
17805 articles in the thread.
17809 An article that has responses.
17813 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
17817 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
17818 specified by RFC1153.
17824 @node Customization
17825 @section Customization
17826 @cindex general customization
17828 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
17829 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
17830 for some quite common situations.
17833 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
17834 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
17835 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
17836 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
17840 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
17841 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
17843 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
17844 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
17845 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
17849 @item gnus-read-active-file
17850 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
17851 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
17852 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
17853 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
17854 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
17856 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
17857 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
17858 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
17859 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
17863 @node Slow Terminal Connection
17864 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
17866 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
17867 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
17868 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
17872 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
17873 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
17874 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
17875 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
17876 horizontal and vertical recentering.
17878 @item gnus-visible-headers
17879 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
17880 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
17881 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
17882 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
17884 @item gnus-article-display-hook
17885 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
17887 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
17888 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
17889 gnus-article-hide-citation))
17892 @item gnus-use-full-window
17893 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
17894 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
17895 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
17896 want to read them anyway.
17898 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
17899 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
17902 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
17903 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
17904 lines, which might save some time.
17908 @node Little Disk Space
17909 @subsection Little Disk Space
17912 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
17913 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
17917 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
17918 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
17919 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
17920 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17923 @item gnus-save-killed-list
17924 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
17925 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
17926 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
17927 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
17933 @subsection Slow Machine
17934 @cindex slow machine
17936 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
17937 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
17939 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
17940 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
17942 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
17943 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
17944 summary buffer faster.
17946 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
17947 processing a bit faster.
17951 @node Troubleshooting
17952 @section Troubleshooting
17953 @cindex troubleshooting
17955 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
17963 Make sure your computer is switched on.
17966 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
17967 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
17971 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
17972 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
17973 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
17974 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
17977 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
17981 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
17982 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
17983 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
17984 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
17985 something like that.
17988 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
17991 @cindex reporting bugs
17993 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
17995 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
17996 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
17997 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
17998 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
18000 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
18001 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
18002 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
18003 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
18006 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
18007 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
18008 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
18009 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
18010 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
18011 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
18013 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
18014 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
18015 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
18018 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
18019 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
18021 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
18022 @cindex ding mailing list
18023 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
18024 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
18028 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
18029 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
18031 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
18032 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
18033 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
18034 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
18037 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
18038 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
18039 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
18040 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
18041 and general methods of operation.
18044 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
18045 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
18046 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
18047 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
18048 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
18049 * Group Info:: The group info format.
18050 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
18051 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
18052 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
18056 @node Gnus Utility Functions
18057 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
18058 @cindex Gnus utility functions
18059 @cindex utility functions
18061 @cindex internal variables
18063 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
18064 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
18065 Below is a list of the most common ones.
18069 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
18070 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
18071 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
18073 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
18074 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
18075 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
18077 @item gnus-group-real-name
18078 @findex gnus-group-real-name
18079 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
18082 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
18083 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
18084 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
18085 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
18087 @item gnus-get-info
18088 @findex gnus-get-info
18089 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
18091 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18092 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
18093 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
18096 @item gnus-continuum-version
18097 @findex gnus-continuum-version
18098 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
18099 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
18102 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
18103 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
18104 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
18106 @item gnus-news-group-p
18107 @findex gnus-news-group-p
18108 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
18110 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18111 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
18112 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
18114 @item gnus-server-to-method
18115 @findex gnus-server-to-method
18116 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
18118 @item gnus-server-equal
18119 @findex gnus-server-equal
18120 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
18122 @item gnus-group-native-p
18123 @findex gnus-group-native-p
18124 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
18126 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
18127 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
18128 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
18130 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
18131 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
18132 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
18134 @item group-group-find-parameter
18135 @findex group-group-find-parameter
18136 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
18137 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
18139 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
18140 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
18141 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
18143 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
18144 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
18145 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
18147 @item gnus-check-backend-function
18148 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
18149 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
18150 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
18153 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
18157 @item gnus-read-method
18158 @findex gnus-read-method
18159 Prompts the user for a select method.
18164 @node Backend Interface
18165 @subsection Backend Interface
18167 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
18168 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
18169 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
18170 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
18171 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
18172 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
18174 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
18175 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
18176 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
18177 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
18178 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
18179 been opened, the function should fail.
18181 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
18182 name. Take this example:
18186 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
18187 (nntp-port-number 4324))
18190 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
18191 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
18193 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
18194 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
18195 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
18197 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
18198 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
18199 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
18201 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
18202 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
18203 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
18204 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
18205 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
18206 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
18209 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
18210 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
18211 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
18212 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
18215 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
18218 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
18221 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
18222 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
18223 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
18224 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
18225 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
18226 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
18230 @node Required Backend Functions
18231 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
18235 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
18237 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
18238 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
18239 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
18240 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
18242 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
18243 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
18244 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
18245 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
18247 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
18248 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
18249 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
18250 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
18251 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
18252 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
18253 number, do maximum fetches.
18255 Here's an example HEAD:
18258 221 1056 Article retrieved.
18259 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
18260 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
18261 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
18262 Subject: Re: Something very droll
18263 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
18264 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
18266 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
18267 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
18268 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
18272 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
18273 these in the data buffer.
18275 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
18279 head = error / valid-head
18280 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
18281 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
18282 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
18283 header = <text> eol
18286 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
18287 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
18291 nov-buffer = *nov-line
18292 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
18293 field = <text except TAB>
18296 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
18300 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
18302 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
18303 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
18305 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
18306 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
18307 server. In fact, it should do so.
18309 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
18310 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
18313 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
18315 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
18316 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
18319 There should be no data returned.
18322 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
18324 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
18325 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
18326 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
18327 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
18329 There should be no data returned.
18332 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
18334 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
18335 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
18336 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
18337 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
18339 There should be no data returned.
18342 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
18344 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
18346 There should be no data returned.
18349 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
18351 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
18352 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
18353 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
18354 it would be nice if that were possible.
18356 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
18357 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
18358 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
18359 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
18360 into its article buffer.
18362 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
18363 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
18364 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
18365 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
18366 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
18367 on successful article retrieval.
18370 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
18372 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
18373 making @var{group} the current group.
18375 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
18378 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
18381 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
18384 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
18385 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
18386 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
18387 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
18388 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
18389 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
18390 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
18391 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
18394 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
18395 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
18396 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
18400 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18402 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
18403 a no-op on most backends.
18405 There should be no data returned.
18408 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
18410 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
18413 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
18416 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
18417 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
18420 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
18421 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
18424 active-file = *active-line
18425 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
18427 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
18430 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
18431 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
18432 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
18435 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
18437 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
18438 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
18439 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
18440 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
18441 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
18442 clear if the posting could not be completed.
18444 There should be no result data from this function.
18449 @node Optional Backend Functions
18450 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
18454 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
18456 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
18457 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
18458 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
18460 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
18461 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
18462 former is in the same format as the data from
18463 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
18464 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
18467 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
18471 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
18473 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
18474 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
18475 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
18476 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
18477 should return the (altered) group info.
18479 There should be no result data from this function.
18482 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
18484 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
18485 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
18486 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
18487 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
18488 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
18489 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
18490 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
18491 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
18493 There should be no result data from this function.
18496 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
18498 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
18499 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
18500 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
18501 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
18502 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
18504 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
18505 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
18506 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
18509 There should be no result data from this function.
18512 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
18514 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
18515 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
18516 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
18517 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
18518 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
18519 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
18520 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
18522 There should be no result data from this function.
18525 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
18527 The result data from this function should be a description of
18531 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
18533 description = <text>
18536 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
18538 The result data from this function should be the description of all
18539 groups available on the server.
18542 description-buffer = *description-line
18546 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
18548 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
18549 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
18550 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
18553 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
18555 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
18557 There should be no return data.
18560 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
18562 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
18563 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
18564 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
18565 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
18566 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
18569 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
18572 There should be no result data returned.
18575 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
18578 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
18579 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
18581 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
18582 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
18583 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
18584 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
18585 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
18586 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
18588 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
18589 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
18592 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18593 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18595 There should be no data returned.
18598 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
18600 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
18601 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
18602 this function in short order.
18604 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
18605 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
18607 There should be no data returned.
18610 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
18612 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
18613 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
18615 There should be no data returned.
18618 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
18620 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
18621 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
18622 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
18624 There should be no data returned.
18627 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
18629 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
18630 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
18632 There should be no data returned.
18637 @node Error Messaging
18638 @subsubsection Error Messaging
18640 @findex nnheader-report
18641 @findex nnheader-get-report
18642 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
18643 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
18644 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
18645 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
18646 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
18647 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
18650 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
18652 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
18655 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
18656 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
18657 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
18658 takes one argument---the server symbol.
18660 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
18661 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
18662 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
18665 @node Writing New Backends
18666 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
18668 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
18669 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
18670 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
18671 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
18672 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
18675 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
18676 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
18677 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
18679 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
18680 package called @code{nnoo}.
18682 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
18683 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
18689 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
18690 parameters. For instance:
18693 (nnoo-declare nndir
18697 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
18698 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
18701 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
18702 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
18703 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
18705 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
18706 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
18707 a function in those backends.
18710 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18711 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18712 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18715 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
18716 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
18717 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
18719 @item nnoo-define-basics
18720 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
18724 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18728 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
18729 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
18730 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
18732 @item nnoo-map-functions
18733 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
18734 functions from the parent backends.
18737 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18738 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18739 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
18742 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
18743 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
18744 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
18745 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
18748 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
18749 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
18750 haven't already been defined.
18756 nnmh-request-newgroups)
18760 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
18761 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
18762 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
18767 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
18770 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
18771 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
18775 (require 'nnheader)
18779 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
18781 (nnoo-declare nndir
18784 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
18785 "Where nndir will look for groups."
18786 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
18788 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
18789 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
18792 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
18793 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
18794 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
18796 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
18797 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
18799 ;;; Interface functions.
18801 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
18803 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
18804 (setq nndir-directory
18805 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
18807 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
18808 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
18809 (push `(nndir-current-group
18810 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18812 (push `(nndir-top-directory
18813 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
18815 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
18817 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
18818 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18819 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
18820 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
18821 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
18825 nnmh-status-message
18827 nnmh-request-newgroups))
18833 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
18834 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
18836 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
18837 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
18838 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
18839 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
18841 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
18842 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
18847 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
18850 The abilities can be:
18854 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
18856 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
18858 This backend supports both mail and news.
18860 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
18863 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
18864 articles and groups.
18866 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
18867 true for almost all backends.
18868 @item prompt-address
18869 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
18870 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
18871 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
18875 @node Mail-like Backends
18876 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
18878 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
18879 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
18880 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
18881 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
18884 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
18885 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
18886 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
18889 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
18890 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
18893 This function takes four parameters.
18897 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
18900 @item exit-function
18901 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
18903 @item temp-directory
18904 Where the temporary files should be stored.
18907 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
18908 performed for one group only.
18911 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
18912 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
18913 find the article number assigned to this article.
18915 The function also uses the following variables:
18916 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
18917 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
18918 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
18919 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
18923 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
18924 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
18928 @node Score File Syntax
18929 @subsection Score File Syntax
18931 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
18932 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
18933 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
18935 Here's a typical score file:
18939 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
18946 BNF definition of a score file:
18949 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
18950 element = rule / atom
18951 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
18952 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
18953 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
18954 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
18956 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
18957 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
18958 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
18959 date-header = "date"
18960 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
18961 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
18962 score = "nil" / <integer>
18963 date = "nil" / <natural number>
18964 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
18965 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
18966 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
18967 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
18968 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
18969 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
18970 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
18971 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
18972 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
18973 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
18974 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
18975 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
18976 exclude-files / read-only / touched
18977 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
18978 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
18979 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
18980 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
18981 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
18982 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
18983 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
18984 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
18985 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
18986 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
18987 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
18988 eval = "eval" space <form>
18989 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
18992 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
18995 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
18996 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
18997 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
18998 one looong line, then that's ok.
19000 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
19001 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19005 @subsection Headers
19007 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
19008 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
19009 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
19010 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
19012 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
19013 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
19014 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
19015 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
19016 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
19017 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
19018 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
19020 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
19021 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
19022 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
19023 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
19024 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
19026 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
19033 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
19034 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
19036 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
19037 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
19038 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
19039 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
19041 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
19045 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
19048 is transformed into
19051 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
19054 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
19055 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
19058 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
19061 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
19062 is slightly tricky:
19065 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
19071 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
19074 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
19080 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
19087 and is equal to the previous range.
19089 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
19090 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
19091 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
19095 range = simple-range / normal-range
19096 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
19097 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
19098 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
19099 number *[ " " contents ]
19102 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
19103 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
19104 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
19105 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
19106 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
19111 @subsection Group Info
19113 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
19114 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
19115 describes the group.
19117 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
19118 second is a more complex one:
19121 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
19123 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
19124 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
19126 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
19129 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
19130 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
19131 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
19132 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
19133 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
19134 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
19135 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
19136 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
19137 this section is about.
19139 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
19140 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
19141 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
19143 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
19146 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
19147 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
19148 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
19149 group = quote <string> quote
19150 ralevel = rank / level
19151 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19152 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
19153 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
19155 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
19156 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
19157 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
19158 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
19161 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
19162 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
19165 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
19166 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
19169 @item gnus-info-group
19170 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
19171 @findex gnus-info-group
19172 @findex gnus-info-set-group
19173 Get/set the group name.
19175 @item gnus-info-rank
19176 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
19177 @findex gnus-info-rank
19178 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
19179 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
19181 @item gnus-info-level
19182 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
19183 @findex gnus-info-level
19184 @findex gnus-info-set-level
19185 Get/set the group level.
19187 @item gnus-info-score
19188 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
19189 @findex gnus-info-score
19190 @findex gnus-info-set-score
19191 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
19193 @item gnus-info-read
19194 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
19195 @findex gnus-info-read
19196 @findex gnus-info-set-read
19197 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
19199 @item gnus-info-marks
19200 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
19201 @findex gnus-info-marks
19202 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
19203 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
19205 @item gnus-info-method
19206 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
19207 @findex gnus-info-method
19208 @findex gnus-info-set-method
19209 Get/set the group select method.
19211 @item gnus-info-params
19212 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
19213 @findex gnus-info-params
19214 @findex gnus-info-set-params
19215 Get/set the group parameters.
19218 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
19219 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
19221 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
19222 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
19223 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
19224 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
19227 @node Extended Interactive
19228 @subsection Extended Interactive
19229 @cindex interactive
19230 @findex gnus-interactive
19232 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
19233 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
19234 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
19237 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
19238 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
19243 The best thing to do would have been to implement
19244 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
19245 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
19246 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
19247 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
19248 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
19249 @code{interactive}.
19251 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
19256 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
19257 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
19261 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
19262 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
19263 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
19266 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
19270 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
19274 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
19280 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
19281 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
19285 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
19286 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
19287 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
19289 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
19290 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
19291 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
19292 Gnus, that's very useful.
19294 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
19295 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
19296 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
19297 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
19298 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
19299 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
19300 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
19301 following function:
19304 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
19308 (,function ,@@args))
19312 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
19313 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
19314 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
19317 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
19318 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
19319 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
19321 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
19322 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
19323 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
19326 @node Various File Formats
19327 @subsection Various File Formats
19330 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
19331 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
19335 @node Active File Format
19336 @subsubsection Active File Format
19338 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
19339 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
19342 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
19345 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
19346 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
19347 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
19348 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
19349 no.general 1000 900 y
19352 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
19355 active = *group-line
19356 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
19357 group = <non-white-space string>
19359 high-number = <non-negative integer>
19360 low-number = <positive integer>
19361 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
19364 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
19365 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
19368 @node Newsgroups File Format
19369 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
19371 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
19372 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
19373 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
19376 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
19377 Here's the definition:
19381 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
19382 group = <non-white-space string>
19384 description = <string>
19389 @node Emacs for Heathens
19390 @section Emacs for Heathens
19392 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
19393 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
19394 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
19395 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
19396 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
19397 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
19398 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
19402 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
19403 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
19408 @subsection Keystrokes
19412 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
19415 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
19418 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
19419 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
19420 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
19421 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
19422 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
19423 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
19425 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
19426 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
19427 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
19428 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
19429 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
19430 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
19431 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
19433 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
19434 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
19435 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
19436 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
19437 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
19438 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
19439 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
19441 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
19442 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
19443 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
19444 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
19445 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
19451 @subsection Emacs Lisp
19453 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
19454 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
19455 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
19456 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
19458 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
19459 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
19460 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
19461 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
19462 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
19463 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
19464 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
19467 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
19468 write the following:
19471 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
19474 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
19475 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
19476 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
19479 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
19480 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
19481 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
19482 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
19483 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
19485 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
19486 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
19487 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
19491 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
19495 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
19498 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
19499 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
19502 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
19505 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
19506 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
19509 @include gnus-faq.texi