4 @settitle T-gnus 6.17 Manual
9 @documentencoding ISO-8859-1
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335 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
340 @setchapternewpage odd
345 @title T-gnus 6.17 Manual
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 @top The gnus Newsreader
359 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using T-gnus. The news
360 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
361 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
364 T-gnus provides @acronym{MIME} features based on @acronym{SEMI} API. So
365 T-gnus supports your right to read strange messages including big images
366 or other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
367 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
368 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities. Oh,
369 if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
371 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.17.
382 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
383 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
385 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
386 being accused of plagiarism:
388 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
389 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
390 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
391 can even read news with it!
393 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
394 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
395 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
396 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
397 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
403 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
404 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
405 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
406 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
407 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
408 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
409 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
410 * Various:: General purpose settings.
411 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
412 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
413 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
414 * Key Index:: Key Index.
416 Other related manuals
418 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
419 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
420 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
421 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
422 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
425 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
429 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
430 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
431 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
432 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
433 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
434 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
435 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
436 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
437 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
438 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
439 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
443 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
444 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
445 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
449 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
450 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
451 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
452 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
453 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
454 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
455 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
456 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
457 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
458 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
459 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
460 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
461 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
462 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
463 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
464 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
465 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
469 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
470 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
471 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
475 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
476 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
477 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
478 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
479 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
483 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
484 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
485 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
486 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
487 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
491 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
492 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
493 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
494 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
495 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
496 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
497 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
498 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
499 * Threading:: How threads are made.
500 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
501 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
502 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
503 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
504 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
505 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
506 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
507 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
508 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
509 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
510 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
511 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
512 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
513 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
514 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
515 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
516 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
517 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
518 or reselecting the current group.
519 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
520 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
521 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
522 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
524 Summary Buffer Format
526 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
527 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
528 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
529 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
533 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
534 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
536 Reply, Followup and Post
538 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
539 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
540 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
541 * Canceling and Superseding::
545 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
546 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
547 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
548 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
549 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
550 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
554 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
555 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
557 Customizing Threading
559 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
560 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
561 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
562 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
566 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
567 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
568 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
569 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
570 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
571 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
575 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
576 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
577 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
581 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
582 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
583 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
584 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
585 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
586 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
587 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
588 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
589 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
590 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
591 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
593 Alternative Approaches
595 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
596 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
598 Various Summary Stuff
600 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
601 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
602 * Summary Generation Commands::
603 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
607 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
608 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
609 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
610 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
611 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
615 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
616 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
617 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
618 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
619 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
620 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
621 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
622 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
623 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
627 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
628 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
629 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
630 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
631 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
632 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
633 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
634 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
635 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
639 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
640 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
641 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
642 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
643 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
644 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
645 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
649 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
650 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
654 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
655 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
656 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
657 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
661 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
662 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
663 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
664 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
665 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
666 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
667 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
668 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
669 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
670 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
671 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
672 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
673 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
677 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
678 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
679 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
681 Choosing a Mail Back End
683 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
684 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
685 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
686 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
687 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
688 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
689 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
694 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
695 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
696 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
697 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
698 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
699 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
703 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
704 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
705 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
706 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
707 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
708 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
712 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
713 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
714 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
715 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
716 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
720 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
724 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
725 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
726 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
730 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
731 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
735 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
736 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
737 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
741 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
742 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
743 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
745 The Gnus Diary Library
747 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
748 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
749 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
750 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
754 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
755 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
756 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
757 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
758 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
759 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
760 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
761 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
762 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
763 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
764 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
765 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
766 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
770 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
771 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
772 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
776 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
777 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
778 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
782 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
783 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
784 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
785 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
786 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
787 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
788 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
789 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
790 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
791 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
792 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
793 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
794 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
795 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
796 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
797 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
801 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
802 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
803 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
807 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
808 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
809 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
810 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
811 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
812 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
813 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
814 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
815 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
816 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
817 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
818 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
819 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
820 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
821 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
822 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
823 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
824 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
825 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
826 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
830 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
831 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
832 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
833 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
834 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
835 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
836 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
837 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
841 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
842 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
843 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
844 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
845 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
849 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
850 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
851 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
852 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
853 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
854 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
856 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
858 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
859 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
860 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
861 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
862 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
864 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
865 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
867 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
869 * SpamAssassin back end::
870 * ifile spam filtering::
871 * spam-stat spam filtering::
873 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
875 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
877 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
878 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
879 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
883 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
884 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
885 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
886 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
887 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
888 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
889 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
890 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
891 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
895 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
896 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
897 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
898 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
899 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
900 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
901 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
902 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
903 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
907 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
908 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
909 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
910 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
911 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
912 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
913 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
917 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
918 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
919 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
920 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
924 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
925 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
926 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
927 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
928 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
929 * Group Info:: The group info format.
930 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
931 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
932 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
936 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
937 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
938 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
939 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
940 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
941 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
945 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
946 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
950 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
951 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
957 @chapter Starting gnus
962 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
963 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
966 @findex gnus-other-frame
967 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
968 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
969 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
971 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
972 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
973 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
975 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
976 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
979 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
980 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
981 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
982 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
983 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
984 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
985 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
986 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
987 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
988 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
992 @node Finding the News
993 @section Finding the News
996 @vindex gnus-select-method
998 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
999 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1000 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1001 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1004 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1005 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1008 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1011 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1014 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1017 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1018 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1019 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1020 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1022 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1024 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1025 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
1026 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1027 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1028 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1029 If that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1030 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1032 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1033 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1034 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1035 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1037 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1038 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1039 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1040 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1041 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1042 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1043 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1044 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1045 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1048 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1050 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1051 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1052 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1053 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1054 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1055 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1057 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1059 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1060 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1061 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1062 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1063 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1064 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1067 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1068 you would typically set this variable to
1071 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1074 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1075 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1076 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1077 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1080 @node The First Time
1081 @section The First Time
1082 @cindex first time usage
1084 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), gnus will try to
1085 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1087 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1088 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1089 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1090 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1093 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1094 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1095 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1097 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1098 help you with most common problems.
1100 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1101 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1105 @node The Server is Down
1106 @section The Server is Down
1107 @cindex server errors
1109 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1110 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1111 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1113 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1114 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1115 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1116 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1117 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1118 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1119 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1121 @findex gnus-no-server
1122 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1124 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1125 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1126 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1127 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1128 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1129 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1130 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1134 @section Slave Gnusae
1137 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1138 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1139 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1140 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1142 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1143 @file{.newsrc} file.
1145 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1146 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1147 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1148 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1149 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1150 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1151 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1154 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1155 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1156 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1157 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1158 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1159 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1160 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1161 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1163 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1164 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1166 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1167 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1168 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1169 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1170 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1177 @cindex subscription
1179 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1180 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1181 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1182 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1183 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1184 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1185 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1186 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1187 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1190 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1191 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1192 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1196 @node Checking New Groups
1197 @subsection Checking New Groups
1199 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1200 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1201 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1202 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1203 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1204 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1205 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1206 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1207 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1208 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1210 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1211 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1212 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1213 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1214 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1215 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1216 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1217 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1218 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1219 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1220 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1222 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1223 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1224 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1225 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1226 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1227 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1230 @node Subscription Methods
1231 @subsection Subscription Methods
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1234 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1235 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1237 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1238 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1240 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1244 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1245 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1246 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1247 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1248 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1252 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1253 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1255 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1257 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1259 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1260 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1261 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1262 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1263 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1264 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1265 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1266 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1267 up. Or something like that.
1269 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1270 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1271 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1272 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1273 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1275 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1276 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1277 Kill all new groups.
1279 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1280 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1281 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1282 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1283 topic parameter that looks like
1289 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1292 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1297 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1298 A closely related variable is
1299 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1300 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1301 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1302 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1305 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1306 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1307 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1308 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1311 @node Filtering New Groups
1312 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1314 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1315 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1316 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1319 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1322 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1323 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1324 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1325 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1326 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1327 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1328 subscribing these groups.
1329 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1330 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1332 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1333 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1334 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1335 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1336 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1337 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1338 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1339 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1341 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1342 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1343 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1344 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1345 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1346 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1347 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1348 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1349 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1350 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1353 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1354 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1357 @node Changing Servers
1358 @section Changing Servers
1359 @cindex changing servers
1361 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1362 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1363 very flaky and you want to use another.
1365 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1366 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1370 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1371 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1372 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1373 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1376 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1377 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1378 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1379 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1381 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1382 @findex gnus-change-server
1383 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1384 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1385 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1386 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1387 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1389 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1390 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1391 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1392 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1393 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1395 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1396 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1397 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1398 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1399 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1400 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1402 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1403 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1404 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1405 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1407 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1408 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1409 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1410 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1411 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1412 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1413 cache for all groups).
1417 @section Startup Files
1418 @cindex startup files
1423 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1424 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1425 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1428 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1429 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1430 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1431 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1432 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1433 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1434 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1436 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1437 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1438 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1439 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1440 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1441 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1443 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1444 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1445 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1446 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1447 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1448 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1449 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1450 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1451 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1452 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1453 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1456 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1457 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1458 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1459 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1460 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1461 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1462 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1463 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1464 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1465 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1466 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1467 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1469 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1470 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1471 @vindex version-control
1472 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1473 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1474 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1475 If you want version control for this file, set
1476 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1477 @code{version-control} variable.
1479 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1480 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1481 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1482 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1483 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1484 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1485 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1486 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1487 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1488 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1491 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1492 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1494 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1495 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1498 @vindex gnus-init-file
1499 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1500 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1501 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1502 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1503 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1504 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1505 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1506 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1507 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1508 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1514 @cindex dribble file
1517 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1518 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1519 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1520 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1521 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1524 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1525 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1528 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1529 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1530 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1532 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1533 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1534 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1535 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1536 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1537 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1539 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1540 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1541 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1544 @node The Active File
1545 @section The Active File
1547 @cindex ignored groups
1549 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1550 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1551 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1553 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1554 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1555 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1556 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1557 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1558 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1559 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1562 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1563 @c if you set it to anything else.
1565 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1567 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1568 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1569 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1571 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1572 you actually subscribe to.
1574 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1575 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1576 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1577 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1579 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1580 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1581 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1582 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1583 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1584 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1586 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1587 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1588 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1591 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1592 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1593 @acronym{NNTP} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1594 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1595 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1596 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1598 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1599 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1601 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1602 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1604 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1605 secondary select methods.
1608 @node Startup Variables
1609 @section Startup Variables
1613 @item gnus-load-hook
1614 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1615 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1616 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1617 times you start gnus.
1619 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1620 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1621 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1623 @item gnus-startup-hook
1624 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1625 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1627 @item gnus-started-hook
1628 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1629 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1632 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1633 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1634 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1635 generating the group buffer.
1637 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1638 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1639 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1640 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1641 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1642 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1643 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1644 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1646 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1647 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1648 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1649 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1650 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1651 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1653 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1654 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1655 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1657 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1658 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1659 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1661 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1662 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1663 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1664 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1670 @chapter Group Buffer
1671 @cindex group buffer
1673 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1675 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1676 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1677 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1678 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1679 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1680 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1681 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1682 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1683 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1684 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1685 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1686 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1687 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1688 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1689 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1690 @c human rights at 9...
1693 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1694 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1695 long as gnus is active.
1699 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1700 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1701 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1702 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1703 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1704 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1705 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1706 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1712 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1713 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1714 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1715 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1716 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1717 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1718 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1719 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1720 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1721 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1722 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1723 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1724 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1725 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1726 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1727 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1728 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1732 @node Group Buffer Format
1733 @section Group Buffer Format
1736 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1737 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1738 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1742 @node Group Line Specification
1743 @subsection Group Line Specification
1744 @cindex group buffer format
1746 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1747 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1749 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1752 25: news.announce.newusers
1753 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1758 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1759 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1760 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1761 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1763 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1764 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1765 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1766 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1767 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1768 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1770 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1772 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1773 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1774 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1775 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1776 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1778 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1779 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1780 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1782 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1787 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1790 Whether the group is subscribed.
1793 Level of subscribedness.
1796 Number of unread articles.
1799 Number of dormant articles.
1802 Number of ticked articles.
1805 Number of read articles.
1808 Number of unseen articles.
1811 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1812 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1814 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1815 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1816 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1817 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1818 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1819 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1820 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1821 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1824 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1827 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1836 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1837 comment element in the group parameters.
1840 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1841 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1842 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1846 @samp{m} if moderated.
1849 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1855 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1861 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1865 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1868 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1869 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1870 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1871 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1872 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1875 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1877 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1881 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1884 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1888 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1889 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1890 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1891 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1894 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1895 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1896 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1897 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1898 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1899 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1904 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1905 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1906 group, or a bogus native group.
1909 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1910 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1911 @cindex group mode line
1913 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1914 The mode line can be changed by setting
1915 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1916 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1920 The native news server.
1922 The native select method.
1926 @node Group Highlighting
1927 @subsection Group Highlighting
1928 @cindex highlighting
1929 @cindex group highlighting
1931 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1932 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1933 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1934 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1935 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1937 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1941 (cond (window-system
1942 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1943 (defface my-group-face-1
1944 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1945 (defface my-group-face-2
1946 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1947 "Second group face")
1948 (defface my-group-face-3
1949 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1950 (defface my-group-face-4
1951 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1952 (defface my-group-face-5
1953 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1955 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1956 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1957 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1958 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1959 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1960 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1963 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1965 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1972 The number of unread articles in the group.
1976 Whether the group is a mail group.
1978 The level of the group.
1980 The score of the group.
1982 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1984 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1985 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1987 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1988 topic being inserted.
1991 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1992 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1993 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1995 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1996 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1997 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1998 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1999 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2002 @node Group Maneuvering
2003 @section Group Maneuvering
2004 @cindex group movement
2006 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2007 expected, hopefully.
2013 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2014 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2015 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2021 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2022 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2023 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2027 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2028 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2032 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2033 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2037 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2038 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2039 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2043 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2044 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2045 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2048 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2054 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2055 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2056 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2061 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2062 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2063 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2067 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2068 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2069 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2072 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2073 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2074 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2075 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2079 @node Selecting a Group
2080 @section Selecting a Group
2081 @cindex group selection
2086 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2087 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2088 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2089 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2090 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2091 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2092 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2093 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2094 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2095 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2097 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2098 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2099 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2101 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2102 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2107 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2108 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2109 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2110 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2111 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2115 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2116 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2117 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2118 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2119 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2120 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2121 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2122 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2123 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2124 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2127 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2128 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2129 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2130 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2131 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2134 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2135 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2136 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2137 doing any processing of its contents
2138 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2139 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2140 manner will have no permanent effects.
2144 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2145 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2146 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2147 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2148 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2149 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2150 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2151 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2152 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2153 most recently will be fetched.
2155 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2156 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2157 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2160 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2161 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2162 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2163 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2164 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2165 Which article this is is controlled by the
2166 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2172 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2175 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2178 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2180 @item unseen-or-unread
2181 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2182 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2186 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2190 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2191 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2193 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2194 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2195 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2196 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2200 @node Subscription Commands
2201 @section Subscription Commands
2202 @cindex subscription
2210 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2211 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2212 Toggle subscription to the current group
2213 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2219 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2220 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2221 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2222 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2228 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2229 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2230 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2236 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2237 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2240 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2241 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2242 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2243 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2244 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2250 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2251 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2255 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2256 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2259 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2260 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2261 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2262 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2263 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2264 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2265 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2266 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2267 @file{.newsrc} file.
2271 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2281 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2282 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2283 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2284 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2285 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2286 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2291 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2292 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2293 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2297 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2298 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2299 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2301 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2302 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2303 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2304 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2305 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2306 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2313 @section Group Levels
2317 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2318 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2319 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2320 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2321 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2323 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2329 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2330 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2331 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2332 prompted for a level.
2335 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2336 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2337 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2338 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2339 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2340 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2341 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2342 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2343 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2344 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2345 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2346 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2347 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2348 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2349 reasons of efficiency.
2351 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2352 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2354 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2355 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2356 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2357 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2358 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2359 groups are hidden, in a way.
2361 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2362 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2363 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2364 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2365 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2366 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2368 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2369 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2370 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2371 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2372 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2373 list of killed groups.)
2375 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2376 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2377 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2379 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2380 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2381 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2382 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2383 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2384 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2385 relevant valid ranges.
2387 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2388 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2389 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2390 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2391 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2392 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2395 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2396 one with the best level.
2398 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2399 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2400 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2403 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2404 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2405 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2406 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2409 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2410 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2411 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2412 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2414 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2415 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2416 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2417 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2418 to 5. The default is 6.
2422 @section Group Score
2427 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2428 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2429 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2432 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2433 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2434 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2435 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2436 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2437 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2438 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2439 least significant part.))
2441 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2442 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2443 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2444 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2445 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2446 action after each summary exit, you can add
2447 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2448 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2449 slow things down somewhat.
2452 @node Marking Groups
2453 @section Marking Groups
2454 @cindex marking groups
2456 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2457 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2458 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2459 bidding on those groups.
2461 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2462 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2463 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2471 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2472 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2479 Remove the mark from the current group
2480 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2485 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2489 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2490 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2494 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2495 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2499 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2500 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2501 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2504 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2506 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2507 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2508 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2509 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2510 the command to be executed.
2513 @node Foreign Groups
2514 @section Foreign Groups
2515 @cindex foreign groups
2517 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2518 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2519 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2520 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2527 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2528 @cindex making groups
2529 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2530 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2531 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2535 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2536 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2537 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2541 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2542 @cindex renaming groups
2543 Rename the current group to something else
2544 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2545 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2551 @findex gnus-group-customize
2552 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2556 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2557 @cindex renaming groups
2558 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2559 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2563 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2564 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2565 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2569 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2570 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2571 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2575 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2577 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2578 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2583 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2584 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2588 @cindex (ding) archive
2589 @cindex archive group
2590 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2591 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2592 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2593 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2594 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2595 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2596 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2600 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2602 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2603 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2604 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2605 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2609 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2611 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2612 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2613 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2617 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2618 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2620 Make a group based on some file or other
2621 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2622 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2623 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2624 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2625 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2626 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2627 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2628 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2629 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2633 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2634 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2635 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2636 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2640 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2644 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2645 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2646 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2647 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2648 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2649 @xref{Web Searches}.
2651 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2652 to a particular group by using a match string like
2653 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2657 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2658 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2659 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2663 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2664 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2665 This function will delete the current group
2666 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2667 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2668 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2669 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2670 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2674 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2675 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2676 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2680 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2681 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2682 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2685 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2688 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2689 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2690 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2691 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2692 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2693 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2697 @node Group Parameters
2698 @section Group Parameters
2699 @cindex group parameters
2701 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2702 Here's an example group parameter list:
2705 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2709 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2710 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2711 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2712 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2714 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2715 is an alist of regexps and values.
2717 The following group parameters can be used:
2722 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2725 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2728 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2729 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2730 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2731 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2732 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2734 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2735 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2736 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2737 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2738 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2739 list address instead.
2741 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2745 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2748 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2751 It is totally ignored
2752 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2753 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2755 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2756 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2757 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2758 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2759 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2761 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2762 @cindex mail list groups
2763 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2764 entering summary buffer.
2766 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2771 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2772 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2773 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2774 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2775 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2776 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2777 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2778 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2781 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2782 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2785 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2786 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2790 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2791 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2792 of whether it has any unread articles.
2794 @item broken-reply-to
2795 @cindex broken-reply-to
2796 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2797 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2798 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2799 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2800 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2801 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2805 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2806 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2810 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2811 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2812 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2817 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2818 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2819 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2820 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2821 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2822 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2823 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2825 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2826 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2827 doesn't accept articles.
2831 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2832 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2833 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2835 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2838 @cindex total-expire
2839 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2840 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2841 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2842 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2845 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2849 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2850 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2851 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2852 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2853 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2854 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2855 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2858 @cindex expiry-target
2859 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2860 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2863 @cindex score file group parameter
2864 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2865 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2866 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2869 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2870 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2871 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2872 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2875 @cindex admin-address
2876 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2877 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2878 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2879 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2883 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2884 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2888 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2891 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2892 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2895 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2899 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2901 Here are some examples:
2905 Display only unread articles.
2908 Display everything except expirable articles.
2910 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2911 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2915 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2916 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2917 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2918 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2919 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2923 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2924 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2925 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2929 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2930 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2931 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2935 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2936 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2937 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2939 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2941 @item ignored-charsets
2942 @cindex ignored-charset
2943 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2944 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2945 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2947 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2950 @cindex posting-style
2951 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2952 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2953 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2954 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2955 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2957 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2958 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2959 like this in the group parameters:
2964 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2965 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2970 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2971 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2975 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2976 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2977 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2978 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2979 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2983 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2984 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2985 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2986 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2988 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2989 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2990 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2991 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2994 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
2995 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
2999 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3000 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3001 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3002 like the following is generated:
3005 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3006 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3010 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3011 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3013 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3014 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3016 @item (agent parameters)
3017 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3018 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3019 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3020 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3021 minimize the configuration effort.
3023 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3024 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3025 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3026 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3027 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3028 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3029 @code{eval}ed there.
3031 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3032 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3033 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3034 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3035 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3036 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3037 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3038 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3041 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3044 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3045 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3046 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3049 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3052 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3053 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3054 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3055 into the group parameters for the group.
3057 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3058 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3059 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3060 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3063 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3064 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3065 following is added to a group parameter
3068 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3069 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3072 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3077 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3078 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3079 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3080 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3081 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3083 @vindex gnus-parameters
3084 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3085 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3089 (setq gnus-parameters
3091 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3092 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3093 (gnus-summary-line-format
3094 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3098 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3102 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3106 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3109 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3110 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3113 @node Listing Groups
3114 @section Listing Groups
3115 @cindex group listing
3117 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3125 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3126 List all groups that have unread articles
3127 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3128 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3129 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3130 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3137 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3138 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3139 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3140 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3141 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3142 unsubscribed groups).
3146 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3147 List all unread groups on a specific level
3148 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3149 with no unread articles.
3153 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3154 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3155 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3156 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3161 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3162 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3166 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3167 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3168 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3172 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3173 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3177 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3178 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3179 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3180 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3181 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3182 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3183 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3184 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3188 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3189 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3190 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3194 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3195 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3196 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3200 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3201 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3205 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3206 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3210 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3211 List groups limited within the current selection
3212 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3216 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3217 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3221 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3222 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3226 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3227 @cindex visible group parameter
3228 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3229 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3230 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3231 get the same effect.
3233 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3234 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3235 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3236 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3237 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3240 @node Sorting Groups
3241 @section Sorting Groups
3242 @cindex sorting groups
3244 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3245 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3246 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3247 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3248 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3249 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3254 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3255 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3256 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3258 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3259 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3260 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3262 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3263 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3264 Sort by group level.
3266 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3267 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3268 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3270 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3271 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3272 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3273 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3275 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3276 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3277 Sort by number of unread articles.
3279 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3280 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3281 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3283 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3284 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3285 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3290 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3291 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3295 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3296 some sorting criteria:
3300 @kindex G S a (Group)
3301 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3302 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3303 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3306 @kindex G S u (Group)
3307 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3308 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3309 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3312 @kindex G S l (Group)
3313 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3314 Sort the group buffer by group level
3315 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3318 @kindex G S v (Group)
3319 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3320 Sort the group buffer by group score
3321 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3324 @kindex G S r (Group)
3325 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3326 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3327 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3330 @kindex G S m (Group)
3331 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3332 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3333 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3336 @kindex G S n (Group)
3337 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3338 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3339 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3343 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3344 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3346 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3347 commands will sort in reverse order.
3349 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3353 @kindex G P a (Group)
3354 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3355 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3356 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3359 @kindex G P u (Group)
3360 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3361 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3362 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3365 @kindex G P l (Group)
3366 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3367 Sort the groups by group level
3368 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3371 @kindex G P v (Group)
3372 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3373 Sort the groups by group score
3374 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3377 @kindex G P r (Group)
3378 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3379 Sort the groups by group rank
3380 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3383 @kindex G P m (Group)
3384 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3385 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3386 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3389 @kindex G P n (Group)
3390 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3391 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3392 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3395 @kindex G P s (Group)
3396 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3397 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3401 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3405 @node Group Maintenance
3406 @section Group Maintenance
3407 @cindex bogus groups
3412 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3413 Find bogus groups and delete them
3414 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3418 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3419 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3420 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3421 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3422 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3426 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3427 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3428 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3429 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3430 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3431 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3434 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3435 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3436 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3437 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3442 @node Browse Foreign Server
3443 @section Browse Foreign Server
3444 @cindex foreign servers
3445 @cindex browsing servers
3450 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3451 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3452 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3453 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3456 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3457 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3458 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3459 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3461 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3466 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3467 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3471 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3472 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3475 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3476 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3477 Enter the current group and display the first article
3478 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3481 @kindex RET (Browse)
3482 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3483 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3487 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3488 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3489 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3495 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3496 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3500 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3501 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3505 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3506 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3507 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3512 @section Exiting gnus
3513 @cindex exiting gnus
3515 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3520 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3521 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3522 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3523 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3527 @findex gnus-group-exit
3528 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3529 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3533 @findex gnus-group-quit
3534 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3535 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3538 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3539 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3540 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3541 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3542 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3543 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3549 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3550 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3551 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3557 @section Group Topics
3560 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3561 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3562 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3563 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3564 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3565 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3569 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3570 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3581 2: alt.religion.emacs
3584 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3586 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3587 13: comp.sources.unix
3590 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3592 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3593 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3594 is a toggling command.)
3596 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3597 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3598 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3599 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3602 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3603 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3604 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3607 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3611 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3612 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3613 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3614 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3615 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3619 @node Topic Commands
3620 @subsection Topic Commands
3621 @cindex topic commands
3623 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3624 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3625 definitions slightly.
3627 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3628 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3629 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3630 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3631 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3632 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3634 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3641 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3642 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3643 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3647 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3649 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3650 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3651 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3652 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3655 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3656 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3657 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3658 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3662 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3663 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3664 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3665 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3671 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3672 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3673 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3677 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3678 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3679 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3682 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3683 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3684 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3685 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3686 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3688 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3689 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3693 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3694 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3701 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3703 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3704 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3705 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3706 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3707 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3708 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3712 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3718 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3719 Move the current group to some other topic
3720 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3721 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3725 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3726 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3730 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3731 Copy the current group to some other topic
3732 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3733 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3737 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3738 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3739 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3743 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3744 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3745 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3749 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3750 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3751 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3752 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3753 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3754 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3755 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3758 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3759 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3763 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3764 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3765 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3769 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3770 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3771 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3775 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3776 Toggle hiding empty topics
3777 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3781 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3782 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3783 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3784 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3787 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3788 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3789 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3790 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3791 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3794 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3795 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3796 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3797 expiry process (if any)
3798 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3802 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3803 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3806 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3807 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3808 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3812 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3813 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3814 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3817 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3818 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3819 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3822 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3823 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3824 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3828 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3829 @cindex group parameters
3830 @cindex topic parameters
3832 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3833 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3838 @node Topic Variables
3839 @subsection Topic Variables
3840 @cindex topic variables
3842 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3843 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3845 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3846 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3847 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3860 Number of groups in the topic.
3862 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3864 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3867 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3868 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3869 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3872 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3873 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3875 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3876 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3877 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3881 @subsection Topic Sorting
3882 @cindex topic sorting
3884 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3890 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3891 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3892 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3893 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3896 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3897 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3898 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3899 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3902 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3903 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3904 Sort the current topic by group level
3905 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3908 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3909 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3910 Sort the current topic by group score
3911 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3914 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3915 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3916 Sort the current topic by group rank
3917 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3920 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3921 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3922 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3923 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3926 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3927 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3928 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3929 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3932 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3933 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3934 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3935 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3936 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3940 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3941 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3945 @node Topic Topology
3946 @subsection Topic Topology
3947 @cindex topic topology
3950 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3957 2: alt.religion.emacs
3960 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3962 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3963 13: comp.sources.unix
3967 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3968 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3969 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3974 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3975 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3979 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3980 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3981 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3982 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3983 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3984 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3986 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3987 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3988 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3991 @node Topic Parameters
3992 @subsection Topic Parameters
3993 @cindex topic parameters
3995 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3996 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3997 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3998 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3999 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4001 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4006 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4007 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4008 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4011 @item subscribe-level
4012 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4013 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4014 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4018 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4019 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4020 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4021 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4028 2: alt.religion.emacs
4032 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4034 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4035 13: comp.sources.unix
4040 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4041 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4042 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4043 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4044 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4045 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4047 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4048 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4049 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4050 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4051 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4053 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4054 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4055 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4056 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4057 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4058 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4059 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4060 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4063 @node Misc Group Stuff
4064 @section Misc Group Stuff
4067 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4068 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4069 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4070 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4071 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4078 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4079 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4080 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4084 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4085 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4086 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4087 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4088 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4089 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4090 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4094 @findex gnus-group-mail
4095 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4096 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4097 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4098 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4102 @findex gnus-group-news
4103 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4104 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4105 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4107 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4108 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4109 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4110 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4111 for this to work though.
4115 Variables for the group buffer:
4119 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4120 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4121 is called after the group buffer has been
4124 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4125 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4126 is called after the group buffer is
4127 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4130 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4131 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4132 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4133 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4135 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4136 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4137 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4138 whether they are empty or not.
4140 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4141 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4142 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4143 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4147 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4148 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4151 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4152 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4153 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4154 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4155 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4156 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4157 default is @code{nil}.
4161 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4162 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4167 @node Scanning New Messages
4168 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4169 @cindex new messages
4170 @cindex scanning new news
4176 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4177 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4178 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4179 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4180 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4181 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4186 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4187 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4188 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4189 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4190 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4191 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4192 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4194 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4195 @cindex activating groups
4197 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4198 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4203 @findex gnus-group-restart
4204 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4205 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4206 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4210 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4211 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4213 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4214 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4218 @node Group Information
4219 @subsection Group Information
4220 @cindex group information
4221 @cindex information on groups
4228 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4229 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4232 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4233 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4234 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4235 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4236 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4237 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4238 used for fetching the file.
4240 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4241 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4245 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4246 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4248 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4249 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4252 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4253 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4254 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4258 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4259 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4260 @cindex control message
4261 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4262 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4263 group if given a prefix argument.
4265 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4266 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4267 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4268 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4270 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4271 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4272 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4276 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4278 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4279 @cindex describing groups
4280 @cindex group description
4281 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4282 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4283 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4287 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4288 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4289 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4296 @findex gnus-version
4297 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4301 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4302 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4305 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4308 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4309 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4313 @node Group Timestamp
4314 @subsection Group Timestamp
4316 @cindex group timestamps
4318 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4319 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4320 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4323 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4326 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4328 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4329 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4332 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4333 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4336 This will result in lines looking like:
4339 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4340 0: custom 19961002T012713
4343 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4344 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4348 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4349 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4352 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4353 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4357 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4358 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4359 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4360 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4362 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4368 @subsection File Commands
4369 @cindex file commands
4375 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4376 @vindex gnus-init-file
4377 @cindex reading init file
4378 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4379 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4383 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4384 @cindex saving .newsrc
4385 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4386 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4387 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4390 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4391 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4392 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4397 @node Sieve Commands
4398 @subsection Sieve Commands
4399 @cindex group sieve commands
4401 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4402 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4403 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4404 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4405 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4407 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4408 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4409 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4410 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4411 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4412 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4413 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4414 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4415 regenerate the Sieve script.
4417 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4418 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4419 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4420 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4421 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4422 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4423 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4424 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4425 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4426 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4429 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4430 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4435 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4441 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4442 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4443 @cindex generating sieve script
4444 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4445 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4449 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4450 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4451 @cindex updating sieve script
4452 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4453 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4454 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4459 @node Summary Buffer
4460 @chapter Summary Buffer
4461 @cindex summary buffer
4463 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4464 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4466 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4467 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4469 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4472 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4473 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4474 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4475 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4476 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4477 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4478 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4479 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4480 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4481 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4482 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4483 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4484 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4485 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4486 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4487 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4488 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4489 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4490 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4491 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4492 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4493 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4494 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4495 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4496 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4497 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4498 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4499 or reselecting the current group.
4500 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4501 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4502 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4503 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4507 @node Summary Buffer Format
4508 @section Summary Buffer Format
4509 @cindex summary buffer format
4513 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4514 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4515 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4521 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4522 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4523 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4524 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4527 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4528 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4529 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4530 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4531 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4532 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4533 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4534 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4535 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4536 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4537 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4538 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4539 other function instead:
4542 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4543 'mail-extract-address-components)
4546 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4547 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4548 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4549 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4552 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4553 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4555 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4556 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4557 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4558 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4559 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4561 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4562 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4563 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4564 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4565 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4566 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4568 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4570 The following format specification characters and extended format
4571 specification(s) are understood:
4577 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4578 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4580 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4581 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4582 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4584 Full @code{From} header.
4586 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4588 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4591 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4592 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4593 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4594 may be more thorough.
4596 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4599 Number of lines in the article.
4601 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4602 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4604 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4605 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4607 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4609 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4610 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4623 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4624 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4625 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4626 line-drawing glyphs.
4628 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4629 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4630 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4631 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4633 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4634 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4635 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4636 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4638 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4639 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4640 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4641 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4643 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4644 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4645 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4647 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4648 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4649 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4651 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4652 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4653 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4655 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4656 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4657 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4662 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4663 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4665 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4666 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4668 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4669 for adopted articles.
4671 One space for each thread level.
4673 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4675 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4678 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4679 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4680 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4683 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4685 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4686 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4687 default level. If the difference between
4688 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4689 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4697 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4699 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4705 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4706 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4708 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4709 article has any children.
4715 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4716 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4718 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4719 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4720 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4721 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4722 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4723 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4726 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4727 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4728 There can only be one such area.
4730 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4731 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4732 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4733 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4734 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4735 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4737 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4738 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4740 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4743 @node To From Newsgroups
4744 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4748 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4749 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4750 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4751 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4752 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4756 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4757 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4758 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4762 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4763 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4766 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4767 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4770 @findex gnus-extra-header
4771 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4772 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4773 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4776 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4780 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4781 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4782 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4783 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4784 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4785 headers are used instead.
4787 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4788 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4789 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4790 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4791 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4792 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4796 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4797 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4798 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4799 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4800 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4801 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4804 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4805 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4806 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4807 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4809 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4813 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4815 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4816 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4817 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4818 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4822 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4825 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4826 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4829 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4830 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4831 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4837 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4838 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4841 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4842 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4844 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4845 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4846 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4847 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4849 Here are the elements you can play with:
4855 Unprefixed group name.
4857 Current article number.
4859 Current article score.
4863 Number of unread articles in this group.
4865 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4868 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4869 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4870 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4871 and no unselected ones.
4873 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4874 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4876 Subject of the current article.
4878 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4880 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4882 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4884 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4886 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4888 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4892 @node Summary Highlighting
4893 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4897 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4898 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4899 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4900 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4901 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4903 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4904 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4905 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4906 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4908 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4909 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4910 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4911 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4913 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4914 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4915 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4916 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4917 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4918 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4921 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4922 ((> score default) . bold))
4924 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4925 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4929 @node Summary Maneuvering
4930 @section Summary Maneuvering
4931 @cindex summary movement
4933 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4934 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4936 None of these commands select articles.
4941 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4942 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4943 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4944 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4945 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4949 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4950 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4951 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4952 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4953 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4956 @kindex G g (Summary)
4957 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4958 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4959 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4962 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4963 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4964 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4965 to the group buffer.
4967 Variables related to summary movement:
4971 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4972 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4973 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4974 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4975 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4976 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4977 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4978 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4979 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4980 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4981 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4982 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4983 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4984 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4986 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4987 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4988 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4989 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4990 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4991 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4992 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4994 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4996 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4997 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4998 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4999 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5000 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5002 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5003 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5004 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5005 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5006 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5007 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5008 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5009 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5012 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5013 the given number of lines from the top.
5018 @node Choosing Articles
5019 @section Choosing Articles
5020 @cindex selecting articles
5023 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5024 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5028 @node Choosing Commands
5029 @subsection Choosing Commands
5031 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5032 and they all select and display an article.
5034 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5035 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5039 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5041 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5042 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5044 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5045 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5046 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5051 @kindex G n (Summary)
5052 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5053 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5054 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5059 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5060 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5061 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5066 @kindex G N (Summary)
5067 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5068 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5073 @kindex G P (Summary)
5074 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5075 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5078 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5080 Go to the next article with the same subject
5081 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5084 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5085 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5086 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5087 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5091 @kindex G f (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5094 Go to the first unread article
5095 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5099 @kindex G b (Summary)
5101 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5102 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5103 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5104 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5109 @kindex G l (Summary)
5110 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5111 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5114 @kindex G o (Summary)
5115 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5117 @cindex article history
5118 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5119 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5120 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5121 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5122 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5123 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5128 @kindex G j (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5130 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5131 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5136 @node Choosing Variables
5137 @subsection Choosing Variables
5139 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5142 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5143 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5144 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5145 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5146 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5147 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5149 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5150 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5151 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5152 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5153 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5154 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5156 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5157 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5158 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5159 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5160 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5161 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5162 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5163 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5164 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5165 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5166 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5167 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5168 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5169 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5174 @node Paging the Article
5175 @section Scrolling the Article
5176 @cindex article scrolling
5181 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5183 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5184 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5185 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5187 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5188 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5189 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5190 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5191 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5192 what is considered uninteresting with
5193 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5194 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5197 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5199 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5202 @kindex RET (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5204 Scroll the current article one line forward
5205 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5208 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5210 Scroll the current article one line backward
5211 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5215 @kindex A g (Summary)
5217 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5218 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5219 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5220 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5221 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5222 the way it came from the server.
5224 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5225 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5226 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5229 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5234 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5239 @kindex A < (Summary)
5240 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5241 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5242 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5247 @kindex A > (Summary)
5248 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5249 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5253 @kindex A s (Summary)
5255 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5256 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5257 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5261 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5262 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5267 @node Reply Followup and Post
5268 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5271 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5272 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5273 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5274 * Canceling and Superseding::
5278 @node Summary Mail Commands
5279 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5281 @cindex composing mail
5283 Commands for composing a mail message:
5289 @kindex S r (Summary)
5291 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5292 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5293 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5294 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5295 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5300 @kindex S R (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5302 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5303 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5304 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5305 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5308 @kindex S w (Summary)
5309 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5310 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5311 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5312 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5313 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5314 present, that's used instead.
5317 @kindex S W (Summary)
5318 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5319 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5320 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5321 the process/prefix convention.
5324 @kindex S v (Summary)
5325 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5326 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5327 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5328 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5329 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5330 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5333 @kindex S V (Summary)
5334 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5335 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5336 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5337 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5340 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5341 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5342 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5343 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5344 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5345 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5346 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5347 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5350 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5351 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5352 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5353 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5354 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5358 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5359 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5360 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5361 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5362 Forward the current article to some other person
5363 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5364 headers of the forwarded article.
5369 @kindex S m (Summary)
5370 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5371 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5372 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5373 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5374 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5379 @kindex S i (Summary)
5380 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5381 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5382 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5383 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5385 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5386 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5387 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5388 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5389 for this to work though.
5392 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5394 @cindex bouncing mail
5395 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5396 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5397 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5398 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5399 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5400 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5401 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5402 very well fail, though.
5405 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5407 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5408 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5409 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5410 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5411 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5412 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5413 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5414 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5416 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5417 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5418 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5419 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5420 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5422 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5423 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5426 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5427 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5429 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5430 if it were a new message before resending.
5433 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5435 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5436 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5437 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5440 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5441 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5442 @cindex crossposting
5443 @cindex excessive crossposting
5444 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5445 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5447 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5448 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5449 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5450 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5451 command understands the process/prefix convention
5452 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5456 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5457 Manual}, for more information.
5460 @node Summary Post Commands
5461 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5463 @cindex composing news
5465 Commands for posting a news article:
5471 @kindex S p (Summary)
5472 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5473 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5474 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5475 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5476 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5481 @kindex S f (Summary)
5482 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5483 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5484 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5488 @kindex S F (Summary)
5490 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5491 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5492 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5493 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5494 process/prefix convention.
5497 @kindex S n (Summary)
5498 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5499 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5500 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5503 @kindex S N (Summary)
5504 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5505 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5506 message through mail and include the original message
5507 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5508 the process/prefix convention.
5511 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5512 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5513 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5514 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5515 headers of the forwarded article.
5518 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5519 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5521 @cindex making digests
5522 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5523 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5524 process/prefix convention.
5527 @kindex S u (Summary)
5528 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5529 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5530 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5531 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5534 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5535 Manual}, for more information.
5538 @node Summary Message Commands
5539 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5543 @kindex S y (Summary)
5544 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5545 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5546 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5547 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5548 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5553 @node Canceling and Superseding
5554 @subsection Canceling Articles
5555 @cindex canceling articles
5556 @cindex superseding articles
5558 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5559 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5561 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5563 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5565 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5566 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5567 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5568 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5569 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5570 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5572 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5573 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5576 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5577 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5578 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5580 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5581 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5582 message, Message Manual}).
5584 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5585 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5586 your original article.
5588 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5590 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5591 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5592 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5595 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5596 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5597 have posted almost the same article twice.
5599 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5600 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5601 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5602 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5603 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5604 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5605 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5606 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5607 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5608 canceled/superseded.
5610 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5612 @node Delayed Articles
5613 @section Delayed Articles
5614 @cindex delayed sending
5615 @cindex send delayed
5617 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5618 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5619 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5620 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5623 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5626 @findex gnus-delay-article
5627 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5628 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5629 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5630 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5634 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5635 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5636 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5637 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5640 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5641 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5642 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5645 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5646 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5647 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5648 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5649 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5650 that means a time tomorrow.
5653 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5654 couple of variables:
5657 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5658 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5659 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5660 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5662 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5663 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5664 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5665 formats described above.
5667 @item gnus-delay-group
5668 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5669 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5670 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5671 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5673 @item gnus-delay-header
5674 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5675 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5676 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5677 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5680 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5681 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5682 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5683 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5684 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5686 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5687 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5688 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5689 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5690 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5691 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5692 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5695 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5696 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5698 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5699 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5700 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5701 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5702 argument is ignored.
5704 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5705 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5706 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5710 @node Marking Articles
5711 @section Marking Articles
5712 @cindex article marking
5713 @cindex article ticking
5716 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5718 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5719 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5720 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5722 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5725 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5729 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5730 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5731 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5732 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5733 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5734 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5738 @node Unread Articles
5739 @subsection Unread Articles
5741 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5746 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5747 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5749 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5750 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5751 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5752 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5753 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5754 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5755 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5758 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5759 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5761 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5762 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5763 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5764 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5768 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5769 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5771 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5776 @subsection Read Articles
5777 @cindex expirable mark
5779 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5784 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5785 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5786 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5789 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5790 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5793 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5794 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5795 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5798 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5799 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5802 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5803 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5806 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5807 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5810 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5811 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5814 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5815 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5818 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5819 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5822 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5823 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5827 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5828 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5829 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5833 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5834 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5836 One more special mark, though:
5840 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5841 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5843 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5844 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5845 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5846 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5852 @subsection Other Marks
5853 @cindex process mark
5856 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5862 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5863 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5864 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5865 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5866 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5869 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5870 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5871 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5872 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5875 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5876 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5877 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5880 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5881 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5882 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5885 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5886 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5887 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5888 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5891 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5892 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5893 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5894 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5895 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5896 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5899 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5900 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5901 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5902 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5905 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5906 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5907 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5908 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5909 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5913 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5914 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5915 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5916 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5917 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5918 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5921 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5922 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5923 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5924 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5925 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5926 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5930 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5931 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5932 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5933 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5934 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5937 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5938 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5939 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5940 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5941 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5942 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5946 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5947 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5948 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5950 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5951 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5952 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5956 @subsection Setting Marks
5957 @cindex setting marks
5959 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5964 @kindex M c (Summary)
5965 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5966 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5967 @cindex mark as unread
5968 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5969 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5975 @kindex M t (Summary)
5976 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5977 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5978 @xref{Article Caching}.
5983 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5985 Mark the current article as dormant
5986 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5990 @kindex M d (Summary)
5992 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5993 Mark the current article as read
5994 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5998 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5999 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6000 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6005 @kindex M k (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6007 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6008 and then select the next unread article
6009 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6013 @kindex M K (Summary)
6014 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6015 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6016 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6017 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6020 @kindex M C (Summary)
6021 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6022 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6023 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6026 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6027 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6028 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6029 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6032 @kindex M H (Summary)
6033 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6034 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6035 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6038 @kindex M h (Summary)
6039 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6040 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6041 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6044 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6045 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6046 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6047 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6050 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6051 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6052 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6053 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6057 @kindex M e (Summary)
6059 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6060 Mark the current article as expirable
6061 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6064 @kindex M b (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6066 Set a bookmark in the current article
6067 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6070 @kindex M B (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6072 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6073 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6076 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6077 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6078 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6079 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6082 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6083 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6084 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6085 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6088 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6089 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6090 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6091 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6092 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6095 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6096 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6097 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6098 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6099 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6100 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6101 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6102 The default is @code{t}.
6105 @node Generic Marking Commands
6106 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6108 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6109 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6110 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6111 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6112 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6115 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6116 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6119 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6120 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6121 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6122 to list in this manual.
6124 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6125 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6126 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6127 article, you could say something like:
6131 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6132 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6133 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6141 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6142 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6146 @node Setting Process Marks
6147 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6148 @cindex setting process marks
6150 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6151 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6152 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6153 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6154 commands into the cache. For more information,
6155 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6162 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6163 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6164 Mark the current article with the process mark
6165 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6166 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6170 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6171 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6172 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6173 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6176 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6177 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6178 Remove the process mark from all articles
6179 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6182 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6183 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6184 Invert the list of process marked articles
6185 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6188 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6189 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6190 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6191 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6194 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6196 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6197 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6200 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6201 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6202 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6205 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6206 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6207 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6210 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6211 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6212 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6213 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6216 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6217 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6218 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6219 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6222 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6223 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6224 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6225 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6228 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6229 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6230 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6233 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6234 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6235 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6236 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6239 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6240 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6241 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6244 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6245 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6246 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6247 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6250 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6251 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6252 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6253 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6256 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6257 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6258 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6259 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6262 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6263 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6264 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6265 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6269 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6270 set process marks based on article body contents.
6277 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6278 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6279 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6282 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6283 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6284 additional articles.
6290 @kindex / / (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6292 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6293 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6297 @kindex / a (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6299 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6300 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6304 @kindex / R (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6306 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6311 @kindex / x (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6313 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6314 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6315 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6320 @kindex / u (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6323 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6324 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6325 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6326 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6329 @kindex / m (Summary)
6330 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6331 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6332 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6335 @kindex / t (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6337 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6338 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6339 articles younger than that number of days.
6342 @kindex / n (Summary)
6343 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6344 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6345 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6346 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6349 @kindex / w (Summary)
6350 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6351 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6352 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6356 @kindex / . (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6358 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6359 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6362 @kindex / v (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6364 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6365 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6368 @kindex / p (Summary)
6369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6370 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6371 group parameter predicate
6372 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6373 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6376 @kindex / r (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6378 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6379 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6384 @kindex M S (Summary)
6385 @kindex / E (Summary)
6386 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6387 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6388 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6391 @kindex / D (Summary)
6392 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6393 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6394 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6397 @kindex / * (Summary)
6398 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6399 Include all cached articles in the limit
6400 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6403 @kindex / d (Summary)
6404 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6405 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6406 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6409 @kindex / M (Summary)
6410 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6411 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6414 @kindex / T (Summary)
6415 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6416 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6419 @kindex / c (Summary)
6420 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6421 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6422 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6425 @kindex / C (Summary)
6426 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6427 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6428 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6429 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6432 @kindex / N (Summary)
6433 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6434 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6435 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6438 @kindex / o (Summary)
6439 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6440 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6441 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6449 @cindex article threading
6451 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6452 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6453 hierarchical fashion.
6455 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6456 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6457 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6458 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6459 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6460 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6461 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6463 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6467 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6470 A tree-like article structure.
6473 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6476 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6477 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6478 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6479 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6480 called loose threads.
6482 @item thread gathering
6483 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6485 @item sparse threads
6486 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6487 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6493 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6494 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6498 @node Customizing Threading
6499 @subsection Customizing Threading
6500 @cindex customizing threading
6503 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6504 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6505 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6506 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6511 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6514 @cindex loose threads
6517 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6518 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6519 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6520 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6521 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6522 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6524 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6525 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6526 There are four possible values:
6530 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6531 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6532 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6533 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6534 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6539 @cindex adopting articles
6544 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6545 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6546 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6547 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6550 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6551 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6552 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6553 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6554 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6555 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6556 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6557 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6558 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6559 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6562 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6563 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6564 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6568 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6569 display them after one another.
6572 Don't gather loose threads.
6575 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6576 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6577 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6578 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6579 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6580 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6581 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6582 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6583 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6584 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6585 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6587 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6588 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6589 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6592 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6593 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6594 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6595 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6596 simplification is used.
6598 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6599 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6600 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6601 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6603 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6605 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6611 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6612 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6613 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6614 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6619 (mapconcat 'identity
6620 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6622 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6625 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6628 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6629 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6630 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6631 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6632 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6633 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6635 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6638 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6639 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6640 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6642 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6643 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6646 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6647 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6648 Remove excessive whitespace.
6650 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6651 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6652 Remove all whitespace.
6655 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6658 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6659 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6660 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6661 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6662 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6663 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6664 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6665 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6667 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6668 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6669 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6670 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6671 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6672 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6673 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6674 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6675 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6679 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6680 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6681 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6682 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6684 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6685 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6686 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6689 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6693 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6694 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6700 @node Filling In Threads
6701 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6704 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6705 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6706 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6707 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6708 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6709 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6710 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6711 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6712 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6713 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6714 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6715 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6718 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6719 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6720 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6722 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6723 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6724 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6727 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6728 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6729 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6730 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6731 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6732 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6733 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6734 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6735 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6736 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6737 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6738 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6739 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6740 @code{nil} by default.
6742 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6743 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6744 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6745 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6746 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6747 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6748 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6750 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6751 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6752 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6757 @node More Threading
6758 @subsubsection More Threading
6761 @item gnus-show-threads
6762 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6763 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6764 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6765 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6766 slower and more awkward.
6768 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6769 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6770 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6773 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6774 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6775 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6780 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6781 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6782 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6785 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6786 unread, but you get my drift.)
6789 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6790 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6791 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6792 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6793 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6794 threads are expunged.
6796 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6797 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6798 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6801 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6802 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6803 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6804 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6805 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6806 result in a new thread.
6808 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6809 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6810 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6813 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6814 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6815 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6816 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6817 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6818 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6819 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6820 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6821 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6822 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6823 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6828 @node Low-Level Threading
6829 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6833 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6834 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6835 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6836 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6837 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6838 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6840 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6841 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6842 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6843 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6844 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6845 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6846 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6847 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6848 meaningful. Here's one example:
6851 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6853 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6854 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6856 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6858 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6865 @node Thread Commands
6866 @subsection Thread Commands
6867 @cindex thread commands
6873 @kindex T k (Summary)
6874 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6875 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6876 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6877 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6878 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6883 @kindex T l (Summary)
6884 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6885 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6886 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6887 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6890 @kindex T i (Summary)
6891 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6892 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6893 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6896 @kindex T # (Summary)
6897 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6898 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6899 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6902 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6903 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6904 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6905 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6908 @kindex T T (Summary)
6909 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6910 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6913 @kindex T s (Summary)
6914 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6915 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6916 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6919 @kindex T h (Summary)
6920 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6921 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6924 @kindex T S (Summary)
6925 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6926 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6929 @kindex T H (Summary)
6930 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6931 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6934 @kindex T t (Summary)
6935 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6936 Re-thread the current article's thread
6937 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6938 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6941 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6942 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6943 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6944 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6948 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6949 understand the numeric prefix.
6954 @kindex T n (Summary)
6956 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6958 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6959 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6960 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6963 @kindex T p (Summary)
6965 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6967 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6968 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6969 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6972 @kindex T d (Summary)
6973 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6974 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6977 @kindex T u (Summary)
6978 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6979 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6982 @kindex T o (Summary)
6983 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6984 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6987 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6988 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6989 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6990 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6991 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6992 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6993 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6994 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6995 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6996 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6997 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6998 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7002 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7003 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7005 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7006 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7007 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7008 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7009 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7010 @c @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7011 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7012 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7013 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7014 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7015 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7016 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7017 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7018 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7019 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7021 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7022 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7023 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7024 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7025 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7026 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7027 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7028 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7030 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7031 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7032 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7034 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7035 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7036 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7037 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7038 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7039 ascending article order.
7041 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7042 by number, you could do something like:
7045 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7046 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7047 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7048 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7051 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7052 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7053 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7054 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7055 which the articles arrived.
7057 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7061 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7063 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7064 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7067 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7068 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7069 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7070 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7073 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7074 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7075 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7076 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7077 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7078 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7079 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7080 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7081 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7082 variable. It is very similar to the
7083 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7084 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7085 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7086 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7087 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7088 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7089 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7091 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7095 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7096 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7097 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7102 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7103 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7104 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7105 @cindex article pre-fetch
7108 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7109 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7110 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7111 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7112 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7114 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7115 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
7117 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7118 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7119 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7120 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7121 connection is blocked.
7123 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7124 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7125 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7126 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
7128 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7129 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7130 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7131 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7134 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7137 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7138 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7139 happen automatically.
7141 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7142 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7143 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7144 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7145 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7146 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7147 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7149 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7150 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7151 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7152 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7153 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7154 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7155 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7156 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7157 article data structure as the only parameter.
7159 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7160 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7163 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7164 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7165 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7166 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7169 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7172 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7173 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
7174 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7176 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7177 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7178 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7179 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7183 Remove articles when they are read.
7186 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7189 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7191 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7192 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7193 @c from the next group.
7196 @node Article Caching
7197 @section Article Caching
7198 @cindex article caching
7201 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7202 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7203 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7204 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7205 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7207 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7209 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7210 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7211 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7212 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7213 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7214 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7215 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7216 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7218 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7219 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7220 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7221 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7222 as dormant, and don't worry.
7224 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7226 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7227 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7228 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7229 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7230 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7231 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7232 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7233 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7234 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7235 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7237 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7238 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7239 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7240 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7241 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7242 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7243 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7244 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7245 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7246 not then be downloaded by this command.
7248 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7249 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7250 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7251 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7252 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7253 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7255 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7256 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7257 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7258 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7259 variables, the group is not cached.
7261 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7262 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7263 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7264 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7265 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7266 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
7267 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7268 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7269 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7272 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7273 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7274 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7275 where, isn't that cool?
7277 @node Persistent Articles
7278 @section Persistent Articles
7279 @cindex persistent articles
7281 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7282 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7283 useful in my opinion.
7285 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7286 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7287 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7288 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7289 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7290 the expiry going on at the news server.
7292 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7293 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7294 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7300 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7301 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7304 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7305 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7306 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7307 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7311 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7313 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7314 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7315 interested in persistent articles:
7318 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7322 @node Article Backlog
7323 @section Article Backlog
7325 @cindex article backlog
7327 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7328 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7329 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
7330 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7331 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7332 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7333 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
7334 increase memory usage some.
7336 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7337 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
7338 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7339 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
7340 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7341 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7342 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7344 The default value is 20.
7347 @node Saving Articles
7348 @section Saving Articles
7349 @cindex saving articles
7351 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7352 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7353 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7354 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7355 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7357 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7358 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7359 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7361 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7362 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
7363 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7365 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7366 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7367 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7368 deleted before saving.
7374 @kindex O o (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7377 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7378 Save the current article using the default article saver
7379 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7382 @kindex O m (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7384 Save the current article in mail format
7385 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7388 @kindex O r (Summary)
7389 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7390 Save the current article in Rmail format
7391 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7394 @kindex O f (Summary)
7395 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7396 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7397 Save the current article in plain file format
7398 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7401 @kindex O F (Summary)
7402 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7403 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7404 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7407 @kindex O b (Summary)
7408 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7409 Save the current article body in plain file format
7410 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7413 @kindex O h (Summary)
7414 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7415 Save the current article in mh folder format
7416 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7419 @kindex O v (Summary)
7420 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7421 Save the current article in a VM folder
7422 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7426 @kindex O p (Summary)
7428 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7429 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7430 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7431 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7432 complete headers in the piped output.
7435 @kindex O P (Summary)
7436 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7437 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7438 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7439 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7440 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7441 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7442 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7446 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7447 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7448 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7449 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7450 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7451 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7452 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7453 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7454 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7455 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7456 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7457 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7461 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7462 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7463 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7464 functions below, or you can create your own.
7468 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7469 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7470 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7471 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7472 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7473 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7474 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7476 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7477 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7478 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7479 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7480 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7481 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7483 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7484 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7485 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7486 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7487 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7488 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7489 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7491 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7492 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7493 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7494 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7495 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7496 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7498 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7499 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7500 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7501 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7502 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7504 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7505 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7506 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7507 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7508 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7511 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7512 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7513 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7514 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7515 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7517 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7518 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7519 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7520 reader to use this setting.
7523 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7524 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7525 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7526 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7529 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7530 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7531 available functions that generate names:
7535 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7536 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7537 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7539 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7540 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7541 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7543 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7544 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7545 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7547 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7548 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7549 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7551 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7552 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7553 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7556 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7557 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7558 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7559 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7560 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7564 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7565 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7566 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7567 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7570 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7571 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7572 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7573 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7574 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7575 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7576 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7577 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7578 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7580 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7581 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7582 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7583 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7585 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7586 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7587 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7590 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7591 lots of mail groups called things like
7592 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7593 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7594 following will do just that:
7597 (defun my-save-name (group)
7598 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7599 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7601 (setq gnus-split-methods
7602 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7607 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7608 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7609 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7610 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7611 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7612 all the files in the top level directory
7613 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7614 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7615 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7616 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7618 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7619 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7620 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7621 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7622 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7625 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7629 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7630 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7631 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7634 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7635 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7636 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7637 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7640 @node Decoding Articles
7641 @section Decoding Articles
7642 @cindex decoding articles
7644 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7645 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7648 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7649 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7650 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7651 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7652 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7653 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7657 @cindex article series
7658 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7659 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7660 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7661 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7662 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7664 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7665 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7666 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7668 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7669 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7670 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7672 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7673 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7674 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7677 @node Uuencoded Articles
7678 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7680 @cindex uuencoded articles
7685 @kindex X u (Summary)
7686 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7687 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7688 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7691 @kindex X U (Summary)
7692 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7693 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7694 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7697 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7698 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7699 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7702 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7703 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7704 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7705 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7709 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7710 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7711 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7712 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7713 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7715 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7716 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7717 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7718 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7721 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7722 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7723 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7724 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7725 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7726 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7730 @node Shell Archives
7731 @subsection Shell Archives
7733 @cindex shell archives
7734 @cindex shared articles
7736 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7737 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7738 some commands to deal with these:
7743 @kindex X s (Summary)
7744 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7745 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7748 @kindex X S (Summary)
7749 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7750 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7753 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7754 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7755 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7758 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7759 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7760 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7761 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7765 @node PostScript Files
7766 @subsection PostScript Files
7772 @kindex X p (Summary)
7773 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7774 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7777 @kindex X P (Summary)
7778 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7779 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7780 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7783 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7784 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7785 View the current PostScript series
7786 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7789 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7790 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7791 View and save the current PostScript series
7792 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7797 @subsection Other Files
7801 @kindex X o (Summary)
7802 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7803 Save the current series
7804 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7807 @kindex X b (Summary)
7808 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7809 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7810 doesn't really work yet.
7814 @node Decoding Variables
7815 @subsection Decoding Variables
7817 Adjective, not verb.
7820 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7821 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7822 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7826 @node Rule Variables
7827 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7828 @cindex rule variables
7830 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7831 variables are of the form
7834 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7841 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7842 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7844 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7845 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7848 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7849 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7852 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7853 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7854 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7855 user and default view rules.
7857 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7858 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7859 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7864 @node Other Decode Variables
7865 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7868 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7870 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7871 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7872 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7873 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7874 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7878 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7879 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7882 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7883 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7884 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7887 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7888 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7889 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7890 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7891 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7894 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7895 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7896 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7898 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7899 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7900 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7901 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7902 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7905 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7906 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7907 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7909 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7910 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7911 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7912 looking for files to display.
7914 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7915 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7916 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7919 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7920 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7921 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7924 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7925 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7926 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7929 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7930 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7931 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7934 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7935 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7936 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7937 decoded articles as unread.
7939 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7940 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7941 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7942 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7944 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7945 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7946 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7948 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7949 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7951 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7952 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7953 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7954 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7956 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7957 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7958 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7959 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7960 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7961 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7962 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7963 simply dropped them.
7968 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7969 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7973 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7974 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7975 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7976 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7977 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7978 for you when you post the article.
7980 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7981 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7982 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7983 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7985 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7986 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7987 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7988 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7989 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7990 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7991 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7993 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7994 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7995 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7996 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7997 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7998 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7999 Default is @code{t}.
8005 @subsection Viewing Files
8006 @cindex viewing files
8007 @cindex pseudo-articles
8009 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
8010 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8011 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8012 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
8013 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8014 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8015 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8017 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8018 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8019 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8020 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8022 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8023 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8024 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8026 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8027 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8028 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8029 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8030 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8032 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8033 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8034 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8035 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8036 a list of parameters to that command.
8038 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8039 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8040 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8042 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8043 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8044 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8047 @node Article Treatment
8048 @section Article Treatment
8050 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8051 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8052 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8053 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8054 these articles easier.
8057 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8058 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8059 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8060 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8061 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8062 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8063 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8064 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8065 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8066 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8067 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8071 @node Article Highlighting
8072 @subsection Article Highlighting
8073 @cindex highlighting
8075 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8076 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8081 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8082 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8083 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8084 Do much highlighting of the current article
8085 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8086 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8089 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8090 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8091 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8092 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8093 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8094 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8095 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8096 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8097 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8098 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8099 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8100 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8103 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8104 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8105 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8107 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8110 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8112 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8113 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8114 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8116 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8117 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8118 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8120 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8121 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8122 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8123 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8124 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8125 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8127 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8128 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8129 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8131 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8132 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8133 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8135 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8136 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8137 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8138 that it's a citation.
8140 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8141 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8142 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8144 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8145 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8146 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8148 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8149 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8150 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8151 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8153 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8154 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8155 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8156 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8157 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8164 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8165 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8166 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8167 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8168 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8169 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8170 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8171 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8176 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8179 @node Article Fontisizing
8180 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8182 @cindex article emphasis
8184 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8185 @kindex W e (Summary)
8186 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8187 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8188 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8189 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8191 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8192 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8193 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8194 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8195 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8196 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8197 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8198 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8202 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8203 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8204 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8213 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8214 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8215 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8216 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8217 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8218 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8219 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8220 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8221 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8222 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8223 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8224 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8225 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8227 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8228 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8229 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8233 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8236 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8238 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8239 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8240 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8241 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8243 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8246 @node Article Hiding
8247 @subsection Article Hiding
8248 @cindex article hiding
8250 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8251 too much cruft in most articles.
8256 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8257 @findex gnus-article-hide
8258 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8259 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8260 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8263 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8264 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8265 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8269 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8270 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8271 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8272 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8275 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8276 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8277 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8281 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8282 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8283 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8284 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8285 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8286 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8287 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8288 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8292 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8293 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8294 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8295 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8300 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8301 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8302 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8303 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8306 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8307 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8308 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8309 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8312 @cindex stripping advertisements
8313 @cindex advertisements
8314 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8315 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8316 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8317 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8318 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8319 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8320 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8321 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8322 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8323 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8326 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8327 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8328 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8332 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8333 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8334 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8335 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8336 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8337 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8338 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8339 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8340 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8341 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8342 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8345 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8346 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8352 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8353 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8354 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8355 customizing the hiding:
8359 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8360 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8361 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8362 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8363 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8364 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8365 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8370 Starting point of the hidden text.
8372 Ending point of the hidden text.
8374 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8376 Number of lines of hidden text.
8379 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8380 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8381 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8382 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8383 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8388 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8389 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8391 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8392 following two variables:
8395 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8396 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8397 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8398 50), hide the cited text.
8400 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8401 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8402 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8407 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8408 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8409 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8410 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8411 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8412 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8416 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8417 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8418 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8420 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8421 citation customization.
8423 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8427 @node Article Washing
8428 @subsection Article Washing
8430 @cindex article washing
8432 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8433 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8435 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8436 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8439 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8440 articles by default.
8445 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8446 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8450 Force redisplaying of the current article
8451 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8452 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8453 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8454 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8457 @kindex W l (Summary)
8458 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8459 Remove page breaks from the current article
8460 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8464 @kindex W r (Summary)
8465 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8466 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8467 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8468 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8469 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8470 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8472 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8473 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8474 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8475 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8478 @kindex W m (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8480 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8483 @kindex W i (Summary)
8484 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8485 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8486 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8487 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8488 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8489 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8494 @kindex W t (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8497 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8498 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8501 @kindex W v (Summary)
8502 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8503 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8504 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8507 @kindex W m (Summary)
8508 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8509 Toggle whether to run the article through @acronym{MIME} before
8510 displaying (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8513 @kindex W o (Summary)
8514 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8515 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8518 @kindex W d (Summary)
8519 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8520 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8522 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8524 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8525 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8526 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8527 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8530 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8531 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8532 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8533 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8536 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8537 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8538 @cindex Outlook Express
8539 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8540 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8541 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8544 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8545 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8546 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8547 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8548 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8549 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8550 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8551 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8552 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8553 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8556 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8557 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8558 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8559 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8562 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8563 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8564 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8565 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8568 @kindex W w (Summary)
8569 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8570 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8572 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8576 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8577 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8578 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8581 @kindex W C (Summary)
8582 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8583 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8584 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8587 @kindex W c (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8589 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8590 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8591 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8592 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8594 @kindex W q (Summary)
8595 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8596 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8597 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8598 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8599 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8600 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8601 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8602 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8603 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8606 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8607 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8608 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8609 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8610 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8611 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8612 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8613 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8616 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8617 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8618 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8619 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8620 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8623 @kindex W A (Summary)
8624 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8625 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8626 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8627 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8628 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8631 @kindex W u (Summary)
8632 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8633 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8634 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8635 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8636 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8639 @kindex W h (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8641 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8642 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8643 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8645 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8647 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8648 The default is to use the function specified by
8649 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8650 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8651 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8652 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8660 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8663 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8666 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8669 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8674 @kindex W b (Summary)
8675 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8676 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8677 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8680 @kindex W B (Summary)
8681 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8682 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8683 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8686 @kindex W p (Summary)
8687 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8688 Verify a signed control message
8689 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8690 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8691 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8692 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8693 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8694 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8697 @kindex W s (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8699 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8700 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8701 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8704 @kindex W a (Summary)
8705 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8706 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8707 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8710 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8711 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8712 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8713 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8716 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8717 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8718 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8719 lines with a single empty line.
8720 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8723 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8725 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8726 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8729 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8730 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8731 Do all the three commands above
8732 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8735 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8736 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8737 Remove all blank lines
8738 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8741 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8742 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8743 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8744 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8747 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8748 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8749 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8750 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8754 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8757 @node Article Header
8758 @subsection Article Header
8760 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8765 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8766 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8767 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8770 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8771 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8772 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8773 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8776 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8778 Fold all the message headers
8779 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8782 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8783 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8784 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8785 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8790 @node Article Buttons
8791 @subsection Article Buttons
8794 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8795 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8796 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8797 button on these references.
8799 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8800 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8801 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8802 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8803 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8807 @item gnus-button-alist
8808 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8809 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8812 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8818 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8819 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8820 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8821 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8822 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8825 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8826 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8827 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8830 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8831 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8832 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8833 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8834 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8836 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8839 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8842 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8843 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8847 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8850 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8853 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8854 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8855 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8856 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8857 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8860 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8863 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8866 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8869 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8870 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8872 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8874 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8875 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8876 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8877 default values of the variables above.
8879 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8881 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8882 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8883 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8884 argument with a string naming the man page.
8886 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8888 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8889 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8890 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8892 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8893 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8894 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8895 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8896 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8897 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8898 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8899 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8900 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8901 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8902 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8903 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8905 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8906 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8907 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8908 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8909 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8912 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8913 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8914 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8915 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8917 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8919 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8920 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8921 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8922 argument, the string naming the URL.
8925 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8926 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8927 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8931 @item gnus-article-button-face
8932 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8933 Face used on buttons.
8935 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8936 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8937 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8941 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8944 @node Article Button Levels
8945 @subsection Article button levels
8946 @cindex button levels
8947 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8948 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8949 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8950 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8951 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8952 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8953 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8954 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8957 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8958 (setq gnus-parameters
8959 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8960 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8961 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8966 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8967 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8968 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8969 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8970 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8971 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8973 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8974 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8975 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8976 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8977 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8978 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8979 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8980 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8981 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8982 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8983 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8984 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8985 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8987 @item gnus-button-man-level
8988 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8989 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8990 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8992 @item gnus-button-message-level
8993 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8994 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8995 Related variables and functions include
8996 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8997 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8998 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8999 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9001 @item gnus-button-tex-level
9002 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
9003 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
9004 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
9005 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
9006 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
9007 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
9013 @subsection Article Date
9015 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9016 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9017 when the article was sent.
9022 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9023 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9024 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9025 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9028 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9029 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9031 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9032 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9035 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9036 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9037 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9040 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9041 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9042 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9043 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9046 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9047 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9048 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9049 @findex format-time-string
9050 Display the date using a user-defined format
9051 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9052 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9053 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9054 for a list of possible format specs.
9057 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9058 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9059 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9060 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9061 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9062 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9065 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9068 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9069 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9070 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9073 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9074 into wonderful absurdities.
9076 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9079 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9082 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9083 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9087 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9088 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9089 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9090 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9091 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9092 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9093 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9097 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9098 preferred format automatically.
9101 @node Article Display
9102 @subsection Article Display
9107 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9108 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9110 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9111 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9113 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9114 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9116 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9117 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9119 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9120 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9122 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9127 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9128 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9129 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9130 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9133 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9134 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9135 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9136 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9139 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9140 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9141 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9144 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9145 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9146 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9149 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9150 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9151 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9152 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9155 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9156 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9157 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9158 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9161 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9162 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9163 Remove all images from the article buffer
9164 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9170 @node Article Signature
9171 @subsection Article Signature
9173 @cindex article signature
9175 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9176 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9177 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9178 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9179 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9180 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9181 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9182 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9183 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9186 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9187 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9188 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9189 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9190 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9191 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9192 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9193 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9196 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9199 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9200 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9201 signature when displaying articles.
9205 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9208 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9211 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9212 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9214 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9215 in question is not a signature.
9218 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9219 listed above. Here's an example:
9222 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9223 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9226 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9227 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9228 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9229 signature after all.
9232 @node Article Miscellanea
9233 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9237 @kindex A t (Summary)
9238 @findex gnus-article-babel
9239 Translate the article from one language to another
9240 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9246 @section MIME Commands
9247 @cindex MIME decoding
9249 @cindex viewing attachments
9251 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9252 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9258 @kindex K v (Summary)
9259 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9262 @kindex K o (Summary)
9263 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9266 @kindex K c (Summary)
9267 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9270 @kindex K e (Summary)
9271 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9274 @kindex K i (Summary)
9275 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9278 @kindex K | (Summary)
9279 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9282 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9287 @kindex K b (Summary)
9288 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9289 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9293 @kindex K m (Summary)
9294 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9295 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9296 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9297 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9298 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9301 @kindex X m (Summary)
9302 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9303 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9304 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9305 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9308 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9309 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9310 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9311 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9314 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9315 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9316 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9317 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9320 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9321 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9322 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9323 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9325 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9326 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9327 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9328 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9329 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9330 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9333 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9334 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9335 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9336 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9343 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9344 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9345 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9346 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9349 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9352 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9356 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9357 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9358 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9359 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9360 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9361 default is @code{nil}.
9363 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9364 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9365 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9366 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9367 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9368 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9369 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9371 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9372 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9373 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9374 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9375 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9376 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9377 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9378 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9380 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9381 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9382 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9383 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9384 displayed. This variable overrides
9385 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9386 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9389 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9390 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9391 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9393 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9394 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9395 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9396 default value is @code{nil}.
9398 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9399 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9400 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9401 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9402 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9403 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9404 save all jpegs into some directory).
9406 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9409 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9410 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9412 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9413 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9414 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9415 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9416 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9419 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9420 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9421 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9423 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9424 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9425 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9427 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9428 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9429 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9431 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9432 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} in @ref{Display Customization,
9433 Display Customization, , emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}. Images or
9434 other material inside a "multipart/related" part might be overlooked
9435 when this variable is @code{nil}.
9437 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9438 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9439 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9440 overrides @code{nil} values of
9441 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9442 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9444 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9445 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9446 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9447 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9449 Ready-made functions include@*
9450 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9451 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9452 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9453 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9454 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9455 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9456 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9457 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9458 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9459 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9460 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9461 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9463 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9464 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9466 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9467 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9468 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9471 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9472 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9473 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9474 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9478 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9487 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9488 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9489 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9490 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9491 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9492 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9493 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9495 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9496 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9497 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9498 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9500 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9501 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9502 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9503 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9504 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9505 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9506 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9507 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9508 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9510 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9511 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9512 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9513 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9514 quoted-printable header encoding.
9516 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9517 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9518 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9522 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9525 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9526 means encode all charsets),
9528 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9529 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9530 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9537 @cindex coding system aliases
9538 @cindex preferred charset
9540 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9541 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9542 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9544 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9546 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9547 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9550 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9551 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9554 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9555 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9557 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9560 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9563 This will almost do the right thing.
9565 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9569 (codepage-setup 1251)
9570 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9574 @node Article Commands
9575 @section Article Commands
9582 @kindex A P (Summary)
9583 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9584 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9585 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9586 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9587 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9588 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9593 @node Summary Sorting
9594 @section Summary Sorting
9595 @cindex summary sorting
9597 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9598 can't really see why you'd want that.
9603 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9604 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9605 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9608 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9609 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9610 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9613 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9614 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9615 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9618 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9620 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9623 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9624 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9625 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9628 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9629 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9630 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9633 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9634 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9635 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9638 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9640 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9643 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9645 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9648 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9649 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9650 Sort using the default sorting method
9651 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9654 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9655 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9656 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9657 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9658 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9662 @node Finding the Parent
9663 @section Finding the Parent
9664 @cindex parent articles
9665 @cindex referring articles
9670 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9671 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9672 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9673 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9674 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9675 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9676 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9677 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9678 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9680 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9681 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9682 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
9683 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9684 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9688 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9689 @kindex A R (Summary)
9690 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9691 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9694 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9695 @kindex A T (Summary)
9696 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9697 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9698 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9699 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9700 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9701 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9702 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9704 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9705 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9706 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9707 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9708 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9709 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9712 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9713 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9715 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9716 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9717 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9718 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9719 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9720 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9721 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9724 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9725 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9726 by giving this command a prefix.
9728 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9729 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9730 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9731 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9732 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9733 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9736 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9737 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9738 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9741 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9742 then ask Google if that fails:
9745 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9747 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9750 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9751 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9752 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9753 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9754 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9755 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9756 not support this at all.
9759 @node Alternative Approaches
9760 @section Alternative Approaches
9762 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9763 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9766 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9767 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9772 @subsection Pick and Read
9773 @cindex pick and read
9775 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9776 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9777 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9778 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9780 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9781 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9782 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9783 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9784 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9785 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9787 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9792 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9793 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9794 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9795 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9796 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9797 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9798 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9799 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9802 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9803 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9804 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9805 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9809 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9810 Unpick the thread or article
9811 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9812 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9813 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9814 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9815 the thread or article at that line.
9819 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9820 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9821 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9822 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9823 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9824 will still be visible when you are reading.
9828 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9829 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9830 which is mapped to the same function
9831 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9833 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9836 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9839 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9840 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9842 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9843 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9844 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9846 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9847 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9848 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9849 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9850 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9851 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9852 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9856 @subsection Binary Groups
9857 @cindex binary groups
9859 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9860 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9861 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9862 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9863 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9864 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9865 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9868 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9869 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9870 command, when you have turned on this mode
9871 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9873 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9874 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9878 @section Tree Display
9881 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9882 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9883 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9884 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9887 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9890 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9891 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9892 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9894 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9895 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9896 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9897 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9898 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9900 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9901 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9902 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9903 default is @code{modeline}.
9905 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9906 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9907 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9908 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9909 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9910 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9911 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9917 The name of the poster.
9919 The @code{From} header.
9921 The number of the article.
9923 The opening bracket.
9925 The closing bracket.
9930 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9932 Variables related to the display are:
9935 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9936 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9937 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9938 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9940 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9941 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9942 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9944 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9946 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9947 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9948 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9949 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9953 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9954 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9955 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9956 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9957 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9958 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9959 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9960 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9961 other windows displayed next to it.
9963 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9967 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9968 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9971 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9972 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9973 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9974 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9975 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9976 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9977 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9981 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9984 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9994 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9999 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10000 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10002 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10004 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10010 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10011 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10012 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10015 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10016 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10017 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10018 (gnus-add-configuration
10022 (summary 0.75 point)
10027 @xref{Window Layout}.
10030 @node Mail Group Commands
10031 @section Mail Group Commands
10032 @cindex mail group commands
10034 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10035 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10037 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10038 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10043 @kindex B e (Summary)
10044 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10045 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10046 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10047 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10048 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10051 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10052 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10053 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10054 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10055 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10056 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10059 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10060 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10061 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10062 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10063 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10064 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10067 @kindex B m (Summary)
10069 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10070 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10071 Move the article from one mail group to another
10072 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10073 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10076 @kindex B c (Summary)
10078 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10079 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10080 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10081 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10082 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10085 @kindex B B (Summary)
10086 @cindex crosspost mail
10087 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10088 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10089 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10090 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10091 be properly updated.
10094 @kindex B i (Summary)
10095 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10096 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10097 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10098 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10101 @kindex B I (Summary)
10102 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10103 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10104 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10105 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10108 @kindex B r (Summary)
10109 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10110 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10111 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10112 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10113 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10114 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10115 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10116 (which is the default).
10120 @kindex B w (Summary)
10121 @kindex e (Summary)
10122 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10123 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10124 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10125 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10126 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10127 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10128 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10131 @kindex B q (Summary)
10132 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10133 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10134 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10135 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10138 @kindex B t (Summary)
10139 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10140 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10141 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10144 @kindex B p (Summary)
10145 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10146 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10147 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10148 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10149 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10150 article from your news server (or rather, from
10151 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10152 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10153 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10154 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10155 just not have arrived yet.
10158 @kindex K E (Summary)
10159 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10160 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10161 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10162 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10163 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10167 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10168 @cindex moving articles
10169 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
10170 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10171 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10172 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10173 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10174 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10175 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10178 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10179 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10180 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10181 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10185 @node Various Summary Stuff
10186 @section Various Summary Stuff
10189 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10190 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10191 * Summary Generation Commands::
10192 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10196 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10197 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10198 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10199 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10200 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10201 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10203 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10204 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10205 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10208 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10209 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10210 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10212 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10213 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10214 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10215 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10216 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10217 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10220 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10221 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10222 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10223 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10224 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10226 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10227 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10228 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10231 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10232 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10233 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10234 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10235 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10236 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10237 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
10238 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10239 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10240 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10242 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10243 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10244 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10245 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10246 list of articles to be selected.
10248 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10249 the list in one particular group:
10252 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10253 (if (string= group "some.group")
10254 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10258 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10259 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10260 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10261 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10262 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10265 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10266 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10267 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10268 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10269 variable will be used instead.
10271 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10272 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10273 buffers. For example:
10276 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10277 '(message-use-followup-to
10278 (gnus-visible-headers .
10279 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10282 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10286 @node Summary Group Information
10287 @subsection Summary Group Information
10292 @kindex H f (Summary)
10293 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10294 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10295 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10296 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10297 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10298 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10299 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10300 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10301 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10304 @kindex H d (Summary)
10305 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10306 Give a brief description of the current group
10307 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10308 rereading the description from the server.
10311 @kindex H h (Summary)
10312 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10313 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10314 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10317 @kindex H i (Summary)
10318 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10319 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10323 @node Searching for Articles
10324 @subsection Searching for Articles
10329 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10330 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10331 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10332 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10335 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10336 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10337 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10338 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10341 @kindex & (Summary)
10342 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10343 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10344 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10345 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10346 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10347 search backward instead.
10349 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10350 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10353 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10354 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10355 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10356 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10359 @node Summary Generation Commands
10360 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10365 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10366 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10367 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10370 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10371 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10372 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10373 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10376 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10377 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10378 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10379 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10384 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10385 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10391 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10392 @kindex A D (Summary)
10393 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10394 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10395 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10396 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10397 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10398 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10399 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10400 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10404 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10405 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10406 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10407 several documents into one biiig group
10408 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10409 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10410 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10411 command understands the process/prefix convention
10412 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10415 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10416 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10417 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10418 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10419 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10420 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10423 @kindex = (Summary)
10424 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10425 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10426 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10429 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10430 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10431 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10432 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10435 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10436 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10437 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10438 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10443 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10444 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10445 @cindex summary exit
10446 @cindex exiting groups
10448 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10449 group and return you to the group buffer.
10456 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10457 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10458 @kindex q (Summary)
10459 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10460 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10461 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10462 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10463 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10464 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10465 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10466 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10467 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10468 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10469 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10470 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10474 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10475 @kindex Q (Summary)
10476 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10477 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10478 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10482 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10483 @kindex c (Summary)
10484 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10485 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10486 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10487 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10490 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10491 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10492 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10493 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10496 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10497 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10498 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10499 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10503 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10504 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10505 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10506 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10507 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10508 all articles, both read and unread.
10512 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10513 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10514 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10515 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10516 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10517 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10518 articles, both read and unread.
10521 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10522 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10523 Exit the group and go to the next group
10524 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10527 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10528 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10529 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10530 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10533 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10534 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10535 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10536 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10537 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10538 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10541 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10542 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10543 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10544 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10546 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10547 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10548 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10549 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10550 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10551 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10552 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10553 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10554 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10555 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10556 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10557 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10559 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10561 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10562 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10563 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10564 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10565 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10566 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10567 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10568 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10569 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10572 @node Crosspost Handling
10573 @section Crosspost Handling
10577 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10578 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10579 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10580 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10581 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10582 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10585 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10586 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10587 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10588 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10589 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10591 @cindex cross-posting
10593 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10594 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10595 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10596 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10597 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10598 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10599 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10600 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10601 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10602 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10603 the cross reference mechanism.
10605 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10606 @cindex overview.fmt
10607 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10608 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10609 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10610 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10611 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10612 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10615 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10616 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10617 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10622 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10625 @node Duplicate Suppression
10626 @section Duplicate Suppression
10628 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10629 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10630 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10631 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10636 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10637 is evil and not very common.
10640 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10641 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10644 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10645 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10648 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10651 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10652 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10654 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10655 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10656 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10657 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10658 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10659 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10660 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10663 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10664 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10665 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10666 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10667 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10668 saw the article in.
10671 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10672 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10673 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10675 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10676 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10677 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10678 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10679 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
10680 session are suppressed.
10682 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10683 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10684 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10685 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10687 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10688 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10689 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10690 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10693 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
10694 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10695 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10696 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10697 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
10698 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10699 to you to figure out, I think.
10704 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10705 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10706 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10711 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10712 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10713 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10714 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10717 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10718 or newer is recommended.
10722 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10723 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10726 @item mm-verify-option
10727 @vindex mm-verify-option
10728 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10729 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10730 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10732 @item mm-decrypt-option
10733 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10734 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10735 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10736 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10739 @vindex mml1991-use
10740 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10741 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10742 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10746 @vindex mml2015-use
10747 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10748 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10749 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10754 @cindex snarfing keys
10755 @cindex importing PGP keys
10756 @cindex PGP key ring import
10757 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10758 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10759 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10760 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10761 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10762 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10763 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10764 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10765 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10768 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10771 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10772 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10775 @section Mailing List
10776 @cindex mailing list
10779 @kindex A M (summary)
10780 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10781 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10782 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10783 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10786 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10791 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10792 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10793 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10796 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10797 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10798 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10801 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10802 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10803 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10807 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10808 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10809 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10812 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10813 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10814 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10817 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10818 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10819 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10824 @node Article Buffer
10825 @chapter Article Buffer
10826 @cindex article buffer
10828 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10829 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10830 tell gnus otherwise.
10833 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10834 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10835 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10836 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10837 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10841 @node Hiding Headers
10842 @section Hiding Headers
10843 @cindex hiding headers
10844 @cindex deleting headers
10846 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10847 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10849 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10850 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10851 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10852 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10853 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10854 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10855 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10856 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10857 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10859 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10863 @item gnus-visible-headers
10864 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10865 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10866 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10867 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10869 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10870 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10873 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10876 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10879 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10880 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10881 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10882 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10883 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10884 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10886 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10887 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10890 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10893 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10896 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10897 variable will have no effect.
10901 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10902 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10903 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10904 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10905 the headers are to be displayed.
10907 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10908 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10911 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10914 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10915 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10917 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10918 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10919 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10920 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10921 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10922 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10923 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10926 These conditions are:
10929 Remove all empty headers.
10931 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10932 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10934 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10935 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10938 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10941 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10942 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10944 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10945 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10947 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10948 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10950 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10953 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10955 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10958 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10961 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10962 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10965 This is also the default value for this variable.
10969 @section Using MIME
10970 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10972 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10973 while people stand around yawning.
10975 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10976 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10978 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10979 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10980 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10982 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10983 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10984 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10985 gnus handles @acronym{MIME} by pushing the articles through
10986 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10987 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10988 calls the @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For
10989 more information on @acronym{SEMI} MIME-View, see its manual page
10990 (however it is not existed yet, sorry).
10992 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10993 @acronym{MIME} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set,
10994 then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10995 These can't be avoided.
10997 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10998 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10999 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
11000 @acronym{MIME} has decoded the sound file in the article and some
11001 horrible sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you
11002 can't find the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are
11003 starting to look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't,
11004 and you can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else
11005 in the room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll
11006 feel rather stupid.)
11008 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11010 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
11011 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
11012 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
11013 buffer when there are nobody else.
11015 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11018 @node Customizing Articles
11019 @section Customizing Articles
11020 @cindex article customization
11022 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11023 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11024 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11025 called automatically when you select the articles.
11027 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11028 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11029 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11030 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11032 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11033 for sensible values.
11037 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11040 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11043 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11046 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
11049 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11053 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11054 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11055 regexps in the list.
11058 A list where the first element is not a string:
11060 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11061 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11062 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11066 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11070 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
11075 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11076 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11077 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11078 considered to contain just a single part.
11080 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11081 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11082 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11083 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11084 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11085 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11086 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11088 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11089 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11090 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11091 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11094 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11095 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11097 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11099 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11100 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11101 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11102 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11103 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11104 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11105 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11106 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11107 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11108 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11109 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
11111 @xref{Article Washing}.
11113 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11114 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11115 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11116 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11117 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11118 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11119 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11121 @xref{Article Date}.
11123 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11124 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11125 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11129 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11131 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11133 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11134 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11135 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11139 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11143 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11147 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11148 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11149 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11150 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11151 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11152 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11153 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11154 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11155 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11156 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11158 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11160 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11161 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11162 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11164 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11166 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11167 @item gnus-treat-translate
11168 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11169 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11171 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11172 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11173 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11174 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11176 @xref{Article Header}.
11181 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11182 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11183 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11184 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11185 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11189 @node Article Keymap
11190 @section Article Keymap
11192 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11193 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11194 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11195 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11198 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11203 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11204 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11205 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11206 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11209 @kindex DEL (Article)
11210 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11211 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11212 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11215 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11216 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11217 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11218 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11219 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11222 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11223 @findex gnus-article-mail
11224 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11225 given a prefix, include the mail.
11228 @kindex s (Article)
11229 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11230 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11231 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11234 @kindex ? (Article)
11235 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11236 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11237 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11240 @kindex TAB (Article)
11241 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11242 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11243 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11246 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11247 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11248 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11251 @kindex R (Article)
11252 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11253 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11254 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11255 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11259 @kindex F (Article)
11260 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11261 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11262 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11263 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11271 @section Misc Article
11275 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11276 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11277 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11278 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11281 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11282 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11283 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11284 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11285 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11287 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11288 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11289 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11290 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11291 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11292 the contents of the article buffer.
11294 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11295 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11296 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11298 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11299 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11300 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11301 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11303 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11304 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11305 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11306 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11308 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11309 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11310 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11311 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11312 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11313 with two extensions:
11318 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11319 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11320 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11325 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11328 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11331 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11332 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11333 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11336 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11339 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11342 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11347 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11351 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11353 @item gnus-break-pages
11354 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11355 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11356 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11357 paging will not be done.
11359 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11360 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11361 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11365 @cindex internationalized domain names
11366 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11367 @item gnus-use-idna
11368 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11369 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11370 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11371 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11372 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11373 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11378 @node Composing Messages
11379 @chapter Composing Messages
11380 @cindex composing messages
11383 @cindex sending mail
11388 @cindex using s/mime
11389 @cindex using smime
11391 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11392 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11393 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11394 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11395 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11396 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11399 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11400 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11401 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11402 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11403 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11404 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11405 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11406 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11407 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11410 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11411 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11417 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11420 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11421 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11422 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11423 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11424 @code{nil} include all headers.
11426 @item gnus-add-to-list
11427 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11428 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11429 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11431 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11432 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11433 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11434 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11435 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11436 confirmation is should be asked for.
11438 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11439 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11441 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11442 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11443 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11444 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11445 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11450 @node Posting Server
11451 @section Posting Server
11453 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11454 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11456 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11458 It can be quite complicated.
11460 @vindex gnus-post-method
11461 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11462 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11463 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11464 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11465 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11466 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11467 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11468 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11469 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11472 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11475 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11476 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11477 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11478 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11480 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11481 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11483 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11484 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11487 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11488 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11490 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11491 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11492 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11493 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11494 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11495 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11496 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11497 package correctly. An example:
11500 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11501 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11502 ;; @r{The following variable needs to be set if you are using smtpmail.el}
11503 ;; @r{distributed with FLIM, lesser than the version 1.14.6.}
11504 (setq smtp-default-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11507 To the thing similar to this, there is
11508 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11509 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11510 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11512 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11513 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11514 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11516 @node POP before SMTP
11517 @section POP before SMTP
11518 @cindex pop before smtp
11519 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11520 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11522 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11523 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11524 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11525 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11526 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11529 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11530 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11534 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11535 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11536 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11537 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11538 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11539 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11540 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11541 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11543 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11544 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11545 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11546 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11547 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11548 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11551 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11552 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11553 :password "secret"))
11557 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11558 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11561 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11563 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11564 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11565 :password "secret")))
11566 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11569 @node Mail and Post
11570 @section Mail and Post
11572 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11576 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11577 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11578 @cindex mailing lists
11580 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11581 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11582 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11583 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11584 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11585 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11586 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11587 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11588 still a pain, though.
11590 @item gnus-user-agent
11591 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11594 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11595 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11596 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11597 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11598 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11599 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11600 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11604 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11605 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11606 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11609 @findex ispell-message
11611 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11614 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11615 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11618 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11622 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11623 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11625 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11628 Modify to suit your needs.
11631 @node Archived Messages
11632 @section Archived Messages
11633 @cindex archived messages
11634 @cindex sent messages
11636 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11637 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11638 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11639 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11642 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11643 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11646 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11647 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
11648 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11651 (nnfolder "archive"
11652 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11653 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11654 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11655 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11658 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11659 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11660 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11661 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11664 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11665 '(nnfolder "archive"
11666 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11667 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11668 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11671 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11673 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11674 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11675 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11677 This variable can be used to do the following:
11681 Messages will be saved in that group.
11683 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11684 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11685 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11686 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11687 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11688 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11689 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11690 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11693 @item a list of strings
11694 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11696 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11697 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11700 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11705 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11707 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11710 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11712 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11715 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11717 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11718 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11719 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11720 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11723 More complex stuff:
11725 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11726 '((if (message-news-p)
11731 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11732 messages in one file per month:
11735 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11736 '((if (message-news-p)
11738 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11741 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11742 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11744 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11745 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11746 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11747 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11748 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11749 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11750 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11751 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11752 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11753 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11755 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11756 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11757 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11758 this will disable archiving.
11761 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11762 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11763 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11764 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11765 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11768 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11769 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11770 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11773 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11774 but the latter is the preferred method.
11776 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11777 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11778 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11780 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11781 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11782 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11783 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11784 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11785 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11786 changed in the future.
11791 @node Posting Styles
11792 @section Posting Styles
11793 @cindex posting styles
11796 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11798 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11799 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11800 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11803 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11804 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11805 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11806 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11807 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11812 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11813 (organization "What me?"))
11815 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11816 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11817 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11820 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11821 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11822 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11823 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11824 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11825 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11826 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11827 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11829 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11830 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11831 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11832 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11833 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11834 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11835 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11836 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11837 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11838 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11839 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11840 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11841 said to @dfn{match}.
11843 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11844 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11845 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11846 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11847 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11848 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11849 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11850 name can be one of:
11853 @item @code{signature}
11854 @item @code{signature-file}
11855 @item @code{x-face-file}
11856 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11857 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11861 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11862 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11863 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11864 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11865 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11867 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11868 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11869 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11870 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11871 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11872 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11873 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11874 references chars lines xref extra.
11876 @vindex message-reply-headers
11878 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11879 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11880 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11882 @findex message-mail-p
11883 @findex message-news-p
11885 So here's a new example:
11888 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11890 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11892 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11893 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11895 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11896 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11897 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11898 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11899 (signature my-news-signature))
11900 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11901 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11902 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11903 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11904 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11905 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11906 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11907 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11908 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11909 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11911 (From (save-excursion
11912 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11913 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11915 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11918 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11919 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11920 if you fill many roles.
11922 Setting the @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} variable will make
11923 posting-styles allow to have distinctive names. You can specify an
11924 arbitrary posting-style when article posting with @kbd{S P} in the
11925 summary buffer. @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} is an alist which maps
11926 the names to styles. Once a posting-style is added to the alist, we can
11927 import it from @code{gnus-posting-styles}. If an attribute whose name
11928 is @code{import} is found, Gnus will look for the attribute value in
11929 @code{gnus-named-posting-styles} and expand it in place.
11934 (setq gnus-named-posting-styles
11936 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11938 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11939 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11942 (organization "The Church of Emacs"))))
11945 The posting-style named "Emacs" will inherit all the attributes from
11946 "Default" except @code{organization}.
11953 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11954 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11955 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11956 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11957 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11959 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11960 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11961 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11962 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11963 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11967 @vindex nndraft-directory
11968 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11969 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11970 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11971 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11972 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11973 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11975 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11976 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11977 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11978 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11979 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11980 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11981 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11982 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11983 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11985 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11986 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11987 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11988 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11989 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11990 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11991 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11992 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11993 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11994 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11995 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11996 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11997 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11998 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12000 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12001 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12002 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12004 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12005 @kindex D e (Draft)
12006 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12007 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12008 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12010 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12013 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12014 @kindex D s (Draft)
12015 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12016 @kindex D S (Draft)
12017 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12018 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12019 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12020 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12021 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12024 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12025 @kindex D t (Draft)
12026 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12027 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12028 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12031 @node Rejected Articles
12032 @section Rejected Articles
12033 @cindex rejected articles
12035 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12036 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12037 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12038 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12040 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
12041 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12042 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12043 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
12044 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12046 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12047 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12048 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12050 @node Signing and encrypting
12051 @section Signing and encrypting
12053 @cindex using s/mime
12054 @cindex using smime
12056 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12057 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12058 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12059 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12061 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12062 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12063 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12064 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12065 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12066 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12067 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12068 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12069 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12070 automatically encrypted messages.
12072 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12073 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12074 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12079 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12080 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12082 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12085 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12086 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12088 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12091 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12092 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12094 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12097 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12098 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12100 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12103 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12104 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12106 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12109 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12110 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12112 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12115 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12116 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12117 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12121 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12123 @node Select Methods
12124 @chapter Select Methods
12125 @cindex foreign groups
12126 @cindex select methods
12128 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12129 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12130 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12131 personal mail group.
12133 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12134 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12135 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12136 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12137 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12138 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12140 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12141 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12143 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12146 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12147 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12148 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12149 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12150 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12152 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12155 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12156 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12157 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12158 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12159 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12160 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12161 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12162 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
12163 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12167 @node Server Buffer
12168 @section Server Buffer
12170 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12171 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12172 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12173 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12174 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12175 back end represents a virtual server.
12177 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12178 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12179 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12180 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12182 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12183 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12184 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12185 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12186 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12187 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12188 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12190 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12191 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12194 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12195 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12196 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12197 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12198 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12199 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12200 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12203 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12204 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12207 @node Server Buffer Format
12208 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12209 @cindex server buffer format
12211 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12212 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12213 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12214 variable, with some simple extensions:
12219 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12222 The name of this server.
12225 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12228 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12231 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12232 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12233 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12234 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12244 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12247 @node Server Commands
12248 @subsection Server Commands
12249 @cindex server commands
12255 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12256 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12260 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12261 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12264 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12265 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12266 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12270 @findex gnus-server-exit
12271 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12275 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12276 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12280 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12281 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12285 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12286 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12290 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12291 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12295 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12296 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12297 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12302 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12303 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12304 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12305 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12310 @node Example Methods
12311 @subsection Example Methods
12313 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12316 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12319 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12325 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12326 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12329 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12330 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12332 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12333 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12337 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12340 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12341 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12343 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12344 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12345 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12349 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12352 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12355 Here's the method for a public spool:
12359 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12360 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12366 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12367 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12368 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12369 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12370 should probably look something like this:
12374 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12375 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12376 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12377 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12380 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12381 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12382 configuration to the example above:
12385 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12388 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12390 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12391 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12392 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12396 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12397 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12398 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12399 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12402 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12403 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12404 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12405 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12408 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12409 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12411 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12412 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12414 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12415 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12416 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12418 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12420 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12421 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12422 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12423 will contain the following:
12433 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12434 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12437 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12438 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12439 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12442 @node Server Variables
12443 @subsection Server Variables
12444 @cindex server variables
12445 @cindex server parameters
12447 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12448 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12449 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12450 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12451 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12453 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12454 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12455 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12456 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12457 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12458 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12459 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12460 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12461 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12465 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12466 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12467 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12470 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12472 @node Servers and Methods
12473 @subsection Servers and Methods
12475 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12476 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12477 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12478 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12482 @node Unavailable Servers
12483 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12485 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12486 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12487 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12488 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12489 actually the case or not.
12491 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12492 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12493 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12494 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12495 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12496 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12497 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12498 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12500 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12501 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12503 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12504 with the following commands:
12510 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12511 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12512 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12516 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12517 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12518 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12522 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12523 Mark the current server as unreachable
12524 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12527 @kindex M-o (Server)
12528 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12529 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12530 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12533 @kindex M-c (Server)
12534 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12535 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12536 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12540 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12541 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12542 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12546 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12547 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12553 @section Getting News
12554 @cindex reading news
12555 @cindex news back ends
12557 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12558 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12559 or it can read from a local spool.
12562 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12563 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12571 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12572 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12573 server as the, uhm, address.
12575 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12576 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12577 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12578 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12580 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12581 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12582 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12584 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12589 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12590 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12591 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12593 @cindex authentification
12594 @cindex nntp authentification
12595 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12596 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12597 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12598 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12599 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12600 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12601 present in this hook.
12603 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12604 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12605 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12606 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12607 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12608 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12609 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12610 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12611 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12612 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12613 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12614 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12618 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12621 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12623 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12624 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12625 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12626 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12627 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12628 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12629 @samp{force} is explained below.
12633 Here's an example file:
12636 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12637 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12640 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12641 have to be first, for instance.
12643 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12644 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12645 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12646 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12647 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12648 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12649 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12651 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12652 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12658 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12659 previously mentioned.
12661 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12663 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12664 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12665 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12666 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12667 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12670 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12671 '(("innd" (ding))))
12674 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12676 The default value is
12679 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12680 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12681 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12684 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12685 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12687 @item nntp-maximum-request
12688 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12689 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12690 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12691 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12692 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12693 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12694 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12696 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12697 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12698 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12699 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12700 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12701 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12702 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12703 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12704 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12705 no timeouts are done.
12707 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12708 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12709 @c @cindex PPP connections
12710 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12711 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12712 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12713 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12714 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12715 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12716 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12717 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12718 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12719 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12721 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12722 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12723 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12724 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12725 @c described above.
12727 @item nntp-server-hook
12728 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12729 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12732 @item nntp-buggy-select
12733 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12734 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12736 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12737 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12738 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12739 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12742 @item nntp-xover-commands
12743 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12744 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12746 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12747 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12751 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12752 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12753 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12754 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12755 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12756 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12757 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12758 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12759 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12760 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12761 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12763 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12764 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12765 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12767 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12768 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12769 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12770 server closes connection.
12772 @item nntp-record-commands
12773 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12774 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12775 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12776 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12777 that doesn't seem to work.
12779 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12780 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12781 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12782 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12783 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12784 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12785 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12786 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12788 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12789 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12790 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12791 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12792 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12793 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12794 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12797 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12800 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12801 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12803 @item nntp-read-timeout
12804 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12805 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12806 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12807 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12808 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12811 @item nntp-list-options
12812 @vindex nntp-list-options
12813 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
12814 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
12815 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
12816 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
12817 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
12821 (setq gnus-select-method
12822 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12823 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
12826 @item nntp-options-subscribe
12827 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
12828 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
12829 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12830 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12831 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12832 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12835 (setq gnus-select-method
12836 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12837 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
12840 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
12841 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
12842 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
12843 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
12844 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
12845 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
12846 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
12849 (setq gnus-select-method
12850 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
12851 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
12856 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12857 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12858 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12859 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12863 @node Direct Functions
12864 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12865 @cindex direct connection functions
12867 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12868 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12869 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12870 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12873 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12874 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12875 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12878 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12879 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12880 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12881 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12882 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12885 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12886 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12888 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12889 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12890 (nntp-port-number )
12891 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12894 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12895 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12896 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12897 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12898 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12899 then define a server as follows:
12902 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12903 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12905 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12906 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12907 (nntp-port-number 563)
12908 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12911 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12912 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12913 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12914 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12915 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12916 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12917 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12918 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12922 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12923 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12924 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12927 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12928 session, which is not a good idea.
12932 @node Indirect Functions
12933 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12934 @cindex indirect connection functions
12936 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12937 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12938 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12939 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12940 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12941 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12944 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12945 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12946 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12947 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12948 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12950 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12953 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12954 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12955 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12956 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12958 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12959 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12960 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12961 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12962 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12963 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12964 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12965 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12969 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12970 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12972 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12973 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
12974 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{netcat}
12975 (@uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/}) instead of @samp{telnet} to
12976 connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
12978 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
12981 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
12982 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
12983 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
12984 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
12985 programs like @samp{connect}
12986 (@uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html}) instead.
12988 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
12989 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
12990 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12991 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
12993 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12994 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12995 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12997 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12998 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12999 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13002 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13003 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13004 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13005 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13007 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13010 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13011 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13012 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13015 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13016 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13017 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13018 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13020 @item nntp-via-user-password
13021 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13022 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13024 @item nntp-via-envuser
13025 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13026 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13027 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13028 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13030 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13031 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13032 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13033 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13037 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13038 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13042 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13047 @item nntp-via-user-name
13048 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13049 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13051 @item nntp-via-address
13052 @vindex nntp-via-address
13053 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13058 @node Common Variables
13059 @subsubsection Common Variables
13061 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13062 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13067 @item nntp-pre-command
13068 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13069 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13070 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13071 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
13072 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13075 @vindex nntp-address
13076 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13078 @item nntp-port-number
13079 @vindex nntp-port-number
13080 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13081 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13082 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13083 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13084 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13085 not work with named ports.
13087 @item nntp-end-of-line
13088 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13089 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13090 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13091 using a non native telnet connection function.
13093 @item nntp-telnet-command
13094 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13095 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13096 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13097 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13100 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13101 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13102 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13108 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13109 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13111 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13112 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13113 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13114 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13115 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13116 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13117 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13118 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13120 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13121 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13122 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13123 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13124 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13126 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13127 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13128 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13129 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13130 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13131 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13132 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13134 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13135 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13136 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13142 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13143 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13144 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13145 default is @code{nil}.
13147 @item nntp-marks-directory
13148 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13149 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13155 @subsection News Spool
13159 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13160 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13161 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13164 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13165 anything else) as the address.
13167 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13168 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13169 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13170 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13174 @item nnspool-inews-program
13175 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13176 Program used to post an article.
13178 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13179 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13180 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13182 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13183 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13184 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13185 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13187 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13188 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13189 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13190 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13192 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13193 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13194 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13196 @item nnspool-active-file
13197 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13198 The name of the active file.
13200 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13201 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13202 The name of the group descriptions file.
13204 @item nnspool-history-file
13205 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13206 The name of the news history file.
13208 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13209 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13210 The name of the active date file.
13212 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13213 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13214 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13217 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13218 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13220 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13221 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13222 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13229 @section Getting Mail
13230 @cindex reading mail
13233 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13237 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13238 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13239 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13240 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13241 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13242 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13243 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13244 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13245 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13246 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13247 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13248 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13249 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13253 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13254 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13256 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13257 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13258 of a culture shock.
13260 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13261 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13263 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13264 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13265 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13266 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13268 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13270 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13271 deleted? How awful!
13273 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13274 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13275 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13276 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13279 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13280 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13281 they want to treat a message.
13283 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13284 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13285 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13286 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13287 archived somewhere else.
13289 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13290 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13291 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13292 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13293 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13295 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13296 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13297 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13299 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13300 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13303 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13304 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13305 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13306 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13307 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13309 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13310 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13311 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13312 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13313 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13314 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13318 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13319 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13321 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13322 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13323 and things will happen automatically.
13325 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13326 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13329 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13332 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13333 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13334 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13335 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13336 like any other group.
13338 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13341 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13342 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13343 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13347 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13348 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13349 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13352 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13353 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13354 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13357 @node Splitting Mail
13358 @subsection Splitting Mail
13359 @cindex splitting mail
13360 @cindex mail splitting
13361 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13363 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13364 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13365 to be split into groups.
13368 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13369 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13370 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13371 ("mail.other" "")))
13374 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13375 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13376 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13377 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13378 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13379 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13380 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13383 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13387 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13388 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13390 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13391 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13392 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13393 mail belongs in that group.
13395 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13396 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13397 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13398 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13399 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13400 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13401 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13402 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13403 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13404 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13406 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13407 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13408 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13409 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13410 thinks should carry this mail message.
13412 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13413 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13414 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13415 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13417 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13418 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13419 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13420 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13421 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13423 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13426 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13427 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13428 links. If that's the case for you, set
13429 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13430 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13432 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13433 @findex nnmail-split-history
13434 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13435 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13436 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13437 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13440 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13441 Header lines longer than the value of
13442 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13445 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13446 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13447 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13448 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13449 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13450 charset for decoding. The behavior can be turned off completely by
13451 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13452 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13454 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13455 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13456 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13457 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13458 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13459 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13460 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13461 other kinds of entries.)
13463 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13464 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13465 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13466 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13467 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13468 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13469 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13470 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13471 month's rent money.
13475 @subsection Mail Sources
13477 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13478 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13479 maildir, for instance.
13482 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13483 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13484 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13488 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13489 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13491 @cindex mail server
13494 @cindex mail source
13496 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13497 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13502 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13505 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13506 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13507 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13510 The following mail source types are available:
13514 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13520 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13521 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13522 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13526 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13529 An example file mail source:
13532 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13535 Or using the default file name:
13541 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13542 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13543 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13544 mail spool while moving the mail.
13546 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13550 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13553 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13557 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13560 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13562 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13565 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13569 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13570 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13571 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13572 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13573 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13574 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13575 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13576 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13577 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13578 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13580 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13581 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13582 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13583 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13589 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13593 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13597 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13598 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13599 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13600 predicate are considered.
13604 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13608 An example directory mail source:
13611 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13616 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13622 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13623 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13626 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13627 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13628 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13629 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13630 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13633 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13637 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13638 the user is prompted.
13641 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13642 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13645 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13648 The valid format specifier characters are:
13652 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13653 included in this string.
13656 The name of the server.
13659 The port number of the server.
13662 The user name to use.
13665 The password to use.
13668 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13669 corresponding keywords.
13672 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13673 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13676 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13677 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13680 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13681 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13682 mail should be moved to.
13684 @item :authentication
13685 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13686 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13690 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
13691 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
13692 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
13693 programs and libraries:
13697 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
13698 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
13699 library @samp{ssl.el}.
13701 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
13702 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13707 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
13708 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
13712 @vindex pop3-movemail
13713 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13714 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13715 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13716 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13717 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13718 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13719 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13720 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13721 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13723 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13724 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13730 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13733 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13734 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13737 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13740 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13744 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13745 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13746 contains exactly one mail.
13752 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13753 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13756 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13757 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13759 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13760 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13761 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13764 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13765 from locking problems).
13769 Two example maildir mail sources:
13772 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13773 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13777 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13782 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13783 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13784 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13785 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13786 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13788 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13789 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13795 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13796 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13799 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13800 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13803 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13807 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13811 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13812 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13813 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13814 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13816 @item :authentication
13817 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13818 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13819 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13820 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13823 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13824 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13825 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13831 The valid format specifier characters are:
13835 The name of the server.
13838 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13841 The port number of the server.
13844 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13845 corresponding keywords.
13848 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13849 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13852 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13853 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13854 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13855 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13856 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13857 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13860 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13861 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13862 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13863 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13866 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13867 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13871 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13874 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13876 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13880 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13881 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13882 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13884 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13885 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13887 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13893 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13894 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13897 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13901 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13905 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13906 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13910 An example webmail source:
13913 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13915 :password "secret")
13920 @item Common Keywords
13921 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13927 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13928 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13933 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13938 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13939 useful when you use local mail and news.
13944 @subsubsection Function Interface
13946 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13947 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13948 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13949 consider the following mail-source setting:
13952 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13953 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13956 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13957 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13958 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13959 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13960 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13962 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13965 @node Mail Source Customization
13966 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13968 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13969 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13973 @item mail-source-crash-box
13974 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13975 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13976 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13978 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13979 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13980 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13981 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13982 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13983 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13984 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13985 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13987 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13988 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13989 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13990 files. This variable only applies when
13991 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13993 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13994 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13995 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13997 @item mail-source-directory
13998 @vindex mail-source-directory
13999 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
14000 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
14001 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
14002 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
14004 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14005 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14006 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
14007 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
14008 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
14009 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
14011 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
14012 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
14013 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14015 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14016 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14017 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14018 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14023 @node Fetching Mail
14024 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14026 @vindex mail-sources
14027 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14028 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14029 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14030 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14032 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14033 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14036 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14037 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14042 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14043 :password "secret")))
14046 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14050 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14051 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14054 :password "secret")))
14058 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14059 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14060 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14061 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14062 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14063 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14067 @node Mail Back End Variables
14068 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14070 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14074 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14075 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14076 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14077 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14079 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14080 @item nnmail-split-hook
14081 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14082 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14083 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14084 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14085 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14086 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14087 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14088 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14089 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14092 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14093 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14094 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14095 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14096 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14097 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14098 starting to handle the new mail) and
14099 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14100 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14101 default file modes the new mail files get:
14104 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14105 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14107 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14108 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14111 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14112 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14113 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14114 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14115 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14116 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14117 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14119 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14120 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14121 @findex delete-file
14122 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14124 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14125 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14126 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14127 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14128 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14130 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14131 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14132 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14133 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14134 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14136 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14137 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14138 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14143 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14144 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14145 @cindex mail splitting
14146 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14148 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14149 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14150 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14151 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14152 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14153 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14155 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14158 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14159 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14160 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14161 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14163 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14164 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14165 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14166 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14167 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14168 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14169 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14170 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14171 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14172 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14173 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14174 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14175 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14176 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14177 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14178 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14179 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14183 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14184 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14185 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14190 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14191 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14193 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14194 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14195 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14196 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14197 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14198 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14199 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14201 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14202 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14203 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14204 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14205 stored in one or more groups.
14207 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14208 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14209 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14212 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14213 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14215 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14216 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14217 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14218 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14221 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14222 body of the messages:
14225 (defun split-on-body ()
14229 (goto-char (point-min))
14230 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14234 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14235 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14236 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14237 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14238 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14239 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14240 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14242 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14243 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14244 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14245 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14246 should return a split.
14249 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14253 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14254 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14255 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14256 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14257 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14259 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14260 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14261 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14262 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14263 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14264 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14265 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14269 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14271 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14272 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14274 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14277 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14278 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14279 when all this splitting is performed.
14281 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14282 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14283 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14286 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14289 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14290 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14292 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14293 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14294 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14295 groupings 1 through 9.
14297 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14298 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14299 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14300 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14301 groups when users send to an address using different case
14302 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14305 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14306 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14307 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14309 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14310 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14311 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14312 surrounded by anything.
14315 (any "joe" "joemail")
14318 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14319 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14320 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to @code{t},
14321 however, the match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word
14322 boundary is removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14324 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14325 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14326 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14327 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14328 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14329 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14330 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14331 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14332 it once per thread.
14334 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14335 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14336 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14337 using the colon feature, like so:
14339 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14340 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14342 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14343 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14347 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14348 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14349 in the file specified by the variable
14350 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14351 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14352 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14353 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14354 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14355 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14356 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14357 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14358 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14359 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14360 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14361 300 kBytes in size.)
14362 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14363 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14364 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14365 messages goes into the new group.
14367 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14368 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14369 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14370 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14371 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14372 ``outgoing'' group.
14375 @node Group Mail Splitting
14376 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14377 @cindex mail splitting
14378 @cindex group mail splitting
14380 @findex gnus-group-split
14381 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14382 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14383 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14384 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14385 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14386 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14387 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14388 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14390 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14391 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14392 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14393 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14395 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14396 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14397 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14398 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14399 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14400 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14401 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14403 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14404 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14405 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14406 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14407 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14408 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14409 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14411 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14412 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14413 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14414 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14415 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14416 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14417 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14418 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14419 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14420 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14421 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14422 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14423 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14425 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14430 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14431 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14433 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14434 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14435 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14436 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14438 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14441 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14442 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14443 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14446 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14447 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14448 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14452 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14453 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14454 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14458 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14461 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14462 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14463 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14464 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14465 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14466 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14467 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14468 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14469 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14471 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14472 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14473 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14474 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14475 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14476 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14477 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14478 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14479 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14481 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14482 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14483 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14484 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14485 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14486 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14489 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14492 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14493 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14494 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14495 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14496 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14499 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14500 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14501 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14502 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14504 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14505 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14506 @cindex incorporating old mail
14507 @cindex import old mail
14509 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14510 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14511 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14514 Doing so can be quite easy.
14516 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14517 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14518 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14519 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14520 your @code{nnml} groups.
14526 Go to the group buffer.
14529 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14530 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14533 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14536 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14537 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14540 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14541 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14544 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14545 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14546 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14547 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14548 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14550 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14551 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14552 using the new mail back end.
14555 @node Expiring Mail
14556 @subsection Expiring Mail
14557 @cindex article expiry
14559 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14560 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14561 different approach to mail reading.
14563 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14564 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14565 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14566 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14567 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14568 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14571 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14572 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14573 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14574 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14575 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14576 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14577 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14578 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14579 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14581 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14582 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14583 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14584 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14585 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14586 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14587 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14590 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14591 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14592 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14593 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14594 into its own group.)
14596 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14597 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14598 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14599 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14600 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14601 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14602 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14603 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14606 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14607 Groups that match the regular expression
14608 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14609 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14610 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14612 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14613 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14614 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14615 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14616 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14618 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14620 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14621 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14622 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14625 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14626 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14627 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14628 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14629 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14631 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14632 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14635 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14636 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14639 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14640 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14642 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14643 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14644 don't really mix very well.
14646 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14647 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14648 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14649 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14652 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14653 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14654 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14655 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14658 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14660 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14662 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14664 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14666 ((string= group "important")
14672 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14673 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14675 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14676 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14677 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14680 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14681 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14683 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14684 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14685 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14686 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14687 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14688 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14689 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14690 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14691 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14692 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14693 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14694 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14695 name or @code{delete}.
14697 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14699 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14702 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14703 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14704 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14705 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14706 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14709 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14710 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14711 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14712 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14713 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14716 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14717 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14718 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14719 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14720 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14721 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14723 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14724 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14725 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14726 easier for procmail users.
14728 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14729 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14730 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14731 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14732 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14733 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14734 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14735 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14736 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14737 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14738 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14739 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14740 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14743 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14745 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14746 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14747 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14748 auto-expire turned on.
14752 @subsection Washing Mail
14753 @cindex mail washing
14754 @cindex list server brain damage
14755 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14757 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14758 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14759 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14760 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14761 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14762 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14764 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14765 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14766 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14769 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14770 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14771 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14772 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14775 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14776 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14777 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14778 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14779 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14782 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14783 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14784 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14785 Emacs running on MS machines.
14789 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14790 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14791 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14792 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14795 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14796 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14797 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14798 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14800 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14801 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14802 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14803 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14804 into a feature by documenting it.)
14806 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14807 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14808 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14809 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14810 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14811 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14812 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14815 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14816 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14819 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14820 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14823 This can also be done non-destructively with
14824 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14826 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14827 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14828 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14830 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14831 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14833 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14834 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14835 @code{References} headers.
14839 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14840 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14841 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14845 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14846 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14847 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14854 @subsection Duplicates
14856 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14857 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14858 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14859 @cindex duplicate mails
14860 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14861 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14862 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14863 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14864 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14865 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14866 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14867 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14868 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14869 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14870 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14871 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14872 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14874 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14875 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14876 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14877 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14879 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14882 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14883 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14887 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14888 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14889 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14890 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14891 (any mail "mail.misc")
14892 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14898 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14899 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14900 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14904 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14905 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14906 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14907 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14908 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14911 @node Not Reading Mail
14912 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14914 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14915 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14916 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14918 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14919 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14920 mail, which should help.
14922 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14923 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14924 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14925 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14926 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14927 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14928 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14929 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14930 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14931 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14932 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14934 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14935 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14939 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14940 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14942 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14943 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14944 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14946 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14947 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14948 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14952 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14953 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14954 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14955 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14956 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14957 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14958 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14962 @node Unix Mail Box
14963 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14965 @cindex unix mail box
14967 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14968 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14969 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14970 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14971 which group it belongs in.
14973 Virtual server settings:
14976 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14977 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14978 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14981 @item nnmbox-active-file
14982 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14983 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14984 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14986 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14987 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14988 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14989 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14994 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14998 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14999 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15000 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
15001 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
15002 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
15004 Virtual server settings:
15007 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
15008 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15009 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
15011 @item nnbabyl-active-file
15012 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15013 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15014 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15016 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15017 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15018 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15024 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15026 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15028 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15029 format. It should be used with some caution.
15031 @vindex nnml-directory
15032 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15033 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15034 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15035 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15037 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15040 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15041 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15042 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15043 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15044 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15045 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15046 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15047 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15049 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15050 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15051 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15052 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15054 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15056 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15057 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15058 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15059 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15060 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15061 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15062 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15063 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15066 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15067 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15068 them next time it starts.
15070 Virtual server settings:
15073 @item nnml-directory
15074 @vindex nnml-directory
15075 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15076 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15079 @item nnml-active-file
15080 @vindex nnml-active-file
15081 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15082 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15084 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15085 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15086 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15087 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15089 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15090 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15091 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15094 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15095 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15096 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15097 default is @code{nil}.
15099 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15100 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15101 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15103 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15104 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15105 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15107 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15108 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15109 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15110 default is @code{nil}.
15112 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15113 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15114 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15116 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15117 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15118 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15123 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15124 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15125 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15126 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15127 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15128 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15129 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15134 @subsubsection MH Spool
15136 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15138 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15139 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15140 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15141 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15144 Virtual server settings:
15147 @item nnmh-directory
15148 @vindex nnmh-directory
15149 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15150 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15153 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15154 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15155 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15159 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15160 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15161 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15162 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15163 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15164 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15165 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15170 @subsubsection Maildir
15174 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15175 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15176 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15177 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15178 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15181 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15182 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15183 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15184 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15185 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15186 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15187 that appear as group in Gnus.
15189 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15190 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15191 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15193 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15194 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15195 another, and you will keep your marks.
15197 Virtual server settings:
15201 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15202 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15203 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15204 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15205 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15206 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15207 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15208 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15209 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15210 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15212 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15213 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15214 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15215 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15216 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15217 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15218 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15219 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15220 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15221 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15224 @item target-prefix
15225 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15226 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15227 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15230 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15231 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15232 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15233 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15234 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15235 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15236 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15237 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15238 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15240 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15241 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15242 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15243 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15244 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15246 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15247 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15248 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15249 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15250 @code{force} argument.
15252 @item directory-files
15253 This should be a function with the same interface as
15254 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15255 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15256 parameter is optional; the default is
15257 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15258 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15259 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15260 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15261 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15262 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15265 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15266 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15267 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15268 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15269 value is @code{nil}.
15271 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15272 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15273 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15274 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15275 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15278 @subsubsection Group parameters
15280 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15281 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15282 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15283 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15284 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15285 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15288 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15289 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15290 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15291 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15292 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15293 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15294 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15295 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15296 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15300 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15301 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15302 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15303 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15304 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15305 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15306 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15307 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15308 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15309 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15310 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15311 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15314 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15316 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15318 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15319 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15320 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15321 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15322 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15323 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15324 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15325 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15326 article. So that form can refer to
15327 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15328 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir} does
15329 not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15330 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15333 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15334 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15335 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15336 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15337 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15338 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15339 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15340 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15341 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15342 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15343 contain extra copies of the articles.
15345 @item directory-files
15346 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15347 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15348 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15349 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15351 @item distrust-Lines:
15352 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15353 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15354 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15357 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15358 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15359 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15360 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15361 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15362 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15365 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15366 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15367 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15368 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15369 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15370 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15371 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15373 @item nov-cache-size
15374 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15375 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15376 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15377 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15378 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15379 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15380 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15381 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15382 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15383 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15384 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15387 @subsubsection Article identification
15388 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15389 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15390 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15391 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15392 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15393 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15394 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15395 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15396 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15397 request the article in the summary buffer.
15399 @subsubsection NOV data
15400 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15401 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15402 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15403 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15404 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15405 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15406 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15407 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15408 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15409 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15410 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15412 @subsubsection Article marks
15413 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15414 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15415 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15416 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15417 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15418 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15419 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15420 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15422 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15423 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15424 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15425 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15426 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15427 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15428 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15429 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15430 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15434 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15436 @cindex mbox folders
15437 @cindex mail folders
15439 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15440 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15441 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15442 numbers and arrival dates.
15444 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15446 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15447 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15448 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15449 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15450 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15451 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15452 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15453 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15454 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15455 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15457 Virtual server settings:
15460 @item nnfolder-directory
15461 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15462 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15463 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15464 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15466 @item nnfolder-active-file
15467 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15468 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15470 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15471 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15472 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15473 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15475 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15476 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15477 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15478 default is @code{t}
15480 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15481 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15482 @cindex backup files
15483 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15484 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15485 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15486 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15489 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15490 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15492 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15495 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15496 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15497 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15498 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15499 extract some information from it before removing it.
15501 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15502 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15503 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15504 default is @code{nil}.
15506 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15507 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15508 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15510 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15511 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15512 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15513 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15515 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15516 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15517 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15518 default is @code{nil}.
15520 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15521 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15522 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15524 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15525 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15526 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15527 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15532 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15533 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15534 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15535 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15536 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15537 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15540 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15541 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15543 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15544 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15545 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15546 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15547 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15549 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15550 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15551 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15552 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15553 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15554 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15555 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15556 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15559 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15560 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15561 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15562 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15567 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15568 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15569 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15570 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15571 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15572 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15573 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15574 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15575 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15576 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15577 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15578 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15579 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15584 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15585 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15586 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15587 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15588 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15589 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15590 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15591 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15592 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15593 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15594 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15595 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15596 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15597 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15599 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15600 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15605 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15606 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15607 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15608 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15609 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15610 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15611 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15612 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15613 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15614 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15615 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15616 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15617 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15618 provided by the active file and overviews.
15620 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15621 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15622 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15623 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15624 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15627 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15628 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15633 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15634 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15635 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15636 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15637 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15638 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15639 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15643 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15644 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15645 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15646 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15647 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15648 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15649 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15650 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15651 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15653 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15654 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15655 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15656 friendly mail back end all over.
15660 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15661 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15664 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15665 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15666 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15667 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15668 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15669 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15670 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15671 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15674 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15675 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15676 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15677 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15678 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15679 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15680 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15681 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15682 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15683 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15684 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15686 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15687 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15688 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15689 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15690 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15693 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15694 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15695 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15696 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15697 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15698 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15699 removed in the future.
15701 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15702 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15703 on your file system.
15705 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15706 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15711 @node Browsing the Web
15712 @section Browsing the Web
15714 @cindex browsing the web
15718 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15719 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15720 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15721 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15722 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15723 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15724 even know what a news group is.
15726 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15727 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15728 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15729 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15730 you mad in the end.
15732 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15735 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15736 interfaces to these sources.
15740 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15741 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15742 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15743 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15744 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15745 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15748 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15750 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15751 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15752 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15753 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15754 though, you should be ok.
15756 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15757 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15758 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15759 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15760 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15762 @node Archiving Mail
15763 @subsection Archiving Mail
15764 @cindex archiving mail
15765 @cindex backup of mail
15767 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15768 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15769 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15770 marks is fairly simple.
15772 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15773 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15776 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15777 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15778 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15779 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15780 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15781 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15782 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15783 before you restore the data.
15785 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15786 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15787 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15788 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15789 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15790 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15791 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15792 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15793 is unnecessary in that case.
15796 @subsection Web Searches
15801 @cindex Usenet searches
15802 @cindex searching the Usenet
15804 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15805 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15806 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15807 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15808 searches without having to use a browser.
15810 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15811 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15812 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15813 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15814 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15816 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15817 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15818 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15819 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15820 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15821 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15822 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15823 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15824 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15825 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15828 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15829 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15830 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15831 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15832 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15833 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15835 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15836 to use @code{nnweb}.
15838 Virtual server variables:
15843 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15844 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15845 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15848 @vindex nnweb-search
15849 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15851 @item nnweb-max-hits
15852 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15853 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15856 @item nnweb-type-definition
15857 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15858 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15859 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15864 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15868 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15871 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15874 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15878 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15885 @subsection Slashdot
15889 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15890 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15891 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15893 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15894 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15897 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15898 '((nnslashdot "")))
15901 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15902 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15903 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15904 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15905 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15908 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15909 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15911 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15912 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15913 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15914 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15915 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15916 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15917 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15919 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15922 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15923 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15924 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15925 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15926 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15927 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15928 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15930 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15931 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15932 The login name to use when posting.
15934 @item nnslashdot-password
15935 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15936 The password to use when posting.
15938 @item nnslashdot-directory
15939 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15940 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15941 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15943 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15944 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15945 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15946 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15947 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15949 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15950 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15951 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15953 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15954 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15955 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15956 article. The default is
15957 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15959 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15960 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15961 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15963 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15964 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15965 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15966 updated. The default is 0.
15973 @subsection Ultimate
15975 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15977 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15978 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15979 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15980 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15982 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15983 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15984 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
15985 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15986 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15987 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15988 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15990 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15993 @item nnultimate-directory
15994 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15995 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15996 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
16001 @subsection Web Archive
16003 @cindex Web Archive
16005 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
16006 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
16007 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
16008 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
16011 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
16012 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
16013 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16014 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16015 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16016 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16017 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16018 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16020 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16023 @item nnwarchive-directory
16024 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16025 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16026 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16028 @item nnwarchive-login
16029 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16030 The account name on the web server.
16032 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16033 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16034 The password for your account on the web server.
16042 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16043 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16044 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16045 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16046 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16048 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16049 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16051 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16052 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16053 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16056 @kindex G R (Summary)
16057 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will
16058 be prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16059 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16060 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16062 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16063 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16064 subscribe to groups.
16066 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16067 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16068 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16069 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16070 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16071 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16072 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16073 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16076 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16077 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16080 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16081 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16085 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16086 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16087 @acronym{OPML} format.
16090 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16093 @item nnrss-directory
16094 @vindex nnrss-directory
16095 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16096 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16098 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16099 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16100 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16101 data files. The default is the value of
16102 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16103 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16105 @item nnrss-use-local
16106 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16107 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16108 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16109 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16110 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16111 download script using @command{wget}.
16114 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16115 the summary buffer.
16118 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16119 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16121 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16123 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16124 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16127 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16130 (require 'browse-url)
16132 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16134 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16137 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16138 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16141 (browse-url (cdr url))
16142 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16143 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16145 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16146 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16147 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16148 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16151 @node Customizing w3
16152 @subsection Customizing w3
16158 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
16159 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
16160 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
16162 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
16163 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16164 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16167 (eval-after-load "w3"
16169 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16170 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16171 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16172 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16174 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16177 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
16178 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16185 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16187 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16188 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16189 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16190 specify the network address of the server.
16192 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16193 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16194 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16195 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16196 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16197 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16199 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16200 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16201 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16202 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16204 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16205 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16206 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16207 usage explained in this section.
16209 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16210 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16211 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16215 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16216 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16217 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16219 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16220 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16221 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16223 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16224 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16225 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16226 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16227 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16228 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16229 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16230 (nnimap-stream network))
16231 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16233 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16234 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16235 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16238 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16239 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16240 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16241 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16243 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16248 @item nnimap-address
16249 @vindex nnimap-address
16251 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16252 server name if not specified.
16254 @item nnimap-server-port
16255 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16256 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16258 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16261 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16262 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16265 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16266 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16267 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16268 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16269 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16270 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16271 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16273 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16274 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16275 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16278 Example server specification:
16281 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16282 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16283 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16286 @item nnimap-stream
16287 @vindex nnimap-stream
16288 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16289 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16290 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16291 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16292 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16294 Example server specification:
16297 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16298 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16301 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16305 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16306 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16308 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16310 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16311 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16314 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16315 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16317 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16318 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16320 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16322 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16325 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16326 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16327 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16328 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16329 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16330 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16331 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16332 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16333 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16336 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16337 needed. It is available from
16338 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16340 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16341 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16342 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16343 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16344 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16345 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16346 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16349 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16350 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16351 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16352 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16353 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16354 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16355 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16358 @vindex imap-shell-program
16359 @vindex imap-shell-host
16360 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16361 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16363 @item nnimap-authenticator
16364 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16366 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16367 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16369 Example server specification:
16372 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16373 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16376 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16380 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16381 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16383 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16386 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16387 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16389 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16391 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16393 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16396 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16398 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16399 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16400 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16401 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16402 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16403 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16406 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16407 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16408 running in circles yet?
16410 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16411 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16414 The possible options are:
16419 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16422 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16423 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16424 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16425 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16427 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16432 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16433 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16435 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16436 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16437 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16438 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16439 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16442 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16443 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16446 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16447 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16448 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16449 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16452 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16453 as ticked for other users.
16455 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16457 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16459 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16460 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16461 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16462 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16464 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16465 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16466 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16467 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16469 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16470 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16472 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16473 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16474 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16475 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16478 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16481 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16482 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16483 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16484 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16487 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16488 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16490 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16491 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16497 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16498 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16499 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16500 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16501 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16502 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16507 @node Splitting in IMAP
16508 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16509 @cindex splitting imap mail
16511 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16512 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16513 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16514 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16515 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16519 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16520 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16521 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16523 Here are the variables of interest:
16527 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16528 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16530 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16532 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16533 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16534 found will be used.
16536 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16538 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16539 @cindex splitting, inbox
16541 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16543 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16544 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16545 splitting is disabled!
16548 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16549 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16552 No nnmail equivalent.
16554 @item nnimap-split-rule
16555 @cindex splitting, rules
16556 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16558 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16561 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16562 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16563 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16564 Neither did I, we need examples.
16567 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16569 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16570 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16571 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16574 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16575 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16576 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16578 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16579 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16583 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16586 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16587 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16589 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16590 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16591 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16592 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16594 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16595 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16596 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16597 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16598 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16599 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16601 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16602 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16603 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16605 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16606 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16607 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16609 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16611 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16612 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16613 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16616 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16617 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16618 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16619 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16620 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16621 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16624 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16625 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16626 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16627 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16628 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16629 group/function elements.
16631 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16633 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16635 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16637 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16638 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16640 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16641 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16642 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16645 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16646 @cindex splitting, fancy
16647 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16648 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16650 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16651 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16652 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16654 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16655 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16656 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16657 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16662 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16663 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16666 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16668 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16669 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16670 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16672 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16673 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16674 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16675 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
16679 @node Expiring in IMAP
16680 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16681 @cindex expiring imap mail
16683 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16684 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16685 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16686 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16687 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16688 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16691 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16692 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16693 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16694 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16695 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16696 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16697 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16698 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16702 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16703 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16705 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16706 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16708 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16710 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16711 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16712 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16713 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16717 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16718 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16719 @cindex editing imap acls
16720 @cindex Access Control Lists
16721 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16722 @kindex G l (Group)
16723 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16725 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16726 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16727 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16730 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16731 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16732 editing window with detailed instructions.
16734 Some possible uses:
16738 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16739 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16740 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16742 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16743 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16744 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16748 @node Expunging mailboxes
16749 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16753 @cindex manual expunging
16754 @kindex G x (Group)
16755 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16757 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16758 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16759 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16761 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16764 @node A note on namespaces
16765 @subsection A note on namespaces
16766 @cindex IMAP namespace
16769 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16770 by the following text in the RFC:
16773 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16775 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16776 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16777 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16778 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16780 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16781 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16782 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16783 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16784 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16785 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16788 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16789 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16790 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16792 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16793 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16794 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16795 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16796 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16797 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16798 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16799 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16802 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16803 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16804 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16806 @node Debugging IMAP
16807 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16808 @cindex IMAP debugging
16809 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16811 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16812 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16813 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
16814 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16816 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16817 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16818 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16819 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16820 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16821 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16822 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16826 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16827 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16834 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16835 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16836 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16837 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16840 @node Other Sources
16841 @section Other Sources
16843 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16844 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16848 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16849 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16850 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16851 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16852 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16856 @node Directory Groups
16857 @subsection Directory Groups
16859 @cindex directory groups
16861 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16862 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16865 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16866 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16867 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16868 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16870 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16871 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16872 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16873 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16874 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16876 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16878 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16879 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16880 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16881 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16884 @node Anything Groups
16885 @subsection Anything Groups
16888 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16889 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16890 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16893 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16894 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16895 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16896 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16897 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16898 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16899 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16900 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16901 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16902 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16905 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16906 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16907 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16908 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16910 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16911 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16912 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16913 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16915 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16916 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16917 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16918 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16919 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16920 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16921 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16922 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16927 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16928 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16929 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16930 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16932 @item nneething-exclude-files
16933 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16934 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16935 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16937 @item nneething-include-files
16938 @vindex nneething-include-files
16939 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16940 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16942 @item nneething-map-file
16943 @vindex nneething-map-file
16944 Name of the map files.
16948 @node Document Groups
16949 @subsection Document Groups
16951 @cindex documentation group
16954 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16955 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16962 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16967 The standard Unix mbox file.
16969 @cindex MMDF mail box
16971 The MMDF mail box format.
16974 Several news articles appended into a file.
16977 @cindex rnews batch files
16978 The rnews batch transport format.
16979 @cindex forwarded messages
16982 Forwarded articles.
16985 Netscape mail boxes.
16988 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16990 @item standard-digest
16991 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16994 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16996 @item lanl-gov-announce
16997 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16999 @item rfc822-forward
17000 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17003 The Outlook mail box.
17006 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17009 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17012 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17015 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17021 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17024 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17030 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17031 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17032 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17035 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17036 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17037 group. And that's it.
17039 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17040 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17041 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17042 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17043 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17044 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17045 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17046 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17047 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17048 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17050 Virtual server variables:
17053 @item nndoc-article-type
17054 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17055 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17056 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17057 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17058 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17059 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17061 @item nndoc-post-type
17062 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17063 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17064 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17069 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17073 @node Document Server Internals
17074 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17076 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17077 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17078 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17079 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17081 First, here's an example document type definition:
17085 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17086 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17089 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17090 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17091 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17092 types can be defined with very few settings:
17095 @item first-article
17096 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17097 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17100 @item article-begin
17101 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17102 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
17104 @item head-begin-function
17105 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17108 @item nndoc-head-begin
17109 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17112 @item nndoc-head-end
17113 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17114 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17116 @item body-begin-function
17117 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17121 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17124 @item body-end-function
17125 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17129 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
17132 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17133 regexp will be totally ignored.
17137 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17138 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17139 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17140 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17141 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17144 @item prepare-body-function
17145 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17146 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17147 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17149 @item article-transform-function
17150 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17151 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17152 body of the article.
17154 @item generate-head-function
17155 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17156 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17157 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17158 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17162 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17167 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17168 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17169 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17170 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17171 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17172 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17173 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17174 (subtype digest guess))
17177 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17178 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17179 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17180 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17181 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17183 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17184 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17185 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17186 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17187 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17188 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17189 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17190 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17191 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17192 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17193 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17194 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17202 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17203 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17204 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17206 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17207 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17208 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17211 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17212 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17213 that interested in doing things properly.
17215 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17216 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17219 First some terminology:
17224 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17225 get news and/or mail from.
17228 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17229 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17232 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17236 @item message packets
17237 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17238 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17239 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17241 @item response packets
17242 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17243 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17244 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17254 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17255 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17256 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17257 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17260 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17263 You put the packet in your home directory.
17266 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17267 the native or secondary server.
17270 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17271 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17274 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17278 You transfer this packet to the server.
17281 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17284 You then repeat until you die.
17288 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17289 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17292 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17293 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17294 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17298 @node SOUP Commands
17299 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17301 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17305 @kindex G s b (Group)
17306 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17307 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17308 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17309 process/prefix convention.
17312 @kindex G s w (Group)
17313 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17314 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17317 @kindex G s s (Group)
17318 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17319 Send all replies from the replies packet
17320 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17323 @kindex G s p (Group)
17324 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17325 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17328 @kindex G s r (Group)
17329 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17330 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17333 @kindex O s (Summary)
17334 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17335 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17336 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17337 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17342 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17347 @item gnus-soup-directory
17348 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17349 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17350 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17352 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17353 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17354 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17355 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17357 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17358 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17359 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17360 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17362 @item gnus-soup-packer
17363 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17364 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17365 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17367 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17368 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17369 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17370 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17372 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17373 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17374 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17376 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17377 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17378 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17379 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17385 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17388 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17389 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17390 you can read them at leisure.
17392 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17396 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17397 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17398 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17399 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17401 @item nnsoup-directory
17402 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17403 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17404 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17406 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17407 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17408 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17409 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17411 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17412 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17413 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17414 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17415 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17417 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17418 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17419 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17420 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17422 @item nnsoup-active-file
17423 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17424 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17425 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17426 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17427 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17429 @item nnsoup-packer
17430 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17431 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17432 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17434 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17435 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17436 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17437 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17439 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17440 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17441 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17444 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17445 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17446 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17449 @item nnsoup-always-save
17450 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17451 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17457 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17459 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17460 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17461 more for that to happen.
17463 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17464 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17465 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17468 In specific, this is what it does:
17471 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17472 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17475 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17476 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17477 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17480 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17481 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17482 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17485 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17486 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17487 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17489 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17495 @item nngateway-address
17496 @vindex nngateway-address
17497 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17499 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17500 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17501 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17502 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17503 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17504 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17505 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17508 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17509 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17510 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17513 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17516 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17519 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17522 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17524 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17527 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17528 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17529 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17531 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17533 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17534 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17535 @code{nngateway-address}.
17543 (setq gnus-post-method
17545 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17546 (nngateway-header-transformation
17547 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17550 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17553 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17558 @node Combined Groups
17559 @section Combined Groups
17561 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17565 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17566 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17570 @node Virtual Groups
17571 @subsection Virtual Groups
17573 @cindex virtual groups
17574 @cindex merging groups
17576 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17579 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17580 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17581 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17583 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17584 regexp to match component groups.
17586 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17587 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17588 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17589 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17590 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17591 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17592 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17593 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17595 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17596 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17599 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17602 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17603 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17605 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17606 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17607 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17608 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17611 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17614 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17615 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17616 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17618 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17619 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17620 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17621 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17622 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17624 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17625 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17626 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17628 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17629 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17630 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17631 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17632 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17633 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17634 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17635 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17636 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17637 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17638 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17640 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17641 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17642 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17643 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17644 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17645 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17646 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17648 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17649 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17651 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17652 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17656 @node Kibozed Groups
17657 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17661 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17662 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17663 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17664 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17666 @kindex G k (Group)
17667 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17670 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17671 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17672 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17673 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17675 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17676 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17677 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17679 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17680 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17681 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17682 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17683 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17684 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17685 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17686 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17688 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17689 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17690 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17691 Stranger things have happened.
17693 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17694 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17696 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17697 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17698 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17699 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17700 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17701 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17702 component articles.
17704 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17705 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17708 @node Email Based Diary
17709 @section Email Based Diary
17711 @cindex email based diary
17714 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17715 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17716 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17717 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17718 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17719 namely, as event reminders.
17721 Here is a typical scenario:
17725 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17726 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17728 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17730 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17732 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17733 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17734 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17736 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17737 of the night you're gonna have.
17739 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17740 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17743 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17744 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17745 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17746 explained in the sections below.
17749 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17750 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17751 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17755 @node The NNDiary Back End
17756 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17758 @cindex the nndiary back end
17760 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17761 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17762 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17763 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17764 directory per group.
17766 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17767 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17768 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17769 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17772 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17773 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17774 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17777 @node Diary Messages
17778 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17779 @cindex nndiary messages
17780 @cindex nndiary mails
17782 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17783 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17784 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17785 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17786 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17787 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17788 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17792 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17793 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17794 (separated by a comma).
17796 A field is either an integer, or a range.
17798 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
17800 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
17801 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
17802 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
17804 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
17805 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
17806 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
17808 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
17809 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
17810 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
17811 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
17812 list of available time zone values, see the variable
17813 @code{nndiary-headers}.
17816 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
17817 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
17818 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
17823 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
17826 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
17828 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
17831 @node Running NNDiary
17832 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
17833 @cindex running nndiary
17834 @cindex nndiary operation modes
17836 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
17837 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
17838 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
17839 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
17840 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
17841 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
17843 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
17844 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
17845 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
17846 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
17847 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
17848 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
17849 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
17852 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
17857 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
17858 line in your @file{gnusrc} file:
17861 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
17864 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
17865 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
17866 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
17867 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
17868 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
17870 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
17871 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
17880 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
17881 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
17883 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
17884 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17885 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
17886 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
17889 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
17890 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17891 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
17894 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
17895 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
17896 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
17898 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
17899 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
17900 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
17901 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
17902 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
17904 @node Customizing NNDiary
17905 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
17906 @cindex customizing nndiary
17907 @cindex nndiary customization
17909 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
17910 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
17911 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
17912 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
17914 @defvar nndiary-reminders
17915 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
17916 appointements (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
17917 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
17918 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
17922 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
17923 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
17928 @node The Gnus Diary Library
17929 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
17931 @cindex the gnus diary library
17933 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
17934 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
17935 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
17936 useful things for you.
17938 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{gnusrc} file:
17941 (require 'gnus-diary)
17944 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
17945 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
17946 (sorry if you used them before).
17950 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
17951 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
17952 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
17953 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
17956 @node Diary Summary Line Format
17957 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
17958 @cindex diary summary buffer line
17959 @cindex diary summary line format
17961 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
17962 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
17963 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
17964 see the event's date.
17966 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
17967 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
17968 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
17969 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
17970 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
17972 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
17973 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
17974 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
17977 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
17980 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
17981 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
17984 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
17987 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
17988 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
17989 with the following user options:
17991 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
17992 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
17993 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
17994 diary groups'parameters.
17997 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
17998 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
17999 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18002 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18003 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18004 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18005 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18006 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18009 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18010 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18011 @cindex diary articles sorting
18012 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18013 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18014 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18015 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18017 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18018 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18019 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18020 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18021 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18023 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18024 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18025 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18026 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18029 @node Diary Headers Generation
18030 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18031 @cindex diary headers generation
18032 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18034 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18035 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18036 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18037 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18040 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18041 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18042 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c D c} in @code{message-mode}
18043 and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the process of converting
18044 a usual mail to a diary one.
18046 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18047 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18048 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18051 @node Diary Group Parameters
18052 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18053 @cindex diary group parameters
18055 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18056 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18057 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18058 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18059 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18060 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18061 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18062 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18064 @node Sending or Not Sending
18065 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18067 Well, assuming you've read of of the above, here are two final notes on
18068 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18072 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18073 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18074 appointements to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18075 sending the diary message to them as well.
18077 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18078 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18079 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18080 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18083 @node Gnus Unplugged
18084 @section Gnus Unplugged
18089 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18091 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18092 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18093 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18094 read news. Believe it or not.
18096 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18097 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18098 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18099 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18100 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18102 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18103 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18104 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18105 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18106 reading news on a machine.
18108 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18109 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18110 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18112 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18115 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18116 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18117 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18118 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18119 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18120 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18121 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18122 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18123 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18124 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18125 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18126 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18127 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18132 @subsection Agent Basics
18134 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18136 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18137 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18138 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18139 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18141 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18142 connected to the net continuously.
18144 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18145 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18147 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18148 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18149 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18150 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18151 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18153 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18154 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18155 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18156 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18157 they're kinda like plugged always).
18159 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18160 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18161 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18164 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18165 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18166 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18167 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18168 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18170 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18175 @findex gnus-unplugged
18176 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18177 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18178 already fetched while in this mode.
18181 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18182 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18183 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18184 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18185 Source Specifiers}).
18188 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18189 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18190 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18191 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18192 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18195 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18196 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18197 then you read the news offline.
18200 And then you go to step 2.
18203 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18209 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18210 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18211 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18212 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18213 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18214 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18215 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18216 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18219 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18220 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18221 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18222 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18224 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18225 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18226 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18227 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18228 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18229 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18233 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18237 @node Agent Categories
18238 @subsection Agent Categories
18240 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18241 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18242 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18243 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18244 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18245 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18246 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18248 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18249 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18250 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18251 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18252 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18254 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18255 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18256 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18257 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18258 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18261 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18262 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18263 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18264 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18265 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18266 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18270 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18271 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18272 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18276 @node Category Syntax
18277 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18279 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18280 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18281 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18284 @cindex Agent Parameters
18286 @item agent-cat-name
18287 The name of the category.
18290 The list of groups that are in this category.
18292 @item agent-predicate
18293 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18294 are eligible for downloading; and
18296 @item agent-score-file
18297 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18298 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18299 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18301 @item agent-enable-expiration
18302 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18303 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18304 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18305 only groups that should not be expired.
18307 @item agent-days-until-old
18308 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18309 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18311 @item agent-low-score
18312 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18314 @item agent-high-score
18315 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18317 @item agent-length-when-short
18318 an integer that overrides the value of
18319 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18321 @item agent-length-when-long
18322 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18324 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18325 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18326 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18327 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18328 undownloaded faces.
18331 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18334 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18335 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18336 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18339 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18340 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18341 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18342 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18344 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18345 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18346 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18348 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18349 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18350 operators sprinkled in between.
18352 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18354 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18355 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18361 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18362 short (for some value of ``short'').
18364 Here's a more complex predicate:
18373 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18374 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18377 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18378 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18379 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18381 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18382 you want to do, you can write your own.
18384 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18385 bound to the value determined by calling
18386 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18387 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18388 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18389 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18390 predicate to individual groups.
18394 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18395 lines; default 100.
18398 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18399 lines; default 200.
18402 True iff the article has a download score less than
18403 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18406 True iff the article has a download score greater than
18407 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18410 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18411 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18412 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18421 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18422 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18423 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18426 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18427 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18428 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18429 something along the lines of the following:
18432 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18433 "Say whether an article is old."
18434 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18435 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18438 with the predicate then defined as:
18441 (not my-article-old-p)
18444 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18445 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18449 (require 'gnus-agent)
18450 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18451 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18452 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18455 and simply specify your predicate as:
18461 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18462 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18463 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18464 just don't give a damn.
18466 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18467 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18468 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18469 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18470 parameters like so:
18473 (agent-predicate . short)
18476 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18477 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18478 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18480 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18483 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18486 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18487 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18488 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18491 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18492 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18493 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18494 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18495 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18496 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18498 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18499 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18500 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18501 if it's to be specific to that group.
18503 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18510 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18511 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18517 Category specification
18521 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18527 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18530 (agent-score ("from"
18531 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18536 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18542 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18543 keywords stated above.
18549 Category specification
18552 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18558 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18562 Group Parameter specification
18565 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18568 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18573 Use @code{normal} score files
18575 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18576 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18577 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18578 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18580 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18581 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18582 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18583 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18587 Category Specification
18594 Group Parameter specification
18597 (agent-score . file)
18602 @node Category Buffer
18603 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18605 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18606 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18607 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18609 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18613 @kindex q (Category)
18614 @findex gnus-category-exit
18615 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18618 @kindex e (Category)
18619 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18620 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18621 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18624 @kindex k (Category)
18625 @findex gnus-category-kill
18626 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18629 @kindex c (Category)
18630 @findex gnus-category-copy
18631 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18634 @kindex a (Category)
18635 @findex gnus-category-add
18636 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18639 @kindex p (Category)
18640 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18641 Edit the predicate of the current category
18642 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18645 @kindex g (Category)
18646 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18647 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18648 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18651 @kindex s (Category)
18652 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18653 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18654 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18657 @kindex l (Category)
18658 @findex gnus-category-list
18659 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18663 @node Category Variables
18664 @subsubsection Category Variables
18667 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18668 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18669 Hook run in category buffers.
18671 @item gnus-category-line-format
18672 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18673 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18674 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18678 The name of the category.
18681 The number of groups in the category.
18684 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18685 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18686 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18688 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18689 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18690 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18692 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18693 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18694 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18696 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18697 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18698 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18701 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18702 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18703 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18706 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18707 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18708 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18709 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18710 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18711 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18712 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18713 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18717 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18718 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18719 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18720 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18721 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18722 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18723 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18728 @node Agent Commands
18729 @subsection Agent Commands
18730 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18731 @kindex J j (Agent)
18733 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18734 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18735 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18739 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18740 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18741 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18747 @node Group Agent Commands
18748 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18752 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18753 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18754 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18755 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18758 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18759 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18760 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18763 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18764 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18765 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18766 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18769 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18770 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18771 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18772 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18775 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18776 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18777 Add the current group to an Agent category
18778 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18779 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18782 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18783 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18784 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18785 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18786 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18789 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18790 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18791 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18797 @node Summary Agent Commands
18798 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18802 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18803 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18804 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18807 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18808 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18809 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18810 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18814 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18815 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18816 Toggle whether to download the article
18817 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18821 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18822 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18823 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18826 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18827 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18828 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18829 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18832 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18833 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18834 Download all processable articles in this group.
18835 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18838 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18839 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18840 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18841 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18846 @node Server Agent Commands
18847 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18851 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18852 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18853 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18854 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18857 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18858 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18859 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18860 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18865 @node Agent Visuals
18866 @subsection Agent Visuals
18868 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18869 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18870 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18871 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18872 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18873 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18874 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18875 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18876 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18877 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18879 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18880 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18881 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18882 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18883 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18884 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18885 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18886 articles will be available when unplugged.
18888 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18889 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18890 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18891 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18892 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18893 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18894 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18895 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18897 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18898 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18899 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18900 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18901 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18902 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18903 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18904 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18905 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18907 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18908 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18909 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18910 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18911 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18912 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18913 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18914 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18915 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18916 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18918 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18919 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18920 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
18921 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
18922 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
18923 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18925 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18926 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18927 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18928 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18929 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18930 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18931 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18932 expiring'' articles.
18934 @node Agent as Cache
18935 @subsection Agent as Cache
18937 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18938 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18939 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18940 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18941 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18942 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18943 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18944 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18945 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18947 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18948 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18949 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18950 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18951 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18954 @subsection Agent Expiry
18956 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18957 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18958 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18959 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18960 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18961 @cindex agent expiry
18962 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18965 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18966 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18967 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18968 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18969 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18970 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18971 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18972 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18974 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18975 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18976 synchronized with the group.
18978 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18979 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18981 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18982 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18983 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18984 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18985 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18986 be kept indefinitely.
18988 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18989 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18990 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18991 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18993 @node Agent Regeneration
18994 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18996 @cindex agent regeneration
18997 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18998 @cindex regeneration
19000 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19001 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19002 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19003 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19004 internal inconsistencies.
19006 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19007 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19008 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19009 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19010 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19011 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19013 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19014 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19015 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19016 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19017 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19018 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19020 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19021 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19022 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19023 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19024 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19025 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19028 @node Agent and IMAP
19029 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19031 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19032 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19033 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19034 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19036 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
19037 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
19038 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
19039 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
19041 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
19042 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
19043 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
19044 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19046 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19047 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19048 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19049 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19050 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19051 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19053 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19054 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19055 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19056 in the group buffer.
19058 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19059 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19064 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19067 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19071 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19072 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
19073 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19074 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
19075 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19076 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19077 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19078 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19081 @node Outgoing Messages
19082 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19084 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19085 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19086 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19088 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19089 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19090 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19092 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19093 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19094 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19095 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19098 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19099 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19100 ask you to confirm your action (see
19101 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19103 @node Agent Variables
19104 @subsection Agent Variables
19109 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19110 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19111 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19112 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19114 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19115 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19118 @item gnus-agent-directory
19119 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19120 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19121 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19123 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19124 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19125 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19126 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19127 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19130 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19131 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19132 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19134 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19135 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19136 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19138 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19139 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19140 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19142 @item gnus-agent-cache
19143 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19144 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19145 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19146 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19148 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19149 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19150 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19151 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19152 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19153 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19154 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19157 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19158 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19159 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19160 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19161 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19162 read. The default is @code{t}.
19164 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19165 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19166 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19167 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19168 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19169 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19170 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19171 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19172 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19173 over and over again.
19175 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19176 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19177 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19178 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19179 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19180 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19181 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19182 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19183 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19184 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19185 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19186 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19189 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19190 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19191 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19192 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19193 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19194 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19195 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19196 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19197 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19199 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19200 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19201 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19202 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19203 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19204 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19206 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19207 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19208 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19209 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19210 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19212 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19213 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19214 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19215 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19216 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19217 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19219 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19220 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19221 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19222 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19223 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19225 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19226 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19227 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19228 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19229 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19230 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19231 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19232 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19233 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19234 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19235 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19240 @node Example Setup
19241 @subsection Example Setup
19243 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19244 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19245 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19248 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19249 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19250 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19252 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19253 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19254 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19256 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19257 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19259 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19260 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19261 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19264 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19265 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19268 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19269 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19270 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19271 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19272 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19275 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19276 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19277 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19278 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19279 back all the killed groups.)
19281 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19282 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19283 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19286 @node Batching Agents
19287 @subsection Batching Agents
19288 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19290 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19291 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19292 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19294 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19295 following incantation:
19299 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19303 @node Agent Caveats
19304 @subsection Agent Caveats
19306 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19307 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19311 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19313 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19314 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19315 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19317 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19318 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19320 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19324 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19325 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19326 locally stored articles.
19333 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19334 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19335 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19338 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19339 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19340 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19341 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19342 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19344 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19345 before generating the summary buffer.
19347 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19348 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19349 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19351 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19352 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19353 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19354 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19357 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19358 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19359 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19360 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19361 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19362 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19363 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19364 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19365 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19366 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19367 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19368 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19369 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19370 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19371 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19372 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19376 @node Summary Score Commands
19377 @section Summary Score Commands
19378 @cindex score commands
19380 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19381 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19382 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19383 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19384 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19386 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19387 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19388 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19389 score file the current one.
19391 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19396 @kindex V s (Summary)
19397 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19398 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19401 @kindex V S (Summary)
19402 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19403 Display the score of the current article
19404 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19407 @kindex V t (Summary)
19408 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19409 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19410 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19411 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19412 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19413 score file and edit it.
19416 @kindex V w (Summary)
19417 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19418 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19421 @kindex V R (Summary)
19422 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19423 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19424 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19425 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19426 effect you're having.
19429 @kindex V c (Summary)
19430 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19431 Make a different score file the current
19432 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19435 @kindex V e (Summary)
19436 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19437 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19438 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19442 @kindex V f (Summary)
19443 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19444 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19445 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19448 @kindex V F (Summary)
19449 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19450 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19451 after editing score files.
19454 @kindex V C (Summary)
19455 @findex gnus-score-customize
19456 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19457 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19461 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19466 @kindex V m (Summary)
19467 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19468 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19469 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19472 @kindex V x (Summary)
19473 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19474 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19475 expunge all articles below this score
19476 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19479 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19480 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19483 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19484 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19488 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19489 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19491 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19492 keys are available:
19496 Score on the author name.
19499 Score on the subject line.
19502 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19505 Score on the @code{References} line.
19511 Score on the number of lines.
19514 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19517 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19518 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19521 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19522 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19523 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19532 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19538 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19539 what headers you are scoring on.
19551 Substring matching.
19554 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19583 Greater than number.
19588 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19589 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19590 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19595 Temporary score entry.
19598 Permanent score entry.
19601 Immediately scoring.
19605 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19606 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19607 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19611 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19612 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19613 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19614 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19616 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19617 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19618 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19619 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19620 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19622 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19623 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19624 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19625 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19626 current score file.
19628 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19629 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19630 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19633 @node Group Score Commands
19634 @section Group Score Commands
19635 @cindex group score commands
19637 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19642 @kindex W e (Group)
19643 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19644 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19645 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19648 @kindex W f (Group)
19649 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19650 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19651 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19652 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19656 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19658 @findex gnus-batch-score
19659 @cindex batch scoring
19661 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19665 @node Score Variables
19666 @section Score Variables
19667 @cindex score variables
19671 @item gnus-use-scoring
19672 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19673 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19674 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19676 @item gnus-kill-killed
19677 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19678 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19679 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19680 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19681 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19682 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19683 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19685 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19686 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19687 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19688 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19689 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19691 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19692 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19693 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19694 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19696 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19697 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19698 @cindex score cache
19699 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19700 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19701 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19702 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19703 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19704 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19705 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19708 @item gnus-save-score
19709 @vindex gnus-save-score
19710 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19711 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19712 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19714 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19715 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19716 across group visits.
19718 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19719 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19720 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19721 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19722 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19723 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19724 manually entered data.
19726 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19727 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19728 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19730 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19731 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19732 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19733 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19734 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19735 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19737 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19738 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19739 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19740 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19742 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19743 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19744 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19745 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19747 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19748 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19749 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19750 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19752 Predefined functions available are:
19755 @item gnus-score-find-single
19756 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19757 Only apply the group's own score file.
19759 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19760 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19761 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19762 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19763 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19764 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19765 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19766 then a regexp match is done.
19768 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19769 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19771 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19772 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19773 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19774 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19776 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19777 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19778 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19779 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19780 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19784 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19785 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19786 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19787 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19788 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19789 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19790 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19793 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19794 overall score file, you could use the value
19796 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19797 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19800 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19801 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19802 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19803 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19804 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19806 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19807 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19808 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19809 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19810 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19811 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19812 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19813 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19815 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19816 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19817 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19819 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19820 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19821 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19822 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19823 threading---according to the current value of
19824 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19825 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19826 simplified in this manner.
19831 @node Score File Format
19832 @section Score File Format
19833 @cindex score file format
19835 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19836 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19837 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19839 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19843 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19845 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19847 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19849 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19854 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19858 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19859 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19860 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19861 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19865 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19866 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19868 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19869 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19870 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19872 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19877 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19878 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19879 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19880 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19881 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19882 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19883 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19884 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19885 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19886 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19887 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19888 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19889 to articles that matches these score entries.
19891 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19892 score entry has one to four elements.
19896 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19897 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19901 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19902 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19903 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19904 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19905 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19906 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19909 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19910 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19911 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19912 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19913 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19916 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19917 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19918 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19919 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19922 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19923 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19924 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19925 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19926 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19927 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19928 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19929 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19930 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19931 instead, if you feel like.
19934 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19935 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19936 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19937 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19938 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19939 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19943 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19944 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19948 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19949 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19951 These predicates are true if
19954 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19957 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19958 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19965 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19966 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19967 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19968 it's not. I think.)
19970 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19971 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19972 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19973 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19976 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19977 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19978 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19979 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19980 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19981 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19982 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19986 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19987 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19988 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19989 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19990 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19991 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19992 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19993 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19996 @item Head, Body, All
19997 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20001 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20002 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20003 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20004 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20005 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20006 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20007 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20011 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20012 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20013 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20014 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20015 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20016 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20017 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20018 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20019 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20020 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20021 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20025 @cindex score file atoms
20027 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20028 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20031 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20032 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20034 @item mark-and-expunge
20035 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20036 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20039 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20040 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20041 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20042 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20043 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20046 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20047 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20050 @item exclude-files
20051 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20052 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20056 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
20057 ignored when handling global score files.
20060 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20061 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20062 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20063 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20066 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20067 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20068 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20069 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20071 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20075 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20078 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20079 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20080 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
20081 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20082 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20084 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20085 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20086 scoring rules exist.
20089 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20090 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20091 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20092 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20093 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20094 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20095 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20096 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20097 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20098 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20099 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20103 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20104 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20105 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20106 file for a number of groups.
20109 @cindex local variables
20110 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20111 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20112 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20113 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20114 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20119 @node Score File Editing
20120 @section Score File Editing
20122 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20123 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20124 with a mode for that.
20126 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20127 additional commands:
20132 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20133 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
20134 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20135 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
20138 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20139 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20140 Insert the current date in numerical format
20141 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20142 you were wondering.
20145 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20146 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20147 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20148 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20149 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20154 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20156 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20157 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20159 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20160 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20163 @node Adaptive Scoring
20164 @section Adaptive Scoring
20165 @cindex adaptive scoring
20167 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20168 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20169 stupidity, to be precise.
20171 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20172 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20173 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20174 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20175 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20176 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20177 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20178 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20179 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20181 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20182 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20183 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20184 might look something like this:
20187 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20188 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20189 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20190 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20191 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20192 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20193 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20194 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20195 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20196 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20197 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20198 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20201 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20202 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20203 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20204 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20205 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20206 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20209 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20210 will be applied to each article.
20212 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20213 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20214 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20215 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20217 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20218 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20219 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20220 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20222 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20223 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20224 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20225 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20227 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20228 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20229 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20230 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20231 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20232 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20234 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20235 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20236 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20238 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20239 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20240 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20242 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20243 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20244 let you use different rules in different groups.
20246 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20247 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20248 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20251 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20252 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20253 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20254 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20256 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20257 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20258 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20259 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20260 the length of the match is less than
20261 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20262 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20265 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20266 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20267 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20268 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20269 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20272 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20273 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20274 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20275 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20276 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20279 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20280 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20281 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20282 score with 30 points.
20284 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20285 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20286 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20287 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20288 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20290 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20291 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20292 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20293 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20294 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20296 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20297 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20298 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20299 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20301 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20302 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20303 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20304 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20306 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20307 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20308 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20309 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20310 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20312 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20313 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20314 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20316 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20317 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20318 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20319 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20322 @node Home Score File
20323 @section Home Score File
20325 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20326 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20327 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20328 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20330 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20331 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20332 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20334 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20335 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20340 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20344 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20345 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20349 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20353 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20354 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20357 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20358 be used as the home score file.
20361 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20364 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20369 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20372 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20373 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20376 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20377 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20379 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20381 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20382 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20385 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20386 Other functions include
20389 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20390 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20391 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20392 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20396 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20397 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20398 their own home score files:
20401 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20402 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20403 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20404 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20405 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20408 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20409 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20410 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20411 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20412 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20414 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20415 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20416 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20417 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20418 precedence over this variable.
20421 @node Followups To Yourself
20422 @section Followups To Yourself
20424 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20425 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20426 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20427 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20428 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20429 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20433 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20434 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20435 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20438 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20439 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20440 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20444 @vindex message-sent-hook
20445 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20446 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20448 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20452 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20453 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20457 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20458 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20461 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20462 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20467 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20471 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20472 is system-dependent.
20475 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20476 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20477 @cindex scoring on other headers
20479 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20480 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20481 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20482 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20483 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20485 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20486 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20487 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20488 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20489 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20491 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20494 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20495 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20498 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20499 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20500 time if you have much mail.
20502 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20503 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20509 @section Scoring Tips
20510 @cindex scoring tips
20516 @cindex scoring crossposts
20517 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20518 the @code{Xref} header.
20520 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20523 @item Multiple crossposts
20524 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20525 more than, say, 3 groups:
20528 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20532 @item Matching on the body
20533 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20534 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20535 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20536 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20537 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20538 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20539 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20542 @item Marking as read
20543 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20544 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20545 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20549 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20551 @item Negated character classes
20552 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20553 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20554 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20558 @node Reverse Scoring
20559 @section Reverse Scoring
20560 @cindex reverse scoring
20562 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20563 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20564 like this in your score file:
20568 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20573 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20574 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20577 @node Global Score Files
20578 @section Global Score Files
20579 @cindex global score files
20581 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20582 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20583 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20585 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20586 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20587 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20589 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20590 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20591 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20592 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20593 files are applicable to which group.
20595 To use the score file
20596 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20597 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20601 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20602 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20603 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20606 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20608 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20609 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20610 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20611 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20613 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20614 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20616 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20617 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20618 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20619 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20620 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20621 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20623 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20629 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20631 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20633 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20635 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20636 lowered out of existence.
20638 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20639 articles completely.
20642 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20643 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20644 old articles for a long time.
20647 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20648 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20649 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20650 holding our breath yet?
20654 @section Kill Files
20657 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20658 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20659 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20661 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20662 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20663 files into score files.
20665 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20666 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20667 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20668 that isn't a very good idea.
20670 Normal kill files look like this:
20673 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20674 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20678 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20679 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20681 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20682 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20685 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20690 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20691 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20692 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20695 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20696 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20697 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20700 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20705 @kindex M-k (Group)
20706 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20707 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20710 @kindex M-K (Group)
20711 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20712 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20715 Kill file variables:
20718 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20719 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20720 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20721 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20722 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20723 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20724 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20726 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20727 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20728 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20729 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20732 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20733 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20734 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20735 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20736 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20737 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20738 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20739 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20740 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20742 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20743 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20744 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20749 @node Converting Kill Files
20750 @section Converting Kill Files
20752 @cindex converting kill files
20754 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20755 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20756 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20759 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20760 You can fetch it from
20761 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20763 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20764 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20765 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20769 @node Advanced Scoring
20770 @section Advanced Scoring
20772 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20773 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20774 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20775 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20776 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20778 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20782 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20783 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20784 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20788 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20789 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20791 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20792 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20793 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20794 non-@code{nil} value.
20796 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20797 operator, and various match operators.
20804 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20805 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20806 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20811 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20812 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20813 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20818 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20819 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20823 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20824 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20825 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20826 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20827 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20828 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20829 the ancestry you want to go.
20831 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20832 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20833 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20834 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20835 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20838 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20839 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20841 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20842 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20845 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20846 when he's talking about Gnus:
20851 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20852 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20859 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20863 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20870 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20871 really don't want to read what he's written:
20875 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20876 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20880 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20881 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20882 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20889 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20890 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20891 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20892 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20896 The possibilities are endless.
20899 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20900 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20902 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20903 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20904 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20905 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20906 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20907 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20908 @samp{subject}) first.
20910 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20911 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20922 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20923 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20929 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20936 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20937 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20942 @section Score Decays
20943 @cindex score decays
20946 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20947 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20948 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20949 use them in any sensible way.
20951 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20952 @findex gnus-decay-score
20953 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20954 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20955 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20956 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20957 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20958 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
20959 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
20960 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
20961 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
20962 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
20966 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20967 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20968 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20970 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20972 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20974 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20975 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20976 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
20977 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
20978 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
20980 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
20984 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20985 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20986 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20987 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20991 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20994 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20997 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21001 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21002 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21003 the new score, which should be an integer.
21005 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21006 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21011 @include message.texi
21012 @chapter Emacs MIME
21013 @include emacs-mime.texi
21015 @include sieve.texi
21017 @c @include pgg.texi
21019 @c @include sasl.texi
21027 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21028 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21029 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21030 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21031 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21032 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21033 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21034 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21035 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21036 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21037 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21038 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
21039 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21040 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21041 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21042 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21043 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21044 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21045 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
21046 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21047 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21051 @node Process/Prefix
21052 @section Process/Prefix
21053 @cindex process/prefix convention
21055 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21056 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21058 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21059 command to be performed on.
21063 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21064 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21065 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21066 with the current one.
21068 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21069 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21070 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21072 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21073 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21076 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21077 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21079 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21082 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21083 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21084 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21085 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21087 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21088 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21089 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21090 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21091 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21092 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21093 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21094 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21096 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21097 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21098 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21099 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21100 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21104 @section Interactive
21105 @cindex interaction
21109 @item gnus-novice-user
21110 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21111 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21112 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21113 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21114 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21117 @item gnus-expert-user
21118 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21119 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21120 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
21121 matter how strange.
21123 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21124 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21125 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21126 is @code{t} by default.
21128 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21129 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21130 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21135 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21136 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21137 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21139 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21140 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21141 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21142 rule of 900 to the current article.
21144 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21145 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21146 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21147 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21148 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21149 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21150 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21152 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21153 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21154 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21155 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21156 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21157 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21158 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21159 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21160 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21162 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21163 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21164 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21166 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21170 @node Formatting Variables
21171 @section Formatting Variables
21172 @cindex formatting variables
21174 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21175 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21176 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21177 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21178 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21181 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21182 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21183 lots of percentages everywhere.
21186 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21187 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21188 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21189 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21190 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21191 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21192 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21193 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21196 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21197 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21198 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21199 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21200 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21201 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21202 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21203 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21205 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21206 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21208 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21209 @findex gnus-update-format
21210 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21211 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21212 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21213 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21217 @node Formatting Basics
21218 @subsection Formatting Basics
21220 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21221 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21222 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21224 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21225 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21226 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21227 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21228 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21231 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21232 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21233 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21234 less than 4 characters wide.
21236 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21237 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21240 @node Mode Line Formatting
21241 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21243 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21244 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21245 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21246 with the following two differences:
21251 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21254 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21255 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21256 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21257 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21258 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21259 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21260 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21265 @node Advanced Formatting
21266 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21268 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21269 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21270 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21271 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21273 These are the valid modifiers:
21278 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21282 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21287 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21290 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21295 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
21298 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
21301 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
21304 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
21310 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
21315 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
21316 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
21317 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
21318 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
21319 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
21320 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
21321 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
21323 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
21324 last operation, padding.
21326 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21327 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
21328 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
21329 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
21330 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
21331 the look of your lines.
21332 @xref{Compilation}.
21335 @node User-Defined Specs
21336 @subsection User-Defined Specs
21338 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
21339 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
21340 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
21341 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
21342 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
21343 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
21344 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
21345 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
21346 should protect against that.
21348 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
21349 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
21351 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
21352 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
21353 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
21354 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
21358 @node Formatting Fonts
21359 @subsection Formatting Fonts
21361 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
21362 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
21363 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
21364 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
21367 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
21368 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
21369 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
21370 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
21371 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
21372 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
21374 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
21375 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
21376 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
21377 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
21378 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
21379 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
21380 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
21381 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
21382 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
21383 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
21384 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
21387 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
21390 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
21391 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
21392 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
21394 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
21395 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
21396 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
21397 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
21398 ;; @r{Set the color.}
21399 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
21400 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
21402 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
21403 (setq gnus-group-line-format
21404 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
21407 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
21408 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
21410 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
21411 mode-line variables.
21413 @node Positioning Point
21414 @subsection Positioning Point
21416 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
21417 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
21418 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
21420 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
21422 @findex gnus-goto-colon
21423 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
21424 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
21426 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
21427 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
21428 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
21433 @subsection Tabulation
21435 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
21436 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
21437 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
21438 about lining up the following text afterwards.
21440 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
21441 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
21443 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21444 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
21445 This is the soft tabulator.
21447 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21448 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21449 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21452 @node Wide Characters
21453 @subsection Wide Characters
21455 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21456 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21457 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21459 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21460 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21461 these countries, that's not true.
21463 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21464 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21465 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21466 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21470 @node Window Layout
21471 @section Window Layout
21472 @cindex window layout
21474 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21476 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21477 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21478 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21479 @code{t} by default.
21481 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21482 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21484 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21485 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21486 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21489 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21490 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21491 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21495 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21496 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21497 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21498 possible names is listed below.
21500 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21501 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21504 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21508 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21509 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21510 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21511 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21512 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21513 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21514 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21515 size spec per split.
21517 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21518 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21519 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21520 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21521 present) gets focus.
21523 Here's a more complicated example:
21526 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21527 (summary 0.25 point)
21528 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21532 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21533 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21534 occupy, not a percentage.
21536 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21537 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21538 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21539 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21540 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21543 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21546 (article (horizontal 1.0
21551 (summary 0.25 point)
21556 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21557 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21559 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21560 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21561 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21562 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21563 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21565 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21566 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21567 lines from the splits.
21569 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21574 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21575 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21576 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21577 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21578 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21579 size = number | frame-params
21580 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21584 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21585 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21586 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21587 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21589 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21590 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21591 @cindex window height
21592 @cindex window width
21593 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21594 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21595 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21596 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21597 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21598 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21600 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21601 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21602 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21603 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21605 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21606 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21607 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21608 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21609 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21610 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21611 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21612 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21613 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21614 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21615 configuration list.
21618 (gnus-configure-frame
21622 (article 0.3 point))
21630 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21631 @code{frame} split:
21634 (gnus-configure-frame
21637 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21639 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21640 (user-position . t)
21641 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21646 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21647 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21648 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21649 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21650 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21651 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21652 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21653 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21655 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21656 be found in its default value.
21658 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21659 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21660 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21664 (message (horizontal 1.0
21665 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21667 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21672 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21673 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21674 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21679 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21680 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21681 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21682 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21683 (name . "Message"))
21684 (message 1.0 point))))
21687 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21688 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21689 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21690 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21691 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21694 (gnus-add-configuration
21695 '(article (vertical 1.0
21697 (summary .25 point)
21701 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21702 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21703 Gnus has been loaded.
21705 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21706 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21707 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21708 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21709 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21711 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21712 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21713 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21716 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21720 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21721 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21736 (gnus-add-configuration
21739 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21741 (summary 0.16 point)
21744 (gnus-add-configuration
21747 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21748 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21754 @node Faces and Fonts
21755 @section Faces and Fonts
21760 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21761 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21762 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21767 @section Compilation
21768 @cindex compilation
21769 @cindex byte-compilation
21771 @findex gnus-compile
21773 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21774 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21775 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
21776 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
21777 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
21778 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21779 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21780 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21783 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21784 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21785 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21786 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
21787 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
21790 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
21791 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
21792 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
21793 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
21794 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
21799 @section Mode Lines
21802 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21803 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21804 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21805 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21806 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21807 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21808 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21811 @cindex display-time
21813 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21814 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21815 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21816 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21817 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21818 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21819 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21820 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21823 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21825 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21826 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21828 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21829 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21830 (length display-time-string)))))
21833 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21834 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21835 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21836 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21837 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21840 @node Highlighting and Menus
21841 @section Highlighting and Menus
21843 @cindex highlighting
21846 @vindex gnus-visual
21847 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21848 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21849 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21852 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21853 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21856 @item group-highlight
21857 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21858 @item summary-highlight
21859 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21860 @item article-highlight
21861 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21863 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21865 Create menus in the group buffer.
21867 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21869 Create menus in the article buffer.
21871 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21873 Create menus in the server buffer.
21875 Create menus in the score buffers.
21877 Create menus in all buffers.
21880 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21881 buffers, you could say something like:
21884 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21887 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21890 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21893 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21894 in all Gnus buffers.
21896 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21899 @item gnus-mouse-face
21900 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21901 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21902 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21906 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21910 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21911 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21912 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21914 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21915 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21916 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21918 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21919 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21920 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21922 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21923 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21924 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21926 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21927 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21928 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21930 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21931 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21932 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21943 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21944 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21945 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21946 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21947 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21951 @vindex gnus-carpal
21952 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21953 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21954 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21959 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21960 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21961 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21963 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21964 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21965 Face used on buttons.
21967 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21968 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21969 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21971 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21972 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21973 Buttons in the group buffer.
21975 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21976 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21977 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21979 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21980 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21981 Buttons in the server buffer.
21983 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21984 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21985 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21988 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21989 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21990 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21998 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21999 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22000 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22001 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22002 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22004 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22005 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22006 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22008 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22009 been idle for thirty minutes:
22012 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22015 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22019 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22022 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22023 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22024 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22026 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22027 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22028 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22029 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22031 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22032 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22033 @var{idle} minutes.
22035 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22036 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22039 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22040 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22041 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22043 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22044 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22045 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22046 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22048 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22049 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22051 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22053 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22056 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
22057 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22058 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22059 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22060 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22061 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22062 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22063 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22064 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22065 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22066 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22068 @findex gnus-demon-init
22069 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22070 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22071 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22072 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22073 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22075 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22076 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22077 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22086 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
22087 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
22089 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
22090 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
22091 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
22092 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
22095 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
22096 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
22097 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
22098 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
22100 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
22101 this will make spam disappear.
22103 There are some variables to customize, of course:
22106 @item gnus-use-nocem
22107 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
22108 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
22111 @item gnus-nocem-groups
22112 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
22113 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
22116 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
22117 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
22120 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
22121 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
22122 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
22123 people you want to listen to. The default is
22125 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
22126 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
22128 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
22130 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
22131 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
22133 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
22134 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
22135 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
22136 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
22137 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
22138 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
22139 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
22140 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
22141 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
22142 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
22144 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
22145 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
22148 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
22151 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
22152 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
22155 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
22158 The specs are applied left-to-right.
22161 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
22162 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
22163 @findex pgg-verify-region
22164 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
22165 says she is. The default is the function using @code{pgg-verify-region}
22170 (pgg-verify-region (point-min) (point-max)))
22173 It returns non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise
22174 (including the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns
22175 @code{nil}. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
22176 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
22178 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
22179 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into the
22180 default function running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
22181 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
22183 @item gnus-nocem-directory
22184 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
22185 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
22186 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
22188 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22189 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22190 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
22191 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
22192 might then see old spam.
22194 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
22195 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
22196 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
22197 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
22198 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
22201 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22202 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22203 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
22204 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
22208 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
22209 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
22210 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
22211 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
22218 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22219 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22220 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22222 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22223 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22224 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22225 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22226 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22227 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22228 @code{undo} function.
22230 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22231 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22232 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22233 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22234 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22235 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22236 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22237 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22238 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22239 never be totally undoable.
22241 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22242 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22244 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22245 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22246 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22247 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22251 @node Predicate Specifiers
22252 @section Predicate Specifiers
22253 @cindex predicate specifiers
22255 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22256 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22257 to type all that much.
22259 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22264 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22265 gnus-article-unread-p)
22268 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22269 functions all take one parameter.
22271 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22272 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22273 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22274 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22279 @section Moderation
22282 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22283 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22284 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22287 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22291 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22294 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22296 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22301 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22302 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22303 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22306 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22307 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22310 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22311 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22315 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22318 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22319 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22323 @node Fetching a Group
22324 @section Fetching a Group
22325 @cindex fetching a group
22327 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22328 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22329 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22330 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22331 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22332 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22335 @node Image Enhancements
22336 @section Image Enhancements
22338 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22339 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
22340 taken advantage of that.
22343 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22344 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22345 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22346 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22347 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22355 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22356 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22357 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22361 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22362 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22363 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22371 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22372 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
22373 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
22374 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
22376 The variable that controls this is the
22377 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
22378 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22379 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22380 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
22381 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22383 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
22384 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
22385 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
22386 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
22389 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
22390 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
22391 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
22392 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
22393 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
22394 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
22395 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
22396 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
22398 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22406 @vindex gnus-x-face
22407 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22408 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22409 default colors are black and white.
22411 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22412 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22413 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22414 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22415 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22416 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22419 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22420 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22421 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22422 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22424 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22425 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22426 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22427 (png . (:relief -2))))
22430 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22431 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22432 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22433 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22434 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22435 @samp{libcompface} library.
22438 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22439 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
22441 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22442 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22443 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22444 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22445 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22446 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22447 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22448 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22449 header data as a string.
22451 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22452 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22453 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22454 randomly generated data.
22456 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22457 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22458 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22459 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22460 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22462 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22463 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22466 (setq message-required-news-headers
22467 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22468 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22471 Using the last function would be something like this:
22474 (setq message-required-news-headers
22475 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22476 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22477 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22478 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22486 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
22488 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22489 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22490 represent the author of the message.
22493 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22494 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22495 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22498 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22499 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22501 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22502 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22504 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22505 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22506 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22508 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22509 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22510 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22511 converts the file to Face format by using the
22512 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22514 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22515 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22518 (setq message-required-news-headers
22519 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22520 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22521 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22526 @subsection Smileys
22531 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22536 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22537 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22539 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22540 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22543 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22546 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22547 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22548 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22549 text and maps that to file names.
22551 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22552 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22553 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22554 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22555 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22558 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22563 @item smiley-data-directory
22564 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22565 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22567 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22568 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22569 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22583 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22584 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22585 over your shoulder as you read news.
22587 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22596 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22597 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22598 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22599 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22600 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22601 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22602 @code{GIF} formats.
22605 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22606 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22607 point your Web browser at
22608 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22610 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22611 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22613 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22614 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22617 @vindex gnus-picon-style
22618 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
22619 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
22620 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
22622 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22626 @item gnus-picon-databases
22627 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22628 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22629 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22630 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22631 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22633 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22634 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22635 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22636 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22638 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22639 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22640 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22641 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22643 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22644 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22645 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22646 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22647 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22649 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22650 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22651 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22652 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22658 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22661 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22662 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22663 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22664 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22665 unusual directory structure.
22667 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22668 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22669 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22670 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22672 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22673 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22674 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22675 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22676 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22677 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22679 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22680 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22681 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22686 @subsubsection Toolbar
22690 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22691 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22692 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22693 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22694 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22696 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22697 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22698 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22700 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22701 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22702 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22704 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22705 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22706 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22717 @node Fuzzy Matching
22718 @section Fuzzy Matching
22719 @cindex fuzzy matching
22721 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22722 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22724 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22725 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22726 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22728 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22729 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22730 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22731 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22732 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22735 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22736 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22740 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22742 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22743 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22744 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22745 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22746 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22747 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22748 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22749 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22752 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22753 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22754 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22755 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22756 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22757 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22759 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22762 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22763 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22764 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22765 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22766 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22767 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22770 @node The problem of spam
22771 @subsection The problem of spam
22773 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22774 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22776 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22778 First, some background on spam.
22780 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22781 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22782 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22783 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22784 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22785 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22786 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22787 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22788 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22790 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22791 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22792 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22793 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22794 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22795 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22796 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22797 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22798 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22801 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22802 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22803 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22804 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22805 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22806 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22807 from Bulgarian IPs.
22809 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22810 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22811 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22812 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22814 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22815 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22816 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22817 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22819 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22820 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22821 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22822 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22823 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22824 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22825 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22826 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22827 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22829 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22830 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22831 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22832 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22833 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22834 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22835 down for some time because of the incident.
22837 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22838 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22839 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22840 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22841 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22842 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22843 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22844 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22845 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22846 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22847 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22849 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22850 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22851 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22852 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22853 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22854 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22855 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22858 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22859 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22863 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22865 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22866 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22868 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22869 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22870 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22871 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22872 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22873 part of the mail address.)
22876 (setq message-default-news-headers
22877 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22880 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22881 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22885 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22886 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22887 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22892 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22893 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22894 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22895 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22897 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22898 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22899 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22900 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22901 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22902 your fancy split rule in this way:
22907 (to "larsi" "misc")
22911 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22912 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22913 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22914 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22915 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22917 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22918 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22919 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22920 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22922 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
22926 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22927 @cindex SpamAssassin
22928 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22931 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
22932 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22933 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22934 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22935 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22936 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22937 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22939 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
22940 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
22941 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
22944 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22945 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22946 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22947 Specifiers}) follow.
22951 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22955 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22958 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22959 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22960 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22963 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22967 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22970 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22971 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22975 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22976 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22977 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22978 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22981 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22983 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22987 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22988 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22992 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
22993 downloaded by default. You need to set
22994 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
22995 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
22997 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22998 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22999 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23002 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23003 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23005 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
23006 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
23007 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23011 @subsection Hashcash
23014 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23015 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23016 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23017 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23018 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23020 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23021 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23022 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23023 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23024 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23025 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23026 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23027 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23028 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23029 one of them separately.
23032 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23033 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23034 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23035 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23036 need to install to use this feature, see
23037 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23038 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23040 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23041 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23042 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23045 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23048 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23052 @item hashcash-default-payment
23053 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23054 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23055 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23058 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23059 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23060 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23061 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23062 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23063 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23064 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23065 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23066 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23068 @item hashcash-path
23069 @vindex hashcash-path
23070 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23071 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23072 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23073 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23074 when you generate hashcash payments.
23078 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23079 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23080 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23081 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23082 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23083 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23084 Hashcash Payments}).
23086 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23087 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23088 @cindex spam filtering
23091 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
23092 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
23093 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
23094 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
23097 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23098 events. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events}.
23100 @cindex spam-initialize
23101 To use @code{spam.el}, you @strong{must} run the function
23102 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @file{spam.el} and to install the
23103 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
23104 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
23105 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
23108 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
23112 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
23114 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
23115 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
23116 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
23117 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
23118 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
23120 You get the following keyboard commands:
23130 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23131 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
23133 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
23134 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
23135 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
23136 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
23142 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
23143 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
23145 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
23151 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
23152 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
23156 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
23157 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
23158 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
23159 * Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer::
23160 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
23161 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
23162 * BBDB Whitelists::
23163 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
23164 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
23166 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
23168 * SpamAssassin back end::
23169 * ifile spam filtering::
23170 * spam-stat spam filtering::
23172 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
23175 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23176 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23177 @cindex spam filtering
23178 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23180 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
23181 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23183 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
23184 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
23187 Getting new mail in Gnus is done in one of two ways. You can either
23188 split your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or
23189 spam when you enter the group.
23191 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail back ends such as
23192 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
23193 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
23196 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
23197 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
23198 For back ends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
23199 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
23200 back ends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
23201 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
23202 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
23203 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
23204 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
23205 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
23207 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
23208 group/topic or wholesale by regular expression matches, as needed), it
23209 hooks into the process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group
23210 with unseen or unread articles becomes the substitute for checking
23211 incoming mail. Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles
23212 will be processed is determined by the
23213 @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set to @code{t}, unread
23214 messages will be rechecked. You should probably stick with the
23215 default of only checking unseen messages.
23217 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
23218 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
23219 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
23220 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
23221 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
23222 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
23223 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
23224 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
23225 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
23227 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
23228 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
23229 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
23230 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
23231 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
23232 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
23233 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
23234 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
23235 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
23236 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
23238 Thus, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied,
23239 if any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
23240 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
23241 depending on the article's classification. If the
23242 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
23243 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
23246 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
23247 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
23248 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
23249 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
23250 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
23251 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
23252 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23253 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
23254 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
23255 which is what most people want. If the
23256 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
23257 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23259 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23260 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23262 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
23263 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
23264 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
23265 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23266 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
23267 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
23268 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23269 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
23270 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
23271 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
23272 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
23274 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23275 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23277 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23278 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23279 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23281 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23282 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23283 @cindex spam filtering
23284 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23287 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
23288 must add the following to your fancy split list
23289 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
23295 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23296 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
23297 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
23299 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
23301 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
23302 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
23303 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
23304 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
23305 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
23306 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
23307 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
23308 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
23309 actually give you the group
23310 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
23311 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
23313 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
23314 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
23317 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
23318 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
23321 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23322 (any "ding" "ding")
23324 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23328 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
23329 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
23330 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
23331 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
23332 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
23333 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23335 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
23336 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
23337 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
23342 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23343 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23344 (any "ding" "ding")
23345 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23347 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23351 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23352 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
23353 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23354 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23355 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23356 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23357 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23359 You should still have specific checks such as
23360 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
23361 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
23362 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
23363 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
23364 is usually not critical, though.
23366 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
23368 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
23369 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
23370 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
23371 message headers. If you use a @emph{statistical} filter,
23372 e.g. @code{spam-check-bogofilter}, @code{spam-check-ifile}, or
23373 @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that can benefit from the full
23374 message body), this variable will be set automatically. It is not set
23375 for non-statistical back ends by default because it will slow
23376 @acronym{IMAP} down.
23378 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
23380 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23381 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23382 @cindex spam filtering
23383 @cindex spam filtering variables
23384 @cindex spam variables
23387 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
23388 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
23389 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
23390 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
23391 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
23392 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
23393 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
23394 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
23395 will be detected later.
23397 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
23398 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
23399 for more information.
23401 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23402 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
23403 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
23404 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
23405 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
23406 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23407 by customizing the corresponding variable
23408 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23409 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23410 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23411 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23412 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23413 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23414 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23417 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23419 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23420 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23421 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23422 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23423 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23424 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23425 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23426 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23427 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23428 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23429 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23430 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23431 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23433 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23434 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23435 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23436 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23437 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23438 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23439 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23440 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23443 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23444 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23445 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23446 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23447 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23448 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23449 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23454 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23455 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
23456 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
23457 you really want to.
23460 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
23461 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
23462 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23463 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23464 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23465 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23468 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23469 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23470 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23471 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23472 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23473 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23474 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23475 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23476 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23477 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23478 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23479 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23480 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23481 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23482 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23484 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23485 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23487 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23488 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23489 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23491 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23492 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23494 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23495 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23496 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23497 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23498 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23500 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23501 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23502 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23503 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23504 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23507 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23508 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23509 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23510 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23511 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23512 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23513 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23514 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23515 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23516 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23517 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23518 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23519 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23521 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23522 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23524 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23525 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23528 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23529 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23530 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23531 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23532 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23533 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23534 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23536 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23537 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23538 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23539 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23541 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23542 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23543 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23544 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23545 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23546 from the mail server.
23548 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23549 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23550 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23551 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23553 @node Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23554 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23555 @cindex spam scoring
23556 @cindex spam sorting
23557 @cindex spam score summary buffer
23558 @cindex spam sort summary buffer
23561 You can display the spam score of articles in your summary buffer, and
23562 you can sort articles by their spam score.
23564 First you need to decide which back end you will be using. If you use
23565 the @code{spam-use-spamassassin},
23566 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}, or @code{spam-use-regex-headers}
23567 back end, the @code{X-Spam-Status} header will be used. If you use
23568 @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, the @code{X-Bogosity} header will be used.
23569 If you use @code{spam-use-crm114}, any header that matches the CRM114
23570 score format will be used. As long as you set the appropriate back end
23571 variable to t @emph{before} you load @file{spam.el}, you will be
23572 fine. @code{spam.el} will automatically add the right header to the
23573 internal Gnus list of required headers.
23575 To show the spam score in your summary buffer, add this line to your
23576 @code{gnus.el} file (note @code{spam.el} does not do that by default
23577 so it won't override any existing @code{S} formats you may have).
23580 (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-S 'spam-user-format-function-S)
23583 Now just set your summary line format to use @code{%uS}. Here's an
23584 example that formats the spam score in a 5-character field:
23587 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
23588 "%U%R %10&user-date; $%5uS %6k %B %(%4L: %*%-25,25a%) %s \n")
23591 Finally, to sort by spam status, either do it globally:
23595 gnus-show-threads nil
23596 gnus-article-sort-functions
23597 '(spam-article-sort-by-spam-status))
23600 or per group (@pxref{Sorting the Summary Buffer}).
23602 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23603 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23604 @cindex spam filtering
23605 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23606 @cindex spam configuration examples
23609 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23611 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23613 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23614 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23615 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23618 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23619 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23622 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23624 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23625 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23626 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23627 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23628 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23629 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23630 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23631 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23632 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23633 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23634 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23635 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23636 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23637 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23638 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23639 (any "ding" "ding")
23640 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23642 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23645 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23647 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23648 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23649 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23650 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23652 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23654 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23655 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23656 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23657 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23658 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23660 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23661 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23663 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23665 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23666 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23668 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23669 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23670 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23672 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23674 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23675 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23677 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23678 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23679 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23681 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23682 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23683 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23684 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23686 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23687 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23688 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23692 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23693 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23695 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23696 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23697 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23698 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23699 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23700 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23701 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23702 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23703 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23705 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23706 does most of the job for me:
23709 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23710 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23711 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23712 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23713 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23714 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23715 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23720 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23722 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23723 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23724 bogofilter or DCC).
23726 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23727 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23728 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23729 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23730 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23731 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23732 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23734 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23735 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23736 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23737 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23738 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23739 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23741 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23743 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23744 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23745 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23746 @samp{training.spam}.
23749 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23751 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23753 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23754 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23755 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23759 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23762 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23763 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23764 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23765 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23766 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23768 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23769 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23770 @cindex spam filtering
23771 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23772 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23775 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23777 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23778 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23779 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23780 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23785 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23787 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23788 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23789 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23790 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23791 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23795 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23797 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23798 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23799 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23803 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23805 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23806 customizing the group parameters or the
23807 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23808 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23809 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23813 Instead of the obsolete
23814 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23815 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23816 the same way, we promise.
23820 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23822 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23823 customizing the group parameters or the
23824 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23825 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23826 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23831 Instead of the obsolete
23832 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23833 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23834 the same way, we promise.
23838 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23839 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23840 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23841 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23842 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23844 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23845 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23846 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23847 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23849 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23850 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23851 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23852 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23853 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23854 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23856 @node BBDB Whitelists
23857 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23858 @cindex spam filtering
23859 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23860 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23863 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23865 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23866 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23867 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23868 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23869 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23870 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23871 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23875 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23877 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23878 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23879 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23880 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23881 classified as spammers.
23883 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
23884 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
23885 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
23886 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
23891 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23893 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23894 customizing the group parameters or the
23895 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23896 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23897 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23902 Instead of the obsolete
23903 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23904 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23905 the same way, we promise.
23909 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23910 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23911 @cindex spam reporting
23912 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23913 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23916 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23918 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23919 customizing the group parameters or the
23920 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23921 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23922 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
23925 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
23929 Instead of the obsolete
23930 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
23931 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
23932 same way, we promise.
23936 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
23938 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
23939 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
23940 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
23941 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
23942 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
23947 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23948 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23949 @cindex spam filtering
23950 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
23953 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
23955 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23956 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
23957 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
23958 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
23959 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
23960 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23965 @subsubsection Blackholes
23966 @cindex spam filtering
23967 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
23970 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
23972 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
23973 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
23974 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
23975 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
23976 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
23977 contains outdated servers.
23979 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
23980 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
23981 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
23982 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
23983 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
23984 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
23988 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
23990 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
23994 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
23996 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
23997 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24001 @defvar spam-use-dig
24003 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24004 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24008 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24009 ham processor for blackholes.
24011 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24012 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24013 @cindex spam filtering
24014 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24017 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24019 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24020 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24021 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24022 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24023 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24024 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24028 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24030 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24031 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24035 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24037 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24038 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24042 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24043 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24046 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24047 @cindex spam filtering
24048 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24051 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24053 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24056 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24057 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24058 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24059 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24060 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24061 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24063 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24064 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24067 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24068 processing will be turned off.
24070 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24074 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24076 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24077 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24078 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24079 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24080 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24081 installation documents for details.
24083 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24087 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24088 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24089 customizing the group parameters or the
24090 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24091 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24092 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24096 Instead of the obsolete
24097 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24098 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24099 the same way, we promise.
24102 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24103 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24104 customizing the group parameters or the
24105 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24106 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24107 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24108 of non-spam messages.
24112 Instead of the obsolete
24113 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24114 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24115 the same way, we promise.
24118 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24120 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24121 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24122 database directory.
24126 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24127 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24128 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24129 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24130 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24131 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24133 @node SpamAssassin back end
24134 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24135 @cindex spam filtering
24136 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24139 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24141 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24143 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24144 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24145 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24146 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24149 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24150 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24151 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24152 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24155 You should not enable this is you use
24156 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24160 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24162 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24163 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24165 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24169 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
24171 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24172 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24173 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24174 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24178 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24179 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24180 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24181 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24182 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24183 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24184 to test this functionality.
24186 @node ifile spam filtering
24187 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24188 @cindex spam filtering
24189 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24192 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24194 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24195 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24199 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24201 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24202 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24203 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24207 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24209 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24210 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24211 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24214 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
24216 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24217 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24221 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24222 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24223 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24224 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24227 @node spam-stat spam filtering
24228 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
24229 @cindex spam filtering
24230 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24234 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
24236 @defvar spam-use-stat
24238 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
24239 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
24243 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24244 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24245 customizing the group parameters or the
24246 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24247 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24248 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24252 Instead of the obsolete
24253 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24254 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24255 the same way, we promise.
24258 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24259 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24260 customizing the group parameters or the
24261 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24262 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24263 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24264 of non-spam messages.
24268 Instead of the obsolete
24269 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24270 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24271 the same way, we promise.
24274 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24275 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24276 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24277 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24278 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24281 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24282 @cindex spam filtering
24286 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24287 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24288 installed separately.
24290 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24291 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24292 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24293 mail as a spam mail or not.
24295 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24296 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24297 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24299 The easiest method is to make @code{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
24300 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
24302 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24303 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24304 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24305 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
24306 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
24307 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
24308 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
24309 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
24313 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24314 spam-split-group "Junk"
24315 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24316 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24317 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24320 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24321 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24325 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24326 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24327 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24331 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24332 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24333 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
24334 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24335 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24336 database to live somewhere special, set
24337 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24340 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24341 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24342 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
24343 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24344 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24345 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
24346 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @code{spam.el}'s
24347 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
24348 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
24349 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
24351 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24352 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24353 customizing the group parameter or the
24354 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24355 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24356 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24360 Instead of the obsolete
24361 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24362 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24363 the same way, we promise.
24366 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24367 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24368 customizing the group parameter or the
24369 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24370 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24371 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24376 Instead of the obsolete
24377 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24378 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24379 the same way, we promise.
24382 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24383 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24386 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24387 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24388 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24390 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24391 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24392 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24393 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24394 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24395 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24397 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
24398 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
24399 @cindex spam filtering
24400 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
24401 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
24403 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
24404 incoming mail, provide the following:
24412 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24413 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24416 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24418 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24419 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24420 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24421 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24422 register/unregister spam and ham.
24427 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24428 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24429 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24430 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24435 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24442 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24443 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24445 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24446 variables. Instead the form @code{'(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24447 @code{'(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24448 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24451 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24452 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24453 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24455 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24456 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24457 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24466 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24467 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24469 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24470 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24471 variable customization.
24475 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24477 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24478 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24480 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24481 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24487 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24489 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24490 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24491 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24494 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24496 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24497 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24501 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24503 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24504 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24505 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24509 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24511 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24512 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24513 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24516 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24518 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24519 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24523 @code{spam-install-backend}
24525 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24526 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24527 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24530 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24532 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24533 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24534 never install such a back end.
24540 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24541 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24542 @cindex Paul Graham
24543 @cindex Graham, Paul
24544 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24545 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24546 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24548 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24549 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24550 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24551 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24552 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24553 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24554 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24555 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24556 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24559 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24560 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24561 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24562 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24563 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24564 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24565 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24566 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24568 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
24569 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24570 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24571 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24572 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24575 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24576 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24577 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24580 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24581 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24583 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24584 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24585 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24586 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24587 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24589 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24590 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24591 per mail. Use the following:
24593 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24594 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24595 is treated as one spam mail.
24598 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24599 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24600 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24603 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24604 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
24605 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24606 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24607 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
24608 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24610 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24611 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24612 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24613 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24614 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24617 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24618 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24619 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24620 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24623 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24624 reset the dictionary.
24626 @defun spam-stat-reset
24627 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24630 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24631 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24632 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24633 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24634 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24635 only non-spam mails.
24637 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24638 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24639 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24642 @defun spam-stat-save
24643 Save the dictionary.
24646 @defvar spam-stat-file
24647 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24648 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24651 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24652 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24654 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24655 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24658 (require 'spam-stat)
24662 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24665 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24666 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24667 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24668 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24670 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24671 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24672 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24673 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24676 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24677 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24681 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24682 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24685 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24686 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24687 expression are considered potential spam.
24690 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24691 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24692 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24696 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24697 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24698 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24699 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24700 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24703 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24704 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24705 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24709 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24710 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24711 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24712 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24713 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24717 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24718 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24719 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24720 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24725 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24726 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24728 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24730 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24731 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24732 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24735 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24736 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24737 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24740 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24741 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24742 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24743 already been processed as non-spam.
24746 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24747 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24748 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24749 been processed as spam.
24752 @defun spam-stat-save
24753 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24754 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24757 @defun spam-stat-load
24758 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24759 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24762 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24763 Return the spam score for a word.
24766 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24767 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24770 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24771 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24772 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24775 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24776 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24779 (require 'spam-stat)
24783 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24786 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24787 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24788 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24789 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24790 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24791 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24792 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24793 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24794 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24795 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24796 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24797 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24798 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24799 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24802 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24805 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24806 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24807 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24808 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24809 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24810 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24814 @section Interaction with other modes
24819 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24820 buffers. It is enabled with
24822 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24827 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24828 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24829 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24832 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24833 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24834 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24838 @findex gnus-dired-print
24839 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24840 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24843 @node Various Various
24844 @section Various Various
24850 @item gnus-home-directory
24851 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24852 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24853 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24855 @item gnus-directory
24856 @vindex gnus-directory
24857 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24858 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24859 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24861 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
24862 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24863 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24864 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24866 @item gnus-default-directory
24867 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24868 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24869 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24870 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24871 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24872 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24873 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24876 @vindex gnus-verbose
24877 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24878 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24879 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24880 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24881 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24883 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24884 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24885 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24886 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24888 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24889 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24890 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24891 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24892 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24893 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24894 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24895 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24896 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24897 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24899 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24900 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24901 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24902 read when doing the operation described above.
24904 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24905 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24907 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24908 @cindex characters in file names
24909 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24910 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24911 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24915 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24920 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24921 Windows (phooey) systems.
24923 @item gnus-hidden-properties
24924 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
24925 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
24926 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
24927 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
24929 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
24930 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
24931 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
24932 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
24933 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
24935 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
24936 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
24937 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
24939 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24940 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24942 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
24943 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
24944 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
24945 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
24948 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
24956 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
24957 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
24959 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
24961 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
24967 Not because of victories @*
24970 but for the common sunshine,@*
24972 the largess of the spring.
24976 but for the day's work done@*
24977 as well as I was able;@*
24978 not for a seat upon the dais@*
24979 but at the common table.@*
24984 @chapter Appendices
24987 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
24988 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
24989 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
24990 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
24991 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
24992 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
24993 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
24994 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
24995 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25002 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25004 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25005 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25006 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25007 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25008 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{w3},
25009 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25016 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25017 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25019 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25020 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25021 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25022 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25023 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25025 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25026 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25027 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25028 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25029 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25030 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25032 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25033 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25034 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25035 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25038 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25039 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25040 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25041 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25042 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25043 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25044 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25045 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25046 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25050 @node Gnus Versions
25051 @subsection Gnus Versions
25053 @cindex September Gnus
25055 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25056 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25059 @cindex Gnus versions
25061 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25062 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25063 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25065 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25066 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25068 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25069 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25071 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25072 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25074 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25075 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25078 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
25080 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25081 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25082 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
25083 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
25084 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
25085 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25088 @node Other Gnus Versions
25089 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25092 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25093 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25094 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25095 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25097 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25098 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25099 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25100 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25107 What's the point of Gnus?
25109 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25110 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25111 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25112 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25113 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25114 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25115 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25116 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25117 keep track of millions of people who post?
25119 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25120 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25121 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25122 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25123 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25124 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25125 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25126 every one of you to explore and invent.
25128 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25129 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25132 @node Compatibility
25133 @subsection Compatibility
25135 @cindex compatibility
25136 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25137 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25138 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25143 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25147 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25150 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25153 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25154 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25155 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25156 important variables have their values copied into their global
25157 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25158 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25160 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25161 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25162 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25163 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25164 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25168 @cindex highlighting
25169 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25170 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25171 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25172 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25173 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
25174 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
25177 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
25178 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
25179 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
25180 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
25182 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
25183 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
25184 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
25185 to stop doing it the old way.
25187 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
25189 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25191 @cindex reporting bugs
25193 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
25194 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
25195 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
25197 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
25198 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
25199 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
25200 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
25205 @subsection Conformity
25207 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
25208 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
25216 There are no known breaches of this standard.
25220 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
25222 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
25223 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
25224 We do have some breaches to this one.
25230 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
25231 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
25232 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
25233 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
25234 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
25239 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
25240 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
25241 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
25242 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
25244 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
25245 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
25246 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
25248 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
25249 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
25251 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
25254 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
25255 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
25256 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
25257 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
25258 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
25261 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
25262 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
25263 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
25264 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
25266 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
25267 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
25269 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
25270 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
25271 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
25272 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
25273 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
25274 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
25275 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
25276 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
25280 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
25281 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
25286 @subsection Emacsen
25292 Gnus should work on:
25300 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
25304 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
25305 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
25306 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
25307 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
25308 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
25310 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
25311 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
25312 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
25316 @node Gnus Development
25317 @subsection Gnus Development
25319 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
25320 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
25321 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
25322 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
25323 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
25324 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
25325 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
25326 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
25328 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
25329 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
25330 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
25331 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
25332 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
25335 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
25336 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
25337 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
25338 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
25339 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
25341 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
25342 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
25343 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
25344 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
25345 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
25346 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
25347 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
25348 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
25349 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
25350 can't be assumed to do so.
25355 @subsection Contributors
25356 @cindex contributors
25358 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
25359 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
25360 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
25361 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
25362 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
25363 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
25364 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
25365 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
25366 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
25367 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
25369 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
25375 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
25378 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
25379 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
25380 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
25381 functionality and stuff.
25384 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
25385 well as numerous other things).
25388 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
25391 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
25394 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
25397 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
25400 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
25401 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
25404 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
25407 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
25410 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
25413 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
25416 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
25419 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
25422 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
25423 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
25426 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
25429 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
25432 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
25435 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
25439 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
25442 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
25445 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
25448 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
25449 well as autoconf support.
25453 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
25454 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
25456 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25471 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25473 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25477 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25487 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25502 Massimo Campostrini,
25507 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25508 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25512 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25515 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25521 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25526 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25530 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25538 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25540 Michelangelo Grigni,
25544 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25546 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25548 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25555 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25556 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25557 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25559 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25569 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25570 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25572 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25573 Thor Kristoffersen,
25576 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25594 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25595 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25602 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25607 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25611 John McClary Prevost,
25617 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25622 Christian von Roques,
25625 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25632 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25634 Randal L. Schwartz,
25648 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25653 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25673 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25674 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25675 (550kB and counting).
25677 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25680 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25681 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25685 @subsection New Features
25686 @cindex new features
25689 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25690 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25691 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25692 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25693 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25694 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
25695 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
25698 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25699 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25700 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25703 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25705 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25710 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25711 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25714 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25715 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25718 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25721 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25722 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25723 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25726 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25727 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25728 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25729 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25732 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25733 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25736 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25737 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25738 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25741 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25742 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25745 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25746 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25747 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25750 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25751 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25752 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25755 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25756 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25759 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25760 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25763 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25764 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25767 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25768 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25771 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25772 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25775 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25776 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25779 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25782 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25783 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25786 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25787 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25790 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25791 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25794 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25797 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25798 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25801 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25805 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25809 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25810 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25813 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25819 @node September Gnus
25820 @subsubsection September Gnus
25824 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25828 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25833 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25834 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25838 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25839 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25843 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25847 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25848 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25851 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25855 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25858 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25861 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25864 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25868 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25869 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25872 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25876 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25880 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25884 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25888 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25891 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25892 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25895 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25899 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25900 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25903 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25906 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25907 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25908 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25911 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25915 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25918 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25922 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25923 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
25926 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
25927 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
25930 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
25931 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
25934 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
25935 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
25936 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
25939 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
25940 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
25943 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
25946 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25949 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
25952 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
25955 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
25956 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
25959 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
25963 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
25966 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
25971 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
25974 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
25978 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25981 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
25985 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
25988 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
25991 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
25992 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25995 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
25996 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26000 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26001 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26004 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26008 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26009 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26012 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26015 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26019 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26023 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26024 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26027 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26031 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26032 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26035 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26036 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26039 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26043 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26046 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26049 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26055 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26057 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26061 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26068 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26071 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26072 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26075 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26076 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26080 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26081 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26084 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26087 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26088 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26091 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26095 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26096 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26100 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26101 Server Internals}).
26104 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26108 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26111 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26112 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26115 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26116 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26117 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26120 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26121 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26124 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26125 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26128 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26132 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26133 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26136 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26137 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26140 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26144 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26147 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26151 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26152 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26155 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26156 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26159 A new command for reading collections of documents
26160 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26161 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26164 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26168 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26169 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26172 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26173 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26174 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26177 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26178 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
26182 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
26186 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
26190 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
26195 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
26199 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
26203 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
26204 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
26207 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
26213 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
26215 New features in Gnus 5.6:
26220 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
26221 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
26222 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
26225 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
26226 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
26227 group, which is created automatically.
26230 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
26234 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
26237 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
26238 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
26241 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
26245 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
26248 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
26249 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
26252 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
26255 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
26259 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
26260 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
26263 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
26264 control over simplification.
26267 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
26270 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
26274 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
26277 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
26280 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
26281 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
26282 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
26285 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
26286 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
26289 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
26293 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
26294 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
26297 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
26298 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
26301 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
26305 A history of where mails have been split is available.
26308 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
26311 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
26312 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
26315 A new function for citing in Message has been
26316 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
26319 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
26322 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
26326 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
26327 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
26330 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
26331 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
26334 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
26337 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
26341 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
26342 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
26344 New features in Gnus 5.8:
26349 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
26350 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
26352 If you used procmail like in
26355 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
26356 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
26357 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
26358 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
26361 this now has changed to
26365 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
26369 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
26372 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
26373 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
26376 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
26377 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
26380 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
26381 called to position point.
26384 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
26385 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
26388 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
26389 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
26392 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
26393 subtly different manner.
26396 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
26397 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
26398 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
26401 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
26406 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
26409 New features in Gnus 5.10:
26414 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
26415 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
26416 region if the region is active.
26419 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
26423 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
26424 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
26427 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
26428 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
26431 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
26433 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
26434 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
26435 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
26436 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
26437 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
26438 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
26439 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
26440 isn't save in general.
26445 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
26446 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
26447 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
26448 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
26453 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
26454 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
26455 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
26459 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
26462 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26467 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26468 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26470 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26471 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26475 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26476 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26479 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26481 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26482 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26487 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
26488 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
26489 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
26492 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
26493 decompressed when activated.
26496 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
26497 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
26500 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26503 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26504 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26507 Warn about email replies to news
26509 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26510 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26514 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26515 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26519 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26520 opposed to old but unread messages).
26523 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
26524 Gcc articles as read.
26527 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
26530 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26531 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26534 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26535 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26538 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
26539 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
26542 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26543 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26546 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26548 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26549 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26550 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26551 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26554 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26556 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26557 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26558 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26559 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26560 the second parameter.
26562 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26563 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26564 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26565 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26566 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26567 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26568 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26569 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26570 cycle used under Unix systems.
26572 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
26576 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
26578 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
26579 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
26580 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
26581 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
26582 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
26586 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26588 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26589 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26590 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26591 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26595 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
26597 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
26598 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
26599 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
26600 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
26602 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
26603 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
26604 message cited below.
26607 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
26610 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26612 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26613 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26614 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26615 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26616 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26619 (setq gnus-parameters
26621 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26622 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26623 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26624 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26628 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26630 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
26634 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26636 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26637 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26638 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26639 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26640 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26641 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26642 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26643 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26644 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26647 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26649 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26650 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26651 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26652 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26653 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26654 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26657 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
26658 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26662 Improved anti-spam features.
26664 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26665 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26666 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26667 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26668 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26671 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26674 Face headers handling.
26677 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26678 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26681 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26684 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26686 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26687 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26688 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26689 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26690 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26691 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26692 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26693 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26694 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26697 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26699 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26700 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26701 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26702 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26703 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26704 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26705 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26706 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26707 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26708 was inserted directly.
26711 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26713 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26714 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26720 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26721 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26722 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26723 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26724 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26725 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26726 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26727 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26728 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26729 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26730 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26731 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26732 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26733 is not needed any more.
26736 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26738 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26739 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26740 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26741 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26742 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26746 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26748 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26749 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26752 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26754 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26755 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26756 lisp directory into load-path.
26758 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26759 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26762 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26764 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26767 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26769 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26770 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26771 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26772 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26775 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26777 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26779 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26780 'bbdb-complete-name)
26784 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26786 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26787 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26788 local files as external parts.
26790 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26791 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26792 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26793 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26794 that support editing.
26797 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26799 The default value is determined from the
26800 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26801 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26802 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26805 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26807 Add a new format of match like
26809 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26810 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26812 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26814 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26815 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26819 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26821 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26822 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26823 need add those two headers too.
26826 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26828 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26829 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26830 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26833 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26834 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26835 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26839 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26841 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26844 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26846 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26849 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26851 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26852 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26853 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26856 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26858 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26862 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26864 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26865 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26866 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26867 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26868 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26869 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26870 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26871 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26874 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26876 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26877 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26878 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26879 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26880 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26883 Extended format specs.
26885 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26886 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26887 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26888 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26889 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26890 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26893 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26895 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26896 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26897 out other articles.
26899 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26901 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26902 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26903 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26904 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26907 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26909 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26910 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26911 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26914 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26916 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26917 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26918 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26919 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26920 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26921 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26922 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26923 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
26924 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
26925 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
26926 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
26929 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
26930 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
26933 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
26934 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
26935 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
26936 message, Message Manual}).
26939 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26940 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26942 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26943 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26944 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26946 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26950 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
26951 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
26953 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
26954 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
26955 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
26956 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
26959 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
26962 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
26965 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
26966 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
26969 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
26971 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
26972 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
26973 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
26974 invalidate the digital signature.
26978 @subsubsection No Gnus
26981 New features in No Gnus:
26982 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
26984 @include gnus-news.texi
26990 @section The Manual
26994 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
26995 either @code{texi2dvi}
26997 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
26998 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27000 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27002 The following conventions have been used:
27007 This is a @samp{string}
27010 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27013 This is a @file{file}
27016 This is a @code{symbol}
27020 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27024 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27027 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27030 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27033 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27034 ever get them confused.
27038 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27039 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27040 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27041 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27042 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27043 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27044 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27050 @node On Writing Manuals
27051 @section On Writing Manuals
27053 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27054 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27055 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27056 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27057 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27058 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
27061 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27062 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27063 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27066 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27067 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
27072 @section Terminology
27074 @cindex terminology
27079 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
27080 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
27081 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
27082 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
27083 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
27087 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
27088 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
27089 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
27090 not posting, and replying is not following up.
27094 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
27098 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
27103 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
27104 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
27105 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
27106 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
27107 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
27108 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
27109 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
27110 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
27111 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
27114 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
27115 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
27116 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
27117 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
27118 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
27119 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
27121 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
27122 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
27123 access the articles.
27125 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
27126 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
27127 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
27132 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
27133 default, way of getting news.
27137 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
27138 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
27143 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
27144 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
27148 A message that has been posted as news.
27151 @cindex mail message
27152 A message that has been mailed.
27156 A mail message or news article
27160 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
27165 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
27170 A line from the head of an article.
27174 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
27175 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
27177 @item @acronym{NOV}
27178 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
27179 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
27180 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
27181 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
27182 normal @sc{head} format.
27186 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
27187 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
27188 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
27189 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
27190 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
27191 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
27193 @item killed groups
27194 @cindex killed groups
27195 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
27196 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
27198 @item zombie groups
27199 @cindex zombie groups
27200 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
27203 @cindex active file
27204 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
27205 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
27206 is rather large, as you might surmise.
27209 @cindex bogus groups
27210 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
27211 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
27212 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
27215 @cindex activating groups
27216 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
27217 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
27218 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
27222 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
27223 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
27224 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
27228 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
27230 @item select method
27231 @cindex select method
27232 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
27235 @item virtual server
27236 @cindex virtual server
27237 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
27238 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
27239 whole is a virtual server.
27243 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
27244 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
27247 @item ephemeral groups
27248 @cindex ephemeral groups
27249 @cindex temporary groups
27250 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
27251 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
27252 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
27255 @cindex solid groups
27256 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
27257 group buffer are solid groups.
27259 @item sparse articles
27260 @cindex sparse articles
27261 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
27262 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
27266 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
27267 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
27271 @cindex thread root
27272 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
27273 articles in the thread.
27277 An article that has responses.
27281 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
27285 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
27286 specified by RFC 1153.
27289 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
27290 @cindex mail sorting
27291 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
27292 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
27293 incorrectly called mail filtering.
27299 @node Customization
27300 @section Customization
27301 @cindex general customization
27303 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
27304 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
27305 for some quite common situations.
27308 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
27309 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
27310 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
27311 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
27315 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
27316 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
27318 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
27319 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
27320 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
27324 @item gnus-read-active-file
27325 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
27326 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
27327 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27328 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
27329 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
27331 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
27332 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
27333 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
27334 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
27338 @node Slow Terminal Connection
27339 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
27341 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
27342 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
27343 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
27347 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
27348 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
27349 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
27350 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
27351 horizontal and vertical recentering.
27353 @item gnus-visible-headers
27354 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
27355 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
27356 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
27357 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
27359 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
27361 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
27362 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
27363 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
27366 @item gnus-use-full-window
27367 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
27368 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
27369 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
27370 want to read them anyway.
27372 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
27373 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
27377 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
27378 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
27379 lines, which might save some time.
27383 @node Little Disk Space
27384 @subsection Little Disk Space
27387 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
27388 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
27392 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
27393 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
27394 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27395 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27398 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
27399 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
27400 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27401 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27404 @item gnus-save-killed-list
27405 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
27406 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
27407 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
27408 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
27414 @subsection Slow Machine
27415 @cindex slow machine
27417 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
27418 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
27420 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27421 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
27423 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
27424 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
27425 summary buffer faster.
27429 @node Troubleshooting
27430 @section Troubleshooting
27431 @cindex troubleshooting
27433 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
27441 Make sure your computer is switched on.
27444 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
27445 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
27449 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
27450 like @samp{T-gnus 6.17.* (based on Gnus v5.10.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
27451 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old
27452 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
27455 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
27456 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
27459 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
27460 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
27461 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
27462 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
27463 something like that.
27466 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27469 @cindex reporting bugs
27471 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27473 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27474 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27475 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27476 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27478 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27479 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27480 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27481 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27484 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27485 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27486 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27487 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27488 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27489 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27491 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27492 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27493 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27497 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27498 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27501 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27502 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27503 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27504 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27505 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27506 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27507 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27508 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27509 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27510 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27511 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27512 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27513 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27514 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27519 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27520 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27521 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27522 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27523 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27525 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27526 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27527 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27528 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27529 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27530 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27531 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27532 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27533 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27534 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27535 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27536 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27537 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27540 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27541 @cindex ding mailing list
27542 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27543 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27544 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27545 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27549 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27550 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27552 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27553 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27554 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27555 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27558 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27559 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27560 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27561 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27562 and general methods of operation.
27565 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27566 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27567 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27568 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27569 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27570 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27571 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27572 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27573 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
27577 @node Gnus Utility Functions
27578 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
27579 @cindex Gnus utility functions
27580 @cindex utility functions
27582 @cindex internal variables
27584 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
27585 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
27586 Below is a list of the most common ones.
27590 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
27591 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
27592 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
27594 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
27595 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
27596 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
27598 @item gnus-group-real-name
27599 @findex gnus-group-real-name
27600 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
27603 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
27604 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
27605 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
27606 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
27608 @item gnus-get-info
27609 @findex gnus-get-info
27610 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
27612 @item gnus-group-unread
27613 @findex gnus-group-unread
27614 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
27618 @findex gnus-active
27619 The active entry for @var{group}.
27621 @item gnus-set-active
27622 @findex gnus-set-active
27623 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27625 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27626 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27627 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27630 @item gnus-continuum-version
27631 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27632 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27633 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27636 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27637 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27638 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27640 @item gnus-news-group-p
27641 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27642 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27644 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27645 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27646 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27648 @item gnus-server-to-method
27649 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27650 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27652 @item gnus-server-equal
27653 @findex gnus-server-equal
27654 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27656 @item gnus-group-native-p
27657 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27658 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27660 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27661 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27662 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27664 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27665 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27666 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27668 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27669 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27670 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27671 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27673 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27674 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27675 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27677 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27678 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27679 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27681 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27682 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27683 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27684 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27687 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27691 @item gnus-read-method
27692 @findex gnus-read-method
27693 Prompts the user for a select method.
27698 @node Back End Interface
27699 @subsection Back End Interface
27701 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27702 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27703 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27704 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27705 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27706 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27708 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27709 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27710 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27711 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27712 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27713 been opened, the function should fail.
27715 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27716 name. Take this example:
27720 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27721 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27724 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27725 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27727 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27728 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27729 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27731 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27732 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27733 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27735 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27736 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27737 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27738 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27739 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27740 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27743 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27744 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27745 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27746 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27749 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27750 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27751 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27752 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27753 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27754 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27755 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27756 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27757 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27758 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27760 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27761 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27762 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27763 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27764 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27765 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27766 of numbers as long as possible.
27768 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27769 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27770 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27772 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27775 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27778 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27779 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27780 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27781 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27782 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27783 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27787 @node Required Back End Functions
27788 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
27792 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
27794 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
27795 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
27796 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27797 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27799 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27800 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27801 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27802 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27804 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27805 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27806 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27807 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27808 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27809 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27810 number, do maximum fetches.
27812 Here's an example HEAD:
27815 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27816 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27817 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27818 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27819 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27820 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27821 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27823 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27824 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27825 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27829 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27830 these in the data buffer.
27832 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27836 head = error / valid-head
27837 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27838 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27839 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27840 header = <text> eol
27844 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27846 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27847 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27851 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27852 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27853 field = <text except TAB>
27856 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27860 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27862 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27863 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27865 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27866 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27867 server. In fact, it should do so.
27869 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27870 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27873 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27875 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27876 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27879 There should be no data returned.
27882 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27884 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27885 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27886 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27887 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27889 There should be no data returned.
27892 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27894 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27895 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27896 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27897 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27899 There should be no data returned.
27902 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27904 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27906 There should be no data returned.
27909 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27911 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27912 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27913 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27914 it would be nice if that were possible.
27916 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27917 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27918 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27919 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27920 into its article buffer.
27922 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27923 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
27924 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
27925 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
27926 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
27927 on successful article retrieval.
27930 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
27932 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
27933 making @var{group} the current group.
27935 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
27938 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
27941 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
27944 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
27945 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
27946 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
27947 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
27948 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
27949 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
27950 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
27951 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
27952 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
27956 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
27957 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
27958 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
27962 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27964 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
27965 a no-op on most back ends.
27967 There should be no data returned.
27970 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
27972 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
27975 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
27978 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
27979 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
27982 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
27983 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
27984 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
27985 and the highest as 0.
27988 active-file = *active-line
27989 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
27991 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
27994 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
27995 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
27996 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
27999 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28001 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28002 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28003 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28004 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28005 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28006 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28008 There should be no result data from this function.
28013 @node Optional Back End Functions
28014 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28018 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28020 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28021 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28022 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28024 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28025 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28026 former is in the same format as the data from
28027 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28028 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28031 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28035 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
28037 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
28038 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
28039 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
28040 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
28041 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
28042 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
28043 the network resources).
28045 There should be no result data from this function.
28048 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
28050 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
28051 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
28052 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
28053 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
28054 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
28055 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
28056 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
28057 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
28059 There should be no result data from this function.
28062 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
28064 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
28065 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
28066 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
28067 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
28068 propagate the mark information to the server.
28070 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
28073 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
28076 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
28077 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
28078 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
28079 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
28080 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
28081 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
28082 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
28083 possible, not limit itself to these.
28085 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
28086 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
28087 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
28088 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
28090 An example action list:
28093 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
28094 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
28095 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
28098 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
28099 mark on (currently not used for anything).
28101 There should be no result data from this function.
28103 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
28105 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
28106 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
28107 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
28108 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
28109 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
28111 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
28112 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
28113 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
28116 There should be no result data from this function.
28119 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
28121 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
28122 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
28123 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
28124 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
28125 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
28126 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
28127 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
28128 local if that's practical.
28130 There should be no result data from this function.
28133 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
28135 The result data from this function should be a description of
28139 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
28141 description = <text>
28144 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
28146 The result data from this function should be the description of all
28147 groups available on the server.
28150 description-buffer = *description-line
28154 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
28156 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
28157 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
28158 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
28159 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
28160 in the active buffer format.
28162 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
28163 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
28164 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
28165 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
28166 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
28167 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
28168 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
28171 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28173 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
28175 There should be no return data.
28178 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
28180 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
28181 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
28182 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
28183 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
28184 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
28187 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
28190 There should be no result data returned.
28193 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
28195 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
28196 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
28198 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
28199 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
28200 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
28201 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
28202 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
28203 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
28205 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
28206 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
28209 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28210 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28212 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
28213 article for that group.
28215 There should be no data returned.
28218 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
28220 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
28221 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
28222 this function in short order.
28224 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28225 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28227 There should be no data returned.
28230 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
28232 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
28233 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
28235 There should be no data returned.
28238 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
28240 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
28241 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
28242 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
28244 There should be no data returned.
28247 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
28249 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
28250 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
28252 There should be no data returned.
28257 @node Error Messaging
28258 @subsubsection Error Messaging
28260 @findex nnheader-report
28261 @findex nnheader-get-report
28262 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
28263 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
28264 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
28265 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
28266 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
28267 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
28270 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
28272 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
28275 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
28276 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
28277 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
28278 takes one argument---the server symbol.
28280 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
28281 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
28282 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
28285 @node Writing New Back Ends
28286 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
28288 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
28289 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
28290 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
28291 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
28292 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
28295 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
28296 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
28297 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
28299 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
28300 package called @code{nnoo}.
28302 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
28303 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
28309 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
28310 parameters. For instance:
28313 (nnoo-declare nndir
28317 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
28318 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
28321 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
28322 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
28323 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
28325 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
28326 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
28327 a function in those back ends.
28330 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28331 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28332 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28335 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
28336 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
28337 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
28339 @item nnoo-define-basics
28340 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
28344 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28348 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
28349 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
28350 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
28352 @item nnoo-map-functions
28353 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
28354 functions from the parent back ends.
28357 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28358 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28359 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
28362 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
28363 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
28364 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
28365 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
28368 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
28369 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
28370 haven't already been defined.
28376 nnmh-request-newgroups)
28380 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
28381 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
28382 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
28387 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
28390 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
28391 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
28395 (require 'nnheader)
28399 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
28401 (nnoo-declare nndir
28404 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28405 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28406 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28408 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
28409 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
28412 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
28414 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
28415 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
28416 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
28418 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
28419 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
28421 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
28423 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28425 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
28426 (setq nndir-directory
28427 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
28429 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
28430 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
28431 (push `(nndir-current-group
28432 ,(file-name-nondirectory
28433 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28435 (push `(nndir-top-directory
28436 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28438 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
28440 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28441 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28442 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28443 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
28444 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
28448 nnmh-status-message
28450 nnmh-request-newgroups))
28456 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28457 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28459 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
28460 @findex gnus-declare-backend
28461 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
28462 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
28463 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
28465 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
28466 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28471 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28474 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28476 The abilities can be:
28480 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28482 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28484 This back end supports both mail and news.
28486 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28489 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28490 articles and groups.
28492 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28493 true for almost all back ends.
28494 @item prompt-address
28495 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28496 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28497 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28501 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28502 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28504 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28505 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28506 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28507 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28510 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28511 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28512 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28515 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28516 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28519 This function takes four parameters.
28523 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28526 @item exit-function
28527 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28529 @item temp-directory
28530 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28533 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28534 performed for one group only.
28537 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28538 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28539 find the article number assigned to this article.
28541 The function also uses the following variables:
28542 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28543 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28544 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28545 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28549 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28550 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28554 @node Score File Syntax
28555 @subsection Score File Syntax
28557 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28558 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28559 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28561 Here's a typical score file:
28565 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28572 BNF definition of a score file:
28575 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28576 element = rule / atom
28577 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
28578 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
28579 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
28580 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
28582 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
28583 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
28584 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
28585 date-header = "date"
28586 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28587 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28588 score = "nil" / <integer>
28589 date = "nil" / <natural number>
28590 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
28591 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
28592 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
28593 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
28594 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28595 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28596 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
28597 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28598 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
28599 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
28600 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
28601 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
28602 exclude-files / read-only / touched
28603 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
28604 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
28605 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
28606 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
28607 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
28608 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
28609 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
28610 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
28611 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
28612 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
28613 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
28614 eval = "eval" space <form>
28615 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
28618 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
28621 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
28622 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28623 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28624 one looong line, then that's ok.
28626 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28627 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28631 @subsection Headers
28633 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28634 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28635 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28636 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28638 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28639 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28640 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28641 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28642 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28643 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28644 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28646 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28647 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28648 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28649 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28650 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28652 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28653 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28659 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28660 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28662 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28663 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28664 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28665 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28667 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28671 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28674 is transformed into
28677 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28680 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28681 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28684 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28687 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28688 is slightly tricky:
28691 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28697 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28700 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28706 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28713 and is equal to the previous range.
28715 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28716 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28717 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28721 range = simple-range / normal-range
28722 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28723 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28724 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28725 number *[ " " contents ]
28728 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28729 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28730 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28731 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28732 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28737 @subsection Group Info
28739 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28740 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28741 describes the group.
28743 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28744 second is a more complex one:
28747 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28749 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28750 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28752 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28755 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28756 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28757 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28758 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28759 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28760 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28761 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28762 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28763 this section is about.
28765 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28766 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28767 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28769 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28772 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28773 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28774 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28775 group = quote <string> quote
28776 ralevel = rank / level
28777 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28778 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28779 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28781 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28782 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28783 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28784 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28787 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28788 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
28791 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
28792 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
28795 @item gnus-info-group
28796 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
28797 @findex gnus-info-group
28798 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28799 Get/set the group name.
28801 @item gnus-info-rank
28802 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28803 @findex gnus-info-rank
28804 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28805 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28807 @item gnus-info-level
28808 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28809 @findex gnus-info-level
28810 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28811 Get/set the group level.
28813 @item gnus-info-score
28814 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28815 @findex gnus-info-score
28816 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28817 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28819 @item gnus-info-read
28820 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28821 @findex gnus-info-read
28822 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28823 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28825 @item gnus-info-marks
28826 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28827 @findex gnus-info-marks
28828 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28829 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28831 @item gnus-info-method
28832 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28833 @findex gnus-info-method
28834 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28835 Get/set the group select method.
28837 @item gnus-info-params
28838 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28839 @findex gnus-info-params
28840 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28841 Get/set the group parameters.
28844 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28845 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28847 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28848 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28849 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28850 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28853 @node Extended Interactive
28854 @subsection Extended Interactive
28855 @cindex interactive
28856 @findex gnus-interactive
28858 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28859 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28860 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28863 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28864 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28869 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28870 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28871 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28872 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28873 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28874 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28875 @code{interactive}.
28877 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28882 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28883 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28887 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28888 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28889 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28892 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28896 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28900 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28906 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28907 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28911 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28912 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28913 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28915 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28916 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28917 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28918 Gnus, that's very useful.
28920 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28921 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28922 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28923 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
28924 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
28925 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
28926 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
28927 following function:
28930 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
28934 (,function ,@@args))
28938 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
28939 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
28940 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
28943 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
28944 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
28945 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
28947 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
28948 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
28949 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
28952 @node Various File Formats
28953 @subsection Various File Formats
28956 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
28957 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
28961 @node Active File Format
28962 @subsubsection Active File Format
28964 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
28965 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
28968 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
28971 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
28972 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
28973 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
28974 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
28975 no.general 1000 900 y
28978 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
28981 active = *group-line
28982 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
28983 group = <non-white-space string>
28985 high-number = <non-negative integer>
28986 low-number = <positive integer>
28987 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
28990 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
28991 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
28994 @node Newsgroups File Format
28995 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
28997 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
28998 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
28999 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29002 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29003 Here's the definition:
29007 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29008 group = <non-white-space string>
29010 description = <string>
29015 @node Emacs for Heathens
29016 @section Emacs for Heathens
29018 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29019 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29020 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29021 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29022 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29023 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29024 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29028 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29029 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29034 @subsection Keystrokes
29038 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
29041 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
29044 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
29045 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
29046 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
29047 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
29048 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
29049 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
29051 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
29052 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
29053 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
29054 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
29055 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
29056 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
29057 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
29059 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
29060 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
29061 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
29062 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
29063 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
29064 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
29065 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
29067 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
29068 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
29069 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
29070 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
29071 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
29077 @subsection Emacs Lisp
29079 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
29080 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
29081 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
29082 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
29084 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
29085 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
29086 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
29087 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
29088 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
29089 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
29090 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
29093 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
29094 write the following:
29097 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
29100 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
29101 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
29102 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
29105 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
29106 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
29107 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
29108 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
29109 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
29111 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
29112 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
29113 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
29117 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
29121 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
29124 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
29125 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
29128 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
29131 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
29132 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
29135 @include gnus-faq.texi
29155 @c Local Variables:
29157 @c coding: iso-8859-1