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4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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268 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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277 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
278 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
281 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
282 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
283 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
284 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
285 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
286 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
287 License'' in the Emacs manual.
289 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
290 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
291 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
293 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
294 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
295 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
296 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
304 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
306 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
308 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
309 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
310 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
311 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
312 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
313 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
314 License'' in the Emacs manual.
316 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
317 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
318 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
320 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
321 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
322 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
323 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
329 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
331 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
334 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
335 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
337 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
338 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
339 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
340 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
341 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
342 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
343 License'' in the Emacs manual.
345 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
346 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
347 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
349 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
350 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
351 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
352 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
361 @top The gnus Newsreader
365 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
366 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
367 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
370 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
371 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
372 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
373 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
374 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
375 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
377 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
388 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
389 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
391 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
392 being accused of plagiarism:
394 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
395 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
396 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
397 can even read news with it!
399 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
400 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
401 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
402 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
403 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
409 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
410 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
411 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
412 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
413 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
414 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
415 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
416 * Various:: General purpose settings.
417 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
418 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
419 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
420 * Key Index:: Key Index.
423 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
427 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
428 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
429 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
430 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
431 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
432 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
433 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
434 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
435 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
436 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
437 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
441 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
442 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
443 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
447 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
448 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
449 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
450 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
451 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
452 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
453 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
454 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
455 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
456 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
457 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
458 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
459 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
460 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
461 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
462 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
463 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
467 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
468 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
469 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
473 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
474 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
475 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
476 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
477 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
481 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
482 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
483 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
484 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
488 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
489 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
490 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
491 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
492 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
494 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
495 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
496 * Threading:: How threads are made.
497 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
498 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
499 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
500 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
501 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
502 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
503 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
504 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
505 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
506 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
507 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
508 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
509 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
510 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
511 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
512 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
513 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
514 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
515 or reselecting the current group.
516 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
517 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
518 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
519 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
521 Summary Buffer Format
523 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
524 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
525 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
526 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
530 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
531 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
533 Reply, Followup and Post
535 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
536 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
537 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
538 * Canceling and Superseding::
542 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
543 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
544 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
546 * Generic Marking Commands::
547 * Setting Process Marks::
551 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
552 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
553 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
557 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
558 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
560 Customizing Threading
562 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
563 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
564 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
565 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
569 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
570 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
571 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
572 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
573 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
574 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
578 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
579 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
580 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
584 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
585 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
586 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
587 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
588 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
589 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
590 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
591 * Article Miscellania:: 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 @sc{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 via?
617 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
618 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
619 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
620 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
621 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
622 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
626 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
627 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
628 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
629 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
630 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
631 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
632 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
636 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
637 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
638 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
639 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
640 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
641 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
642 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
646 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
647 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
651 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
652 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
653 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
657 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
658 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
659 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
660 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
661 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
662 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
663 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
664 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
665 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
666 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
667 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
668 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
669 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
670 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
674 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
675 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
676 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
678 Choosing a Mail Backend
680 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
681 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
682 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
683 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
684 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
685 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
689 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
690 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
691 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
692 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
693 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
694 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
698 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
699 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
700 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
701 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
702 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
703 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
707 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
711 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
712 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
713 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
717 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
718 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
719 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
723 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
724 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
728 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
729 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
730 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
731 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
732 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
733 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
734 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
735 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
736 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
737 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
741 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
742 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
743 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
747 * Group Agent Commands::
748 * Summary Agent Commands::
749 * Server Agent Commands::
753 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
754 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
755 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
756 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
757 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
758 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
759 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
760 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
761 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
762 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
763 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
764 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
765 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
766 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
767 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
768 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
769 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
773 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
774 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
775 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
776 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
780 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
781 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
782 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
786 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
787 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
788 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
789 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
790 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
791 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
792 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
793 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
794 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
795 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
796 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
797 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
798 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
799 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
800 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
801 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
802 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
803 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
807 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
808 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
809 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
810 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
811 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
812 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
813 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
814 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
818 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
819 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
820 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
821 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
825 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
826 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
827 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
828 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
829 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
833 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
834 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
835 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
836 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
837 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
838 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
839 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
843 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
844 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
845 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
846 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
847 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
848 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
849 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
850 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
851 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
855 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
856 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
857 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
858 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
859 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
863 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
864 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
865 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
866 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
870 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
871 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
872 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
873 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
874 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
875 * Group Info:: The group info format.
876 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
877 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
878 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
882 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
883 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
884 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
885 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
886 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
887 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
891 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
892 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
896 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
897 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
903 @chapter Starting gnus
908 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
909 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
912 @findex gnus-other-frame
913 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
914 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
915 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
917 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
918 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
919 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
921 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
922 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
925 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
926 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
927 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
928 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
929 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
930 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
931 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
932 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
933 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
934 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
935 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
939 @node Finding the News
940 @section Finding the News
943 @vindex gnus-select-method
945 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
946 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
947 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
948 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
951 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
952 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
955 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
958 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
961 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
964 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
965 certainly be much faster.
967 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
969 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
970 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
971 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
972 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
973 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
974 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
976 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
977 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
978 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
979 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
981 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
982 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
983 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
984 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
985 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
986 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
987 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
988 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
989 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
992 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
994 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
995 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
996 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
997 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
998 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
999 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1001 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1003 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1004 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1005 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1006 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1007 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1008 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1011 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
1012 would typically set this variable to
1015 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1019 @node The First Time
1020 @section The First Time
1021 @cindex first time usage
1023 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1024 be subscribed by default.
1026 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1027 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1028 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1029 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1032 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1033 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1034 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1036 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1037 help you with most common problems.
1039 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1040 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1044 @node The Server is Down
1045 @section The Server is Down
1046 @cindex server errors
1048 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1049 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1050 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1052 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1053 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1054 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1055 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1056 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1057 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1058 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1060 @findex gnus-no-server
1061 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1063 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1064 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1065 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1066 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1067 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1068 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1069 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1073 @section Slave Gnusae
1076 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1077 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1078 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1079 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1081 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1082 @code{.newsrc} file.
1084 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1085 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1086 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1087 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1088 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1089 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1090 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1092 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1093 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1094 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1095 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1096 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1097 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1098 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1099 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1101 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1102 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1105 @node Fetching a Group
1106 @section Fetching a Group
1107 @cindex fetching a group
1109 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1110 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1111 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1112 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1113 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1114 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1120 @cindex subscription
1122 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1123 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1124 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1125 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1126 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1127 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1128 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1129 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1130 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1133 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1134 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1135 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1139 @node Checking New Groups
1140 @subsection Checking New Groups
1142 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1143 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1144 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1145 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1146 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1147 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1148 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1149 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1150 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1151 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1153 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1154 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1155 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1156 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1157 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1158 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1159 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1160 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1161 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1162 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1163 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1165 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1166 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1167 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1168 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1169 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1170 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1173 @node Subscription Methods
1174 @subsection Subscription Methods
1176 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1177 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1178 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1180 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1181 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1183 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1187 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1188 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1189 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1190 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1191 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1193 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1194 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1195 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1196 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1198 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1199 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1200 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1202 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1203 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1204 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1205 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1206 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1207 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1208 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1209 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1210 up. Or something like that.
1212 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1213 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1214 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1215 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1216 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1218 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1219 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1220 Kill all new groups.
1222 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1223 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1224 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1225 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1226 topic parameter that looks like
1232 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1235 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1241 A closely related variable is
1242 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1243 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1244 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1245 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1248 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1249 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1250 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1251 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1254 @node Filtering New Groups
1255 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1257 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1258 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1259 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1262 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1265 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1266 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1267 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1268 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1269 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1270 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1271 subscribing these groups.
1272 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1273 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1275 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1276 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1277 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1278 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1279 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1280 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1281 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1282 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1284 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1285 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1286 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1287 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1288 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1289 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1290 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1291 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1292 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1293 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1295 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1296 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1299 @node Changing Servers
1300 @section Changing Servers
1301 @cindex changing servers
1303 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1304 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1305 very flaky and you want to use another.
1307 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1308 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1312 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1313 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1314 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1315 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1318 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1319 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1320 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1321 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1323 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1324 @findex gnus-change-server
1325 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1326 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1327 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1328 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1329 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1331 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1332 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1333 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1334 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1335 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1337 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1338 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1339 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1340 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1341 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1342 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1344 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1345 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1346 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1350 @section Startup Files
1351 @cindex startup files
1356 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1357 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1359 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1360 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1361 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1362 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1363 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1364 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1365 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1367 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1368 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1369 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1370 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1371 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1372 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1374 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1375 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1376 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1377 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1378 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1379 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1380 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1381 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1382 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1383 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1385 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1386 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1387 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1388 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1389 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1390 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1391 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1392 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1393 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1394 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1395 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1396 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1398 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1399 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1400 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1401 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1403 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1404 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1405 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1406 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1407 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1408 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1409 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1410 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1411 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1412 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1415 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1416 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1418 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1419 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1422 @vindex gnus-init-file
1423 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1424 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1425 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1426 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1427 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1428 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1429 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1430 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1431 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1437 @cindex dribble file
1440 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1441 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1442 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1443 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1444 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1447 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1448 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1451 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1452 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1453 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1455 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1456 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1457 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1458 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1459 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1460 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1462 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1463 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1464 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1467 @node The Active File
1468 @section The Active File
1470 @cindex ignored groups
1472 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1473 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1474 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1476 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1477 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1478 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1479 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1480 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1481 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1482 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1485 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1486 @c if you set it to anything else.
1488 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1490 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1491 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1492 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1494 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1495 you actually subscribe to.
1497 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1498 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1499 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1500 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1502 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1503 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1504 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1505 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1506 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1507 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1509 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1510 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1511 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1514 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1515 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1516 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1517 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1518 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1519 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1521 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1522 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1524 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1525 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1527 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1528 secondary select methods.
1531 @node Startup Variables
1532 @section Startup Variables
1536 @item gnus-load-hook
1537 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1538 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1539 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1540 times you start gnus.
1542 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1543 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1544 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1546 @item gnus-startup-hook
1547 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1548 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1550 @item gnus-started-hook
1551 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1552 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1555 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1556 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1557 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1558 generating the group buffer.
1560 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1561 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1562 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1563 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1564 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1565 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1566 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1567 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1569 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1570 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1571 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1572 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1573 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1574 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1576 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1577 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1578 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1580 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1581 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1582 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1584 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1585 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1586 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1587 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1593 @chapter Group Buffer
1594 @cindex group buffer
1596 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1598 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1599 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1600 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1601 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1602 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1603 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1604 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1605 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1606 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1607 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1608 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1609 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1610 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1611 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1612 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1613 @c human rights at 9...
1616 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1617 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1618 long as gnus is active.
1622 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1623 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1624 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1625 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1626 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1627 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1628 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1629 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1635 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1636 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1637 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1638 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1639 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1640 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1641 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1642 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1643 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1644 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1645 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1646 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1647 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1648 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1649 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1650 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1651 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1655 @node Group Buffer Format
1656 @section Group Buffer Format
1659 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1660 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1661 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1665 @node Group Line Specification
1666 @subsection Group Line Specification
1667 @cindex group buffer format
1669 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1670 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1672 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1675 25: news.announce.newusers
1676 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1681 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1682 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1683 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1684 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1686 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1687 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1688 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1689 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1690 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1691 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1693 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1695 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1696 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1697 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1698 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1701 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1702 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1703 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1705 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1710 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1713 Whether the group is subscribed.
1716 Level of subscribedness.
1719 Number of unread articles.
1722 Number of dormant articles.
1725 Number of ticked articles.
1728 Number of read articles.
1731 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1732 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1734 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1735 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1736 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1737 raisins, even the mail backends, where the true number of unread
1738 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1739 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1740 backend interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1741 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1744 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1747 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1756 Newsgroup description.
1759 @samp{m} if moderated.
1762 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1771 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1775 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1778 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1779 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1780 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1781 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1782 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1785 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1787 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1791 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1794 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1798 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1799 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1800 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1801 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1802 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1803 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1808 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1809 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1810 group, or a bogus native group.
1813 @node Group Modeline Specification
1814 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1815 @cindex group modeline
1817 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1818 The mode line can be changed by setting
1819 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1820 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1824 The native news server.
1826 The native select method.
1830 @node Group Highlighting
1831 @subsection Group Highlighting
1832 @cindex highlighting
1833 @cindex group highlighting
1835 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1836 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1837 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1838 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1839 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1841 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1845 (cond (window-system
1846 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1847 (defface my-group-face-1
1848 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1849 (defface my-group-face-2
1850 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1851 (defface my-group-face-3
1852 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1853 (defface my-group-face-4
1854 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1855 (defface my-group-face-5
1856 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1858 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1859 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1860 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1861 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1862 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1863 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1866 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1868 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1875 The number of unread articles in the group.
1879 Whether the group is a mail group.
1881 The level of the group.
1883 The score of the group.
1885 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1887 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1888 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1890 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1891 topic being inserted.
1894 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1895 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1896 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1898 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1899 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1900 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1901 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1902 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1905 @node Group Maneuvering
1906 @section Group Maneuvering
1907 @cindex group movement
1909 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1910 expected, hopefully.
1916 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1917 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1918 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1924 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1925 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1926 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1930 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1931 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1935 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1936 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1940 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1941 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1942 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1946 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1947 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1948 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1951 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1957 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1958 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1959 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1964 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1965 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1966 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1970 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1971 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1972 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1975 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1976 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1977 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1978 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1982 @node Selecting a Group
1983 @section Selecting a Group
1984 @cindex group selection
1989 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1990 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1991 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1992 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1993 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1994 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1995 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1996 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1997 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1998 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2000 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2001 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2002 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2004 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2005 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2010 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2011 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2012 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2013 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2014 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2018 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2019 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2020 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2021 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2022 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2023 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2024 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2025 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2026 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2027 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2030 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2031 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2032 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2033 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2034 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2037 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
2038 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2039 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2040 doing any processing of its contents
2041 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2042 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2043 manner will have no permanent effects.
2047 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2048 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2049 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2050 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2051 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2052 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2053 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2054 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2057 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2058 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2059 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2060 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2065 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2066 full summary buffer.
2069 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2072 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2077 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2078 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2079 Useful functions include:
2082 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2083 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2084 don't select the article.
2086 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2087 Select the first unread article.
2089 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2090 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2094 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2095 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2096 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2100 @node Subscription Commands
2101 @section Subscription Commands
2102 @cindex subscription
2110 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2111 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2112 Toggle subscription to the current group
2113 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2119 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2120 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2121 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2122 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2128 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2129 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2130 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2136 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2137 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2140 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2141 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2142 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2143 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2144 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2150 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2151 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2155 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2156 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2159 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2160 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2161 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2162 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2163 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2164 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2165 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2166 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2167 @file{.newsrc} file.
2171 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2181 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2182 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2183 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2184 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2185 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2186 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2191 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2192 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2193 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2197 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2198 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2199 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2201 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2202 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2203 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2204 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2205 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2206 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2213 @section Group Levels
2217 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2218 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2219 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2220 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2221 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2223 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2229 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2230 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2231 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2232 prompted for a level.
2235 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2236 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2237 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2238 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2239 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2240 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2241 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2242 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2243 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2244 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2245 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2246 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2247 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2248 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2249 reasons of efficiency.
2251 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2252 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2254 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2255 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2256 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2257 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2258 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2259 groups are hidden, in a way.
2261 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2262 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2263 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2264 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2265 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2266 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2268 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2269 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2270 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2271 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2272 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2273 list of killed groups.)
2275 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2276 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2277 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2279 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2280 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2281 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2282 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2283 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2284 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2285 relevant valid ranges.
2287 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2288 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2289 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2290 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2291 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2292 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2295 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2296 one with the best level.
2298 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2299 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2300 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2303 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2304 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2305 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2306 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2309 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2310 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2311 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2312 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2314 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2315 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2316 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2317 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2318 to 5. The default is 6.
2322 @section Group Score
2327 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2328 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2329 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2332 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2333 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2334 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2335 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2336 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2337 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2338 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2339 least significant part.))
2341 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2342 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2343 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2344 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2345 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2346 action after each summary exit, you can add
2347 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2348 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2349 slow things down somewhat.
2352 @node Marking Groups
2353 @section Marking Groups
2354 @cindex marking groups
2356 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2357 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2358 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2359 bidding on those groups.
2361 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2362 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2363 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2371 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2372 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2378 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2379 Remove the mark from the current group
2380 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2384 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2385 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2389 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2390 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2394 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2395 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2399 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2400 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2401 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2404 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2406 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2407 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2408 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2409 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2410 the command to be executed.
2413 @node Foreign Groups
2414 @section Foreign Groups
2415 @cindex foreign groups
2417 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2418 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2419 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2420 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2427 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2428 @cindex making groups
2429 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2430 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2431 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2435 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2436 @cindex renaming groups
2437 Rename the current group to something else
2438 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2439 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2445 @findex gnus-group-customize
2446 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2450 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2451 @cindex renaming groups
2452 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2453 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2458 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2459 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2464 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2465 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2469 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2471 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2472 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2477 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2478 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2482 @cindex (ding) archive
2483 @cindex archive group
2484 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2485 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2486 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2487 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2488 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2489 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2490 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2494 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2496 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2497 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2498 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2499 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2503 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2505 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2506 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2507 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2511 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2512 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2514 Make a group based on some file or other
2515 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2516 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2517 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2518 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2519 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2520 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2521 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2525 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2526 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2527 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2528 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2532 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2537 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2538 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2539 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2540 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2541 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2542 @xref{Web Searches}.
2544 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2545 to a particular group by using a match string like
2546 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2549 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2550 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2551 This function will delete the current group
2552 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2553 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2554 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2555 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2556 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2560 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2561 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2562 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2566 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2567 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2568 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2571 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2574 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2575 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2576 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2577 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2578 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2579 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2583 @node Group Parameters
2584 @section Group Parameters
2585 @cindex group parameters
2587 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2588 Here's an example group parameter list:
2591 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2595 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2596 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2597 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2598 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2600 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2601 is an alist of regexps and values.
2603 The following group parameters can be used:
2608 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2611 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2614 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2615 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2616 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2617 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2618 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2620 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2621 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2622 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2623 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2624 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2625 list address instead.
2627 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2631 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2634 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2637 It is totally ignored
2638 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2639 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2641 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2642 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2643 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2644 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2645 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2647 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2648 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2649 sending the message.
2651 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2652 @cindex Mail List Groups
2653 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2654 entering summary buffer.
2656 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2660 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2661 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2662 of whether it has any unread articles.
2664 @item broken-reply-to
2665 @cindex broken-reply-to
2666 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2667 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2668 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2669 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2670 broken behavior. So there!
2674 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2675 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2679 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2680 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2681 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2686 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2687 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2688 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2689 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2690 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2691 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2692 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2696 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2697 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2698 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2700 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2703 @cindex total-expire
2704 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2705 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2706 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2707 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2710 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2714 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2715 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2716 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2717 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2718 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2719 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2722 @cindex score file group parameter
2723 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2724 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2725 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2728 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2729 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2730 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2731 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2734 @cindex admin-address
2735 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2736 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2737 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2738 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2742 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2743 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2747 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2750 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2754 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2756 Here are some examples:
2760 Display only read articles.
2763 Display everything except expirable articles.
2765 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2766 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2770 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2771 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2772 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2773 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2774 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2778 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2779 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2780 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2784 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2785 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2786 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2791 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2792 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2793 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2795 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2797 @item ignored-charsets
2798 @cindex ignored-charset
2799 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2800 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2801 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2803 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2806 @cindex posting-style
2807 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2808 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2809 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2810 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2811 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2813 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2814 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2815 like this in the group parameters:
2820 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2825 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2826 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2830 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2831 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2832 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2833 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2834 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2836 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2837 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2838 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2839 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2840 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2841 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2842 @code{eval}ed there.
2844 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2845 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2846 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2847 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2848 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2852 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2853 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2854 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2855 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2856 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2858 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2859 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2863 (setq gnus-parameters
2865 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2866 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2867 (gnus-summary-line-format
2868 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2872 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2876 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2880 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2883 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2884 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2887 @node Listing Groups
2888 @section Listing Groups
2889 @cindex group listing
2891 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2899 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2900 List all groups that have unread articles
2901 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2902 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2903 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2904 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2911 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2912 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2913 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2914 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2915 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2916 unsubscribed groups).
2920 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2921 List all unread groups on a specific level
2922 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2923 with no unread articles.
2927 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2928 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2929 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2930 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2935 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2936 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2940 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2941 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2942 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2946 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2947 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2951 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2952 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2953 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2954 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2955 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2956 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2957 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2958 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2962 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2963 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2964 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2968 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2969 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2970 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2974 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2975 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2979 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2980 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2984 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2985 List groups limited within the current selection
2986 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2990 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2991 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2995 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2996 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3000 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3001 @cindex visible group parameter
3002 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3003 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3004 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3005 get the same effect.
3007 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3008 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3009 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3010 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3011 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3014 @node Sorting Groups
3015 @section Sorting Groups
3016 @cindex sorting groups
3018 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3019 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3020 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3021 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3022 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3023 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3028 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3029 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3030 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3032 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3033 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3034 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3036 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3037 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3038 Sort by group level.
3040 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3041 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3042 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3044 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3045 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3046 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3047 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3049 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3050 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3051 Sort by number of unread articles.
3053 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3054 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3055 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3057 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3058 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3059 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3064 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3065 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3069 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3070 some sorting criteria:
3074 @kindex G S a (Group)
3075 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3076 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3077 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3080 @kindex G S u (Group)
3081 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3082 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3083 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3086 @kindex G S l (Group)
3087 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3088 Sort the group buffer by group level
3089 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3092 @kindex G S v (Group)
3093 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3094 Sort the group buffer by group score
3095 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3098 @kindex G S r (Group)
3099 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3100 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3101 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3104 @kindex G S m (Group)
3105 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3106 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
3107 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3111 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3112 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3114 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3115 commands will sort in reverse order.
3117 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3121 @kindex G P a (Group)
3122 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3123 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3124 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3127 @kindex G P u (Group)
3128 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3129 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3130 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3133 @kindex G P l (Group)
3134 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3135 Sort the groups by group level
3136 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3139 @kindex G P v (Group)
3140 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3141 Sort the groups by group score
3142 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3145 @kindex G P r (Group)
3146 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3147 Sort the groups by group rank
3148 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3151 @kindex G P m (Group)
3152 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3153 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3154 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3158 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3162 @node Group Maintenance
3163 @section Group Maintenance
3164 @cindex bogus groups
3169 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3170 Find bogus groups and delete them
3171 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3175 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3176 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3177 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3178 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3179 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3183 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3184 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3185 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3186 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3187 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3188 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3191 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3192 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3193 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3194 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3199 @node Browse Foreign Server
3200 @section Browse Foreign Server
3201 @cindex foreign servers
3202 @cindex browsing servers
3207 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3208 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3209 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3210 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3213 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3214 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3215 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3216 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3218 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3223 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3224 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3228 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3229 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3232 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3233 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3234 Enter the current group and display the first article
3235 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3238 @kindex RET (Browse)
3239 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3240 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3244 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3245 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3246 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3252 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3253 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3257 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3258 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3259 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3264 @section Exiting gnus
3265 @cindex exiting gnus
3267 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3272 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3273 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3274 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3275 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3279 @findex gnus-group-exit
3280 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3281 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3285 @findex gnus-group-quit
3286 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3287 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3290 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3291 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3292 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3293 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3294 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3299 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3300 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3301 trying to customize meta-variables.
3306 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3307 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3308 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3314 @section Group Topics
3317 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3318 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3319 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3320 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3321 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3322 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3326 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3327 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3338 2: alt.religion.emacs
3341 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3343 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3344 13: comp.sources.unix
3347 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3349 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3350 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3351 is a toggling command.)
3353 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3354 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3355 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3356 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3359 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3360 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3361 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3364 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3368 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3369 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3370 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3371 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3372 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3376 @node Topic Commands
3377 @subsection Topic Commands
3378 @cindex topic commands
3380 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3381 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3382 definitions slightly.
3384 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3385 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3386 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3387 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3388 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3389 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3391 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3398 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3399 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3400 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3404 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3406 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3407 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3408 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3409 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3412 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3413 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3414 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3415 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3419 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3420 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3421 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3422 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3428 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3429 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3430 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3434 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3435 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3436 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3439 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3440 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3441 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3442 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3443 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3445 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3446 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3450 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3451 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3458 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3460 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3461 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3462 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3463 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3464 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3465 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3469 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3475 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3476 Move the current group to some other topic
3477 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3478 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3482 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3483 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3487 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3488 Copy the current group to some other topic
3489 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3490 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3494 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3495 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3496 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3500 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3501 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3502 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3506 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3507 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3508 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3509 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3510 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3511 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3512 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3515 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3516 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3520 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3521 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3522 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3526 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3527 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3528 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3532 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3533 Toggle hiding empty topics
3534 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3538 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3539 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3540 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3543 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3544 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3545 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3546 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3549 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3550 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3551 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3552 expiry process (if any)
3553 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3557 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3558 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3561 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3562 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3563 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3567 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3568 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3569 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3573 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3574 @cindex group parameters
3575 @cindex topic parameters
3577 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3578 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3583 @node Topic Variables
3584 @subsection Topic Variables
3585 @cindex topic variables
3587 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3588 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3590 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3591 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3592 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3605 Number of groups in the topic.
3607 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3609 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3612 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3613 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3614 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3617 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3618 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3620 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3621 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3622 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3626 @subsection Topic Sorting
3627 @cindex topic sorting
3629 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3635 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3636 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3637 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3638 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3641 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3642 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3643 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3644 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3647 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3648 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3649 Sort the current topic by group level
3650 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3653 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3654 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3655 Sort the current topic by group score
3656 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3659 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3660 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3661 Sort the current topic by group rank
3662 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3665 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3666 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3667 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3668 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3672 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3675 @node Topic Topology
3676 @subsection Topic Topology
3677 @cindex topic topology
3680 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3686 2: alt.religion.emacs
3689 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3691 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3692 13: comp.sources.unix
3695 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3696 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3697 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3702 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3703 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3707 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3708 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3709 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3710 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3711 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3712 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3714 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3715 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3716 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3719 @node Topic Parameters
3720 @subsection Topic Parameters
3721 @cindex topic parameters
3723 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3724 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3725 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3727 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3732 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3733 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3734 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3739 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3740 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3741 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3742 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3748 2: alt.religion.emacs
3752 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3754 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3755 13: comp.sources.unix
3759 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3760 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3761 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3762 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3763 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3764 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3766 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3767 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3768 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3769 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3770 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3772 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3773 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3774 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3775 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3776 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3777 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3778 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3779 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3782 @node Misc Group Stuff
3783 @section Misc Group Stuff
3786 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3787 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3788 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3789 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3796 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3797 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3798 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3802 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3803 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3804 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3808 @findex gnus-group-mail
3809 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3813 Variables for the group buffer:
3817 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3818 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3819 is called after the group buffer has been
3822 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3823 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3824 is called after the group buffer is
3825 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3828 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3829 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3830 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3831 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3833 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3834 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3835 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3836 whether they are empty or not.
3838 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3839 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3840 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3841 non-ASCII group names.
3845 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3846 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3849 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3850 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3851 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3852 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3856 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3857 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3862 @node Scanning New Messages
3863 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3864 @cindex new messages
3865 @cindex scanning new news
3871 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3872 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3873 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3874 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3875 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3876 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3881 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3882 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3883 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3884 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3885 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3886 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3887 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3889 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3890 @cindex activating groups
3892 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3893 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3898 @findex gnus-group-restart
3899 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3900 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3901 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3905 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3906 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3908 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3909 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3913 @node Group Information
3914 @subsection Group Information
3915 @cindex group information
3916 @cindex information on groups
3923 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3924 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3927 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3928 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3929 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3930 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3931 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3932 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3933 for fetching the file.
3935 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3936 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3940 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3942 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3943 @cindex describing groups
3944 @cindex group description
3945 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3946 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3947 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3951 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3952 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3953 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3960 @findex gnus-version
3961 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3965 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3966 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3969 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3972 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3973 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3977 @node Group Timestamp
3978 @subsection Group Timestamp
3980 @cindex group timestamps
3982 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3983 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3984 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3987 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3990 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3992 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3993 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3996 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3997 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4000 This will result in lines looking like:
4003 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4004 0: custom 19961002T012713
4007 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4008 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4012 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4013 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4018 @subsection File Commands
4019 @cindex file commands
4025 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4026 @vindex gnus-init-file
4027 @cindex reading init file
4028 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4029 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4033 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4034 @cindex saving .newsrc
4035 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4036 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4037 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4040 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4041 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4042 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4047 @node Summary Buffer
4048 @chapter Summary Buffer
4049 @cindex summary buffer
4051 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4052 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4054 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4055 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4057 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4060 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4061 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4062 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4063 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4064 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4065 * Delayed Articles::
4066 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4067 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4068 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4069 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4070 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4071 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4072 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4073 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4074 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4075 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4076 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4077 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4078 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4079 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4080 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4081 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4082 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4083 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4084 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4085 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4086 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4087 or reselecting the current group.
4088 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4089 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4090 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4091 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4095 @node Summary Buffer Format
4096 @section Summary Buffer Format
4097 @cindex summary buffer format
4101 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4102 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4103 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4109 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4110 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4111 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4112 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4115 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4116 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4117 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4118 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4119 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4120 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4121 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4122 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4123 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4124 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4125 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4126 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4127 other function instead:
4130 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4131 'mail-extract-address-components)
4134 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4135 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4136 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4137 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4140 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4141 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4143 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4144 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4145 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4146 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4147 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4149 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4150 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4151 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4152 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4153 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4155 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4157 The following format specification characters are understood:
4163 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4164 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4166 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4167 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4168 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4170 Full @code{From} header.
4172 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4174 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4175 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4177 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4178 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4179 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4180 may be more thorough.
4182 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4185 Number of lines in the article.
4187 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4188 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4190 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4192 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4195 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4196 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4198 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4199 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4201 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4202 for adopted articles.
4204 One space for each thread level.
4206 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4211 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4212 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4216 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4218 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4219 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4220 default level. If the difference between
4221 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4222 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4230 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4232 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4238 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4239 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4241 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4242 article has any children.
4248 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4249 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4250 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4251 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4252 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4253 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4256 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4257 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4258 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4259 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4260 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4261 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4263 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4264 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4266 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4269 @node To From Newsgroups
4270 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4274 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4275 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4276 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4277 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4278 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4282 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4283 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4284 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4288 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4289 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4292 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4293 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4296 @findex gnus-extra-header
4297 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4298 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4299 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4302 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4306 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4307 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4308 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4309 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4310 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4311 headers are used instead.
4315 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4316 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4317 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4318 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4321 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4322 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4323 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4324 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4326 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4330 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4332 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4333 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4334 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4335 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4339 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4340 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4347 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4348 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4351 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4352 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4354 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4355 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4356 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4357 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4359 Here are the elements you can play with:
4365 Unprefixed group name.
4367 Current article number.
4369 Current article score.
4373 Number of unread articles in this group.
4375 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4378 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4379 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4380 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4381 and no unselected ones.
4383 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4384 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4386 Subject of the current article.
4388 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4390 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4392 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4394 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4396 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4398 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4402 @node Summary Highlighting
4403 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4407 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4408 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4409 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4410 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4411 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4413 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4414 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4415 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4416 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4418 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4419 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4420 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4421 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4423 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4424 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4425 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4426 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4427 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4428 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4431 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4432 ((> score default) . bold))
4434 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4435 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4439 @node Summary Maneuvering
4440 @section Summary Maneuvering
4441 @cindex summary movement
4443 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4444 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4446 None of these commands select articles.
4451 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4452 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4453 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4454 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4455 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4459 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4460 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4461 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4462 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4463 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4466 @kindex G g (Summary)
4467 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4468 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4469 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4472 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4473 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4474 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4475 to the group buffer.
4477 Variables related to summary movement:
4481 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4482 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4483 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4484 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4485 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4486 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4487 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4488 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4489 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4490 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4491 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4492 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4493 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4494 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4496 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4497 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4498 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4499 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4500 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4501 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4502 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4504 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4506 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4507 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4508 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4509 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4510 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4512 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4513 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4514 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4515 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4516 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4517 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4518 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4519 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4522 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4523 the given number of lines from the top.
4528 @node Choosing Articles
4529 @section Choosing Articles
4530 @cindex selecting articles
4533 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4534 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4538 @node Choosing Commands
4539 @subsection Choosing Commands
4541 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4542 and they all select and display an article.
4544 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4545 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4549 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4550 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4551 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4552 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4557 @kindex G n (Summary)
4558 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4559 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4560 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4565 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4566 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4567 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4572 @kindex G N (Summary)
4573 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4574 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4579 @kindex G P (Summary)
4580 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4581 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4584 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4585 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4586 Go to the next article with the same subject
4587 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4590 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4591 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4592 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4593 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4597 @kindex G f (Summary)
4599 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4600 Go to the first unread article
4601 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4605 @kindex G b (Summary)
4607 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4608 Go to the article with the highest score
4609 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4614 @kindex G l (Summary)
4615 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4616 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4619 @kindex G o (Summary)
4620 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4622 @cindex article history
4623 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4624 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4625 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4626 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4627 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4628 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4633 @kindex G j (Summary)
4634 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4635 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4636 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4641 @node Choosing Variables
4642 @subsection Choosing Variables
4644 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4647 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4648 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4649 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4650 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4651 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4652 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4654 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4655 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4656 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4657 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4659 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4660 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4661 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4662 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4663 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4664 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4665 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4666 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4667 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4668 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4669 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4670 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4671 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4672 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4677 @node Paging the Article
4678 @section Scrolling the Article
4679 @cindex article scrolling
4684 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4685 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4686 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4687 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4688 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4691 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4692 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4693 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4696 @kindex RET (Summary)
4697 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4698 Scroll the current article one line forward
4699 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4702 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4703 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4704 Scroll the current article one line backward
4705 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4709 @kindex A g (Summary)
4711 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4712 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4713 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4714 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4715 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4716 the way it came from the server.
4718 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4719 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4720 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4723 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4728 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4733 @kindex A < (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4735 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4736 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4741 @kindex A > (Summary)
4742 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4743 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4747 @kindex A s (Summary)
4749 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4750 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4751 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4755 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4756 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4761 @node Reply Followup and Post
4762 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4765 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4766 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4767 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4768 * Canceling and Superseding::
4772 @node Summary Mail Commands
4773 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4775 @cindex composing mail
4777 Commands for composing a mail message:
4783 @kindex S r (Summary)
4785 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4786 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4787 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4788 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4789 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4794 @kindex S R (Summary)
4795 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4796 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4797 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4798 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4799 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4802 @kindex S w (Summary)
4803 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4804 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4805 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4806 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4807 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4810 @kindex S W (Summary)
4811 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4812 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4813 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4814 the process/prefix convention.
4817 @kindex S v (Summary)
4818 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4819 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4820 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4821 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4822 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4823 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4827 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4828 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4829 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4830 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4831 Forward the current article to some other person
4832 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4833 headers of the forwarded article.
4838 @kindex S m (Summary)
4839 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4840 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4841 Send a mail to some other person
4842 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4845 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4846 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4847 @cindex bouncing mail
4848 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4849 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4850 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4851 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4852 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4853 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4854 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4855 very well fail, though.
4858 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4859 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4860 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4861 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4862 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4863 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4864 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4865 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4866 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4867 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4869 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4870 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4871 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4872 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4873 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4875 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4876 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4879 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4880 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
4881 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4882 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
4883 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4886 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4887 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4888 @cindex crossposting
4889 @cindex excessive crossposting
4890 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4891 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4893 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4894 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4895 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4896 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4897 command understands the process/prefix convention
4898 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4902 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4905 @node Summary Post Commands
4906 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4908 @cindex composing news
4910 Commands for posting a news article:
4916 @kindex S p (Summary)
4917 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4918 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4919 Post an article to the current group
4920 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4925 @kindex S f (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4927 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4928 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4932 @kindex S F (Summary)
4934 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4935 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4936 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4937 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4938 process/prefix convention.
4941 @kindex S n (Summary)
4942 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4943 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4944 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4947 @kindex S N (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4949 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4950 message through mail and include the original message
4951 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4952 the process/prefix convention.
4955 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4956 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4957 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4958 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4959 headers of the forwarded article.
4962 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4963 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
4965 @cindex making digests
4966 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4967 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
4968 process/prefix convention.
4971 @kindex S u (Summary)
4972 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4973 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4974 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4975 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4978 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4981 @node Summary Message Commands
4982 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4986 @kindex S y (Summary)
4987 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4988 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4989 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4990 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4991 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4996 @node Canceling and Superseding
4997 @subsection Canceling Articles
4998 @cindex canceling articles
4999 @cindex superseding articles
5001 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5002 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5004 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5006 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5008 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5009 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5010 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5011 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5012 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5013 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5015 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5016 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5019 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5020 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5021 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5023 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5024 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5025 your original article.
5027 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5029 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5030 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5031 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5034 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5035 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5036 have posted almost the same article twice.
5038 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5039 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5040 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5041 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5042 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5043 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5044 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5045 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5046 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5047 canceled/superseded.
5049 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5051 @node Delayed Articles
5052 @section Delayed Articles
5053 @cindex delayed sending
5054 @cindex send delayed
5056 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5057 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5058 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5059 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5062 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5065 @findex gnus-delay-article
5066 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5067 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5068 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5069 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5073 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5074 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5075 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5076 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5079 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5080 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5081 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5084 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5085 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5086 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5087 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5088 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5089 that means a time tomorrow.
5092 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5093 couple of variables:
5096 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5097 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5098 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5099 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5101 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5102 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5103 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5104 formats described above.
5106 @item gnus-delay-group
5107 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5108 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5109 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5110 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5112 @item gnus-delay-header
5113 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5114 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5115 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5116 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5119 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5120 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5121 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5122 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5123 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5125 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5126 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5127 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5128 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5129 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5130 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5133 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5134 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5135 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5136 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5137 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5138 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5139 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5140 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5142 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5143 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5144 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5145 forget to set that up :-)
5149 @node Marking Articles
5150 @section Marking Articles
5151 @cindex article marking
5152 @cindex article ticking
5155 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5157 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5158 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5159 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5161 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5164 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5165 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5166 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5170 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5174 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5175 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5176 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5180 @node Unread Articles
5181 @subsection Unread Articles
5183 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5188 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5189 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5191 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5192 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5193 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5194 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5195 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5196 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5197 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5200 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5201 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5203 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5204 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5205 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5206 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5210 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5211 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5213 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5218 @subsection Read Articles
5219 @cindex expirable mark
5221 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5226 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5227 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5228 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5231 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5232 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5235 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5236 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5237 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5240 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5241 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5244 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5245 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5248 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5249 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5252 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5253 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5256 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5257 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5260 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5261 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5264 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5265 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5269 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5270 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5271 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5275 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5276 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5278 One more special mark, though:
5282 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5283 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5285 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5286 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5287 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5288 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5294 @subsection Other Marks
5295 @cindex process mark
5298 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5304 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5305 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5306 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5307 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5308 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5311 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5312 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5313 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5314 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5316 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5317 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5318 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5320 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5321 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5322 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5323 backend doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5326 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5327 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5328 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5331 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5332 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5333 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5334 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5337 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5338 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5339 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5342 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5343 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5344 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5345 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5346 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5349 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5350 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5351 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5352 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5353 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5354 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5358 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5359 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5360 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5362 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5363 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5364 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5368 @subsection Setting Marks
5369 @cindex setting marks
5371 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5376 @kindex M c (Summary)
5377 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5378 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5379 @cindex mark as unread
5380 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5381 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5387 @kindex M t (Summary)
5388 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5389 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5390 @xref{Article Caching}.
5395 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5396 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5397 Mark the current article as dormant
5398 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5402 @kindex M d (Summary)
5404 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5405 Mark the current article as read
5406 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5410 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5411 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5412 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5417 @kindex M k (Summary)
5418 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5419 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5420 and then select the next unread article
5421 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5425 @kindex M K (Summary)
5426 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5427 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5428 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5429 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5432 @kindex M C (Summary)
5433 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5434 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5435 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5438 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5439 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5440 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5441 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5444 @kindex M H (Summary)
5445 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5446 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5447 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5450 @kindex M h (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5452 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5453 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5456 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5457 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5458 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5459 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5462 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5463 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5464 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5465 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5469 @kindex M e (Summary)
5471 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5472 Mark the current article as expirable
5473 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5476 @kindex M b (Summary)
5477 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5478 Set a bookmark in the current article
5479 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5482 @kindex M B (Summary)
5483 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5484 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5485 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5488 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5489 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5490 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5491 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5494 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5495 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5496 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5497 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5500 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5501 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5502 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5503 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5504 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5507 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5508 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5509 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5510 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5511 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5512 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5513 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5514 The default is @code{t}.
5517 @node Generic Marking Commands
5518 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5520 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5521 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5522 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5523 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5524 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5527 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5528 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5531 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5532 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5533 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5534 to list in this manual.
5536 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5537 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5538 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5539 article, you could say something like:
5542 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5543 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5544 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5550 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5551 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5555 @node Setting Process Marks
5556 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5557 @cindex setting process marks
5564 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5565 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5566 Mark the current article with the process mark
5567 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5568 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5572 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5573 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5574 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5575 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5578 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5579 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5580 Remove the process mark from all articles
5581 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5584 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5585 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5586 Invert the list of process marked articles
5587 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5590 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5591 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5592 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5593 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5596 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5597 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5598 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5599 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5602 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5604 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5607 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5608 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5609 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5610 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5613 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5614 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5615 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5616 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5619 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5620 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5621 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5622 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5625 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5626 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5627 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5630 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5631 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5632 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5633 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5636 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5637 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5638 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5641 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5642 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5643 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5644 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5647 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5648 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5649 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5650 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5653 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5654 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5655 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5656 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5659 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5660 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5661 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5662 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5666 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5667 set process marks based on article body contents.
5674 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5675 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5676 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5679 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5680 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5681 additional articles.
5687 @kindex / / (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5689 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5690 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5693 @kindex / a (Summary)
5694 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5695 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5696 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5699 @kindex / x (Summary)
5700 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5701 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5702 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5703 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5707 @kindex / u (Summary)
5709 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5710 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5711 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5712 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5713 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5716 @kindex / m (Summary)
5717 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5718 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5719 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5722 @kindex / t (Summary)
5723 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5724 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5725 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5726 articles younger than that number of days.
5729 @kindex / n (Summary)
5730 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5731 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5732 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5733 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5736 @kindex / w (Summary)
5737 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5738 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5739 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5743 @kindex / v (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5745 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5746 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5749 @kindex / p (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5751 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5752 group parameter predicate
5753 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5754 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5758 @kindex M S (Summary)
5759 @kindex / E (Summary)
5760 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5761 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5762 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5765 @kindex / D (Summary)
5766 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5767 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5768 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5771 @kindex / * (Summary)
5772 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5773 Include all cached articles in the limit
5774 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5777 @kindex / d (Summary)
5778 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5779 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5780 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5783 @kindex / M (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5785 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5788 @kindex / T (Summary)
5789 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5790 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5793 @kindex / c (Summary)
5794 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5795 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5796 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5799 @kindex / C (Summary)
5800 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5801 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5802 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5803 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5811 @cindex article threading
5813 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5814 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5815 hierarchical fashion.
5817 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5818 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5819 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5820 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5821 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5822 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5823 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5825 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5829 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5832 A tree-like article structure.
5835 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5838 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5839 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5840 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5841 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5842 called loose threads.
5844 @item thread gathering
5845 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5847 @item sparse threads
5848 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5849 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5855 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5856 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5860 @node Customizing Threading
5861 @subsection Customizing Threading
5862 @cindex customizing threading
5865 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5866 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5867 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5868 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5873 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5876 @cindex loose threads
5879 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5880 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5881 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5882 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5883 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5884 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5886 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5887 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5888 There are four possible values:
5892 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5893 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5894 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5895 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5896 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5901 @cindex adopting articles
5906 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5907 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5908 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5909 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5912 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5913 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5914 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5915 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5916 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5917 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5918 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5921 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5922 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5923 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5927 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5928 display them after one another.
5931 Don't gather loose threads.
5934 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5935 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5936 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5937 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5938 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5939 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5940 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5941 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5942 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5943 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5944 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5946 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5947 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5948 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5951 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5952 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5953 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5954 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5955 simplification is used.
5957 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5958 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5959 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5960 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5962 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5964 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5970 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5971 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5972 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5973 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5978 (mapconcat 'identity
5979 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5981 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5984 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5987 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5988 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5989 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5990 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5991 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5992 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5994 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5997 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5998 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5999 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6001 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6002 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6005 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6006 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6007 Remove excessive whitespace.
6010 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6013 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6014 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6015 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6016 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6017 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6018 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6019 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6020 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6022 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6023 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6024 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6025 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6026 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6027 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6028 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6029 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6030 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6034 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6035 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6036 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6037 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6039 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6040 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6041 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6044 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6048 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6049 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6055 @node Filling In Threads
6056 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6059 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6060 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6061 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6062 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6063 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6064 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6065 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6066 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6067 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
6068 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6069 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6070 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
6072 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6073 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6074 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6076 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6077 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6078 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6079 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6080 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6081 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6082 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6083 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6084 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6085 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6086 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6087 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6088 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6089 @code{nil} by default.
6091 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6092 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6093 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6094 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the backend has to fetch
6095 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6096 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6097 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6099 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6100 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6101 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6106 @node More Threading
6107 @subsubsection More Threading
6110 @item gnus-show-threads
6111 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6112 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6113 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6114 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6115 slower and more awkward.
6117 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6118 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6119 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6122 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6123 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6124 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6125 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6126 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6127 threads are expunged.
6129 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6130 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6131 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6134 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6135 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6136 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6137 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6138 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6139 result in a new thread.
6141 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6142 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6143 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6146 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6147 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6148 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6149 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6150 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6151 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6152 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6153 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6154 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6155 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6156 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6161 @node Low-Level Threading
6162 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6166 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6167 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6168 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6169 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6170 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6171 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6173 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6174 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6175 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6176 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6177 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6178 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6179 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6180 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6181 meaningful. Here's one example:
6184 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6186 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6187 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6189 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6191 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6198 @node Thread Commands
6199 @subsection Thread Commands
6200 @cindex thread commands
6206 @kindex T k (Summary)
6207 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6209 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6210 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6211 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6216 @kindex T l (Summary)
6217 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
6218 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6219 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6220 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6223 @kindex T i (Summary)
6224 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6225 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6226 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6229 @kindex T # (Summary)
6230 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6231 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6232 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6235 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6237 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6238 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6241 @kindex T T (Summary)
6242 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6243 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6246 @kindex T s (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6248 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6249 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6252 @kindex T h (Summary)
6253 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6254 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6257 @kindex T S (Summary)
6258 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6259 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6262 @kindex T H (Summary)
6263 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6264 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6267 @kindex T t (Summary)
6268 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6269 Re-thread the current article's thread
6270 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6271 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6274 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6275 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6276 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6277 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6281 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6282 understand the numeric prefix.
6287 @kindex T n (Summary)
6289 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6291 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6293 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6296 @kindex T p (Summary)
6298 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6300 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6301 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6302 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6305 @kindex T d (Summary)
6306 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6307 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6310 @kindex T u (Summary)
6311 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6312 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6315 @kindex T o (Summary)
6316 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6317 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6320 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6321 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6322 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6323 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6324 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6325 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6326 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6327 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6328 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6329 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6330 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6331 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6335 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6336 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6338 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6339 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6340 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6341 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6342 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6343 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6344 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6345 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6346 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6347 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6348 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6350 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6351 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6352 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6353 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6354 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6356 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6357 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6358 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6360 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6361 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6362 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6363 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6364 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6365 ascending article order.
6367 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6368 by number, you could do something like:
6371 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6372 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6373 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6374 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6377 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6378 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6379 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6380 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6381 which the articles arrived.
6383 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6387 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6389 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6390 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6393 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6394 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6395 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6396 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6399 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6400 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6401 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6402 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6403 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6404 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6405 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6406 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6407 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6408 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6409 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6410 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6411 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6413 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6417 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6418 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6419 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6424 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6425 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6426 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6427 @cindex article pre-fetch
6430 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6431 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6432 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6433 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6434 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6436 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6437 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6439 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6440 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6441 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6442 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6443 connection is blocked.
6445 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6446 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6447 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6448 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6450 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6451 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6452 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6453 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6456 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6459 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6460 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6461 happen automatically.
6463 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6464 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6465 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6466 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6467 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6468 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6469 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6471 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6472 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6473 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6474 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6475 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6476 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6477 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6478 data structure as the only parameter.
6480 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6483 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6484 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6485 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6486 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6489 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6492 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6493 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6494 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6496 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6497 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6498 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6499 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6503 Remove articles when they are read.
6506 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6509 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6511 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6512 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6513 @c from the next group.
6516 @node Article Caching
6517 @section Article Caching
6518 @cindex article caching
6521 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6522 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6523 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6524 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6525 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6527 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6529 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6530 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6531 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6532 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6533 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6534 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6535 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6536 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6538 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6539 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6540 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6541 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6542 as dormant, and don't worry.
6544 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6546 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6547 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6548 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6549 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6550 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6551 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6552 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6553 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6554 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6555 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6557 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6558 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6559 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6560 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6561 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6562 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6563 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6564 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6565 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6566 not then be downloaded by this command.
6568 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6569 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6570 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6571 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6572 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6573 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6575 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6576 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6577 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6578 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6579 variables, the group is not cached.
6581 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6582 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6583 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6584 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6585 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6586 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6587 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6588 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6589 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6593 @node Persistent Articles
6594 @section Persistent Articles
6595 @cindex persistent articles
6597 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6598 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6599 useful in my opinion.
6601 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6602 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6603 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6604 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6605 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6606 the expiry going on at the news server.
6608 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6609 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6610 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6616 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6617 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6620 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6621 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6622 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6623 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6627 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6629 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6630 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6631 interested in persistent articles:
6634 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6638 @node Article Backlog
6639 @section Article Backlog
6641 @cindex article backlog
6643 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6644 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6645 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6646 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6647 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6648 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6649 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6650 increase memory usage some.
6652 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6653 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6654 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6655 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6656 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6657 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6658 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6660 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6663 @node Saving Articles
6664 @section Saving Articles
6665 @cindex saving articles
6667 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6668 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6669 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6670 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6671 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6673 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6674 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6675 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6677 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6678 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6679 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6680 deleted before saving.
6686 @kindex O o (Summary)
6688 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6689 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6690 Save the current article using the default article saver
6691 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6694 @kindex O m (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6696 Save the current article in mail format
6697 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6700 @kindex O r (Summary)
6701 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6702 Save the current article in rmail format
6703 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6706 @kindex O f (Summary)
6707 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6708 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6709 Save the current article in plain file format
6710 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6713 @kindex O F (Summary)
6714 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6715 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6716 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6719 @kindex O b (Summary)
6720 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6721 Save the current article body in plain file format
6722 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6725 @kindex O h (Summary)
6726 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6727 Save the current article in mh folder format
6728 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6731 @kindex O v (Summary)
6732 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6733 Save the current article in a VM folder
6734 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6738 @kindex O p (Summary)
6740 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6741 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6742 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6745 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6746 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6747 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6748 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6749 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6750 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6751 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6752 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6753 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6754 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6755 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6756 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6760 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6761 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6762 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6763 functions below, or you can create your own.
6767 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6768 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6769 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6770 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6771 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6772 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6773 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6775 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6776 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6777 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6778 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6779 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6780 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6782 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6783 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6784 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6785 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6786 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6787 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6788 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6790 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6791 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6792 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6793 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6794 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6796 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6797 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6798 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6799 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6800 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6803 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6804 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6805 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6806 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6807 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6809 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6810 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6811 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6812 reader to use this setting.
6815 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6816 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6817 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6818 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6821 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6822 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6823 available functions that generate names:
6827 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6828 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6829 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6831 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6832 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6833 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6835 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6836 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6837 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6839 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6840 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6841 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6843 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6844 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6845 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6848 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6849 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6850 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6851 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6852 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6856 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6857 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6858 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6859 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6862 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6863 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6864 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6865 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6866 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6867 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6868 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6869 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6870 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6872 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6873 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6874 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6875 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6877 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6878 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6879 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6882 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6883 lots of mail groups called things like
6884 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6885 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6886 following will do just that:
6889 (defun my-save-name (group)
6890 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6891 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6893 (setq gnus-split-methods
6894 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6899 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6900 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6901 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6902 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6903 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6904 all the files in the top level directory
6905 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6906 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6907 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6908 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6910 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6911 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6912 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6913 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6914 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6917 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6921 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6922 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
6923 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6926 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6927 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6928 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6929 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6932 @node Decoding Articles
6933 @section Decoding Articles
6934 @cindex decoding articles
6936 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6937 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6940 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6941 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6942 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6943 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6944 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6945 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6949 @cindex article series
6950 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6951 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6952 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6953 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6954 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6956 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6957 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6958 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6960 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6961 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6962 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6964 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6965 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6966 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6969 @node Uuencoded Articles
6970 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6972 @cindex uuencoded articles
6977 @kindex X u (Summary)
6978 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6979 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6980 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6983 @kindex X U (Summary)
6984 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6985 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6986 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6989 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6990 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6991 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6994 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6995 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6996 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6997 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7001 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7002 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7003 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7004 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7005 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7007 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7008 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7009 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7010 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7013 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7014 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7015 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7016 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7017 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7018 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7022 @node Shell Archives
7023 @subsection Shell Archives
7025 @cindex shell archives
7026 @cindex shared articles
7028 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7029 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7030 some commands to deal with these:
7035 @kindex X s (Summary)
7036 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7037 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7040 @kindex X S (Summary)
7041 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7042 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7045 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7046 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7047 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7050 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7051 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7052 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7053 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7057 @node PostScript Files
7058 @subsection PostScript Files
7064 @kindex X p (Summary)
7065 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7066 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7069 @kindex X P (Summary)
7070 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7071 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7072 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7075 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7076 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7077 View the current PostScript series
7078 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7081 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7082 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7083 View and save the current PostScript series
7084 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7089 @subsection Other Files
7093 @kindex X o (Summary)
7094 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7095 Save the current series
7096 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7099 @kindex X b (Summary)
7100 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7101 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7102 doesn't really work yet.
7106 @node Decoding Variables
7107 @subsection Decoding Variables
7109 Adjective, not verb.
7112 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7113 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7114 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7118 @node Rule Variables
7119 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7120 @cindex rule variables
7122 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7123 variables are of the form
7126 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7133 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7134 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7136 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7137 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7140 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7141 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7144 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7145 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7146 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7147 user and default view rules.
7149 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7150 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7151 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7156 @node Other Decode Variables
7157 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7160 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7162 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7163 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7164 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7165 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7166 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7170 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7171 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7174 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7175 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7176 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7179 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7180 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7181 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7182 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7183 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7186 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7187 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7188 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7190 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7191 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7192 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7193 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7194 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7197 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7198 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7199 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7201 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7202 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7203 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7204 looking for files to display.
7206 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7207 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7208 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7211 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7212 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7213 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7216 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7217 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7218 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7221 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7222 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7223 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7226 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7227 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7228 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7229 decoded articles as unread.
7231 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7232 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7233 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7234 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7236 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7237 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7238 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7240 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7241 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7243 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7244 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7245 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7246 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7248 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7249 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7250 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7251 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7252 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7253 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7254 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7255 simply dropped them.
7260 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7261 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7265 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7266 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7267 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7268 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7269 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7270 for you when you post the article.
7272 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7273 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7274 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7275 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7277 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7278 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7279 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7280 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7281 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7282 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7283 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7285 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7286 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7287 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7288 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7289 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7290 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7291 Default is @code{t}.
7297 @subsection Viewing Files
7298 @cindex viewing files
7299 @cindex pseudo-articles
7301 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7302 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7303 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7304 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7305 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7306 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7307 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7309 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7310 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7311 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7312 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7314 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7315 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7316 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7318 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7319 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7320 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7321 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7322 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7324 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7325 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7326 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7327 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7328 a list of parameters to that command.
7330 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7331 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7332 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7334 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7335 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7336 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7339 @node Article Treatment
7340 @section Article Treatment
7342 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7343 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7344 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7345 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7346 these articles easier.
7349 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7350 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7351 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7352 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7353 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7354 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7355 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7356 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7360 @node Article Highlighting
7361 @subsection Article Highlighting
7362 @cindex highlighting
7364 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7365 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7370 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7371 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7372 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7373 Do much highlighting of the current article
7374 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7375 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7378 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7379 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7380 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7381 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7382 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7383 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7384 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7385 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7386 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7387 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7388 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7389 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7392 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7393 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7394 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7396 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7399 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7401 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7402 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7403 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7405 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7406 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7407 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7409 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7410 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7411 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7412 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7413 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7414 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7416 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7417 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7418 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7420 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7421 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7422 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7424 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7425 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7426 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7427 that it's a citation.
7429 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7430 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7431 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7433 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7434 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7435 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7437 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7438 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7439 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7440 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7446 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7447 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7448 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7449 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7450 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7451 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7452 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7453 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7458 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7461 @node Article Fontisizing
7462 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7464 @cindex article emphasis
7466 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7467 @kindex W e (Summary)
7468 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7469 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7470 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7471 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7473 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7474 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7475 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7476 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7477 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7478 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7479 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7480 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7484 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7485 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7486 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7495 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7496 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7497 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7498 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7499 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7500 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7501 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7502 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7503 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7504 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7505 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7506 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7507 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7509 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7510 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7511 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7515 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7518 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7520 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7521 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7522 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7523 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7525 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7528 @node Article Hiding
7529 @subsection Article Hiding
7530 @cindex article hiding
7532 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7533 too much cruft in most articles.
7538 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7539 @findex gnus-article-hide
7540 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7541 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7542 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7545 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7546 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7547 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7551 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7552 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7553 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7554 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7557 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7558 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7559 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7563 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7564 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7565 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7566 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7567 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7568 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7569 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7570 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7574 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7575 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7576 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7577 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7582 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7583 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7584 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7585 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7586 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7587 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7588 articles that have signatures in them do:
7590 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7592 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7594 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7595 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7597 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7600 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7605 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7606 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7607 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7608 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7611 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7612 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7615 @cindex stripping advertisements
7616 @cindex advertisements
7617 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7618 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7619 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7620 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7621 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7622 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7623 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7624 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7625 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7626 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7630 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7631 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7632 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7633 customizing the hiding:
7637 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7638 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7639 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7640 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7641 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7642 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7643 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7648 Starting point of the hidden text.
7650 Ending point of the hidden text.
7652 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7654 Number of lines of hidden text.
7657 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7658 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7659 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7660 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7661 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7666 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7667 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7669 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7670 following two variables:
7673 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7674 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7675 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7676 50), hide the cited text.
7678 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7679 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7680 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7685 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7686 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7687 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7688 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7689 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7690 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7694 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7695 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7696 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7698 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7699 citation customization.
7701 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7705 @node Article Washing
7706 @subsection Article Washing
7708 @cindex article washing
7710 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7711 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7713 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7714 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7717 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7718 articles by default.
7723 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7724 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7728 @kindex W l (Summary)
7729 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7730 Remove page breaks from the current article
7731 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7735 @kindex W r (Summary)
7736 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7737 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7738 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7739 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7740 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7741 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7743 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7744 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7745 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7746 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7750 @kindex W t (Summary)
7752 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7753 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7754 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7757 @kindex W v (Summary)
7758 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7759 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7760 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7763 @kindex W m (Summary)
7764 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7765 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7766 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7769 @kindex W o (Summary)
7770 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7771 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7774 @kindex W d (Summary)
7775 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7776 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7778 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7780 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7781 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7782 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7783 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7786 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7787 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7788 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7789 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7792 @kindex W w (Summary)
7793 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7794 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7796 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7800 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7801 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7802 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7805 @kindex W C (Summary)
7806 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7807 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7808 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7811 @kindex W c (Summary)
7812 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7813 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7814 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7815 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7816 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7819 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7820 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7821 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7822 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7823 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7824 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7825 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7827 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7830 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7831 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7832 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7833 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7834 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7837 @kindex W h (Summary)
7838 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7839 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7840 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7841 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7843 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7846 @kindex W f (Summary)
7848 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7849 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7850 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7851 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7858 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7859 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7860 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7861 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7862 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7863 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7864 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7865 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7866 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7867 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7868 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7869 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7870 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7871 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7872 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7873 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7874 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7875 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7876 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7877 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7881 @kindex W b (Summary)
7882 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7883 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7884 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7887 @kindex W B (Summary)
7888 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7889 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7890 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7893 @kindex W p (Summary)
7894 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7895 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7896 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7897 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7898 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7899 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7900 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7903 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7904 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7905 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7906 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7909 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7910 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7911 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7912 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7915 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7916 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7917 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7918 lines with a single empty line.
7919 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7922 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7923 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7924 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7925 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7928 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7929 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7930 Do all the three commands above
7931 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7934 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7935 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7936 Remove all blank lines
7937 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7940 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7941 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7942 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7943 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7946 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7947 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7948 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7949 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7953 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7956 @node Article Buttons
7957 @subsection Article Buttons
7960 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7961 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7962 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7963 button on these references.
7965 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7966 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7967 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7972 @item gnus-button-alist
7973 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7974 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7977 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7983 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7984 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7985 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7988 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7989 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7990 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7993 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7994 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7995 avoid false matches.
7998 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8001 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8002 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8006 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8009 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8012 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8013 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8014 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8015 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8016 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8019 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8022 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8024 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8025 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8026 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8027 default values of the variables above.
8029 @item gnus-article-button-face
8030 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8031 Face used on buttons.
8033 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8034 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8035 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8039 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8043 @subsection Article Date
8045 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8046 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8047 when the article was sent.
8052 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8053 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8054 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8055 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8058 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8059 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8061 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8062 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8065 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8066 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8067 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8070 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8071 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8072 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8073 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8076 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8077 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8078 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8079 @findex format-time-string
8080 Display the date using a user-defined format
8081 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8082 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8083 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8084 for a list of possible format specs.
8087 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8088 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8089 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8090 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8091 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8092 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8095 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8098 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8099 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8102 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8103 into wonderful absurdities.
8105 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8108 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8111 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8112 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8116 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8117 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8118 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8119 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8120 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8121 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8122 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8126 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8127 preferred format automatically.
8130 @node Article Signature
8131 @subsection Article Signature
8133 @cindex article signature
8135 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8136 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8137 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8138 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8139 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8140 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8141 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8142 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8143 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8146 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8147 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8148 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8149 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8150 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8151 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8152 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8153 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8156 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8159 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8160 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8161 signature when displaying articles.
8165 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8168 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8171 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8172 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8174 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8175 in question is not a signature.
8178 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8179 listed above. Here's an example:
8182 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8183 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8186 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8187 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8188 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8189 signature after all.
8192 @node Article Miscellania
8193 @subsection Article Miscellania
8197 @kindex A t (Summary)
8198 @findex gnus-article-babel
8199 Translate the article from one language to another
8200 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8206 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8207 @cindex MIME decoding
8209 @cindex viewing attachments
8211 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8212 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8218 @kindex K v (Summary)
8219 View the @sc{mime} part.
8222 @kindex K o (Summary)
8223 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8226 @kindex K c (Summary)
8227 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8230 @kindex K e (Summary)
8231 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8234 @kindex K i (Summary)
8235 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8238 @kindex K | (Summary)
8239 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8242 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8247 @kindex K b (Summary)
8248 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8249 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8253 @kindex K m (Summary)
8254 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8255 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8256 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8257 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8258 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8261 @kindex X m (Summary)
8262 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8263 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8264 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8265 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8268 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8270 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8271 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8274 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8275 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8276 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8279 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8280 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8281 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8283 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8284 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8285 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8286 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8287 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8288 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8291 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8292 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8293 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8300 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8301 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8302 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8303 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8306 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8309 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8313 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8314 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8315 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8316 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8317 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8318 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8321 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8322 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8323 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8324 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8325 displayed. This variable overrides
8326 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8328 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8329 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8330 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8332 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8333 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8334 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8335 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8336 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8337 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8338 save all jpegs into some directory).
8340 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8343 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8344 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8346 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8347 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8348 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8349 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8350 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8353 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8354 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8355 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8357 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8358 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8359 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8360 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8362 Ready-made functions include@*
8363 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8364 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8365 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8366 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8367 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8368 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8369 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8370 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8371 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8372 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8373 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8374 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8376 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8377 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8379 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8380 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8381 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8384 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8385 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8386 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8387 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8391 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8400 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8401 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8402 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8403 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8404 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8405 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8406 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8408 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8409 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8410 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8411 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8413 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8414 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
8415 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8416 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8417 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
8418 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8419 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
8420 something some agents insist on having in there.
8422 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8423 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8424 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8425 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8426 quoted-printable header encoding.
8428 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8429 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8430 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8434 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8437 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8438 means encode all charsets),
8440 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8441 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8442 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8449 @cindex coding system aliases
8450 @cindex preferred charset
8452 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8454 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8455 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8458 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8459 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8462 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8463 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8465 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8468 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8471 This will almost do the right thing.
8473 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8477 (codepage-setup 1251)
8478 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8482 @node Article Commands
8483 @section Article Commands
8490 @kindex A P (Summary)
8491 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8492 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8493 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8494 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8495 run just before printing the buffer.
8500 @node Summary Sorting
8501 @section Summary Sorting
8502 @cindex summary sorting
8504 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8505 can't really see why you'd want that.
8510 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8512 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8515 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8516 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8517 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8520 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8521 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8522 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8525 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8526 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8527 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8530 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8531 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8532 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8535 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8536 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8537 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8540 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8542 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8545 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8546 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8547 Sort using the default sorting method
8548 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8551 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8552 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8553 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8554 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8555 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8559 @node Finding the Parent
8560 @section Finding the Parent
8561 @cindex parent articles
8562 @cindex referring articles
8567 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8568 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8569 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8570 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8571 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8572 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8573 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8574 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8575 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8577 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8578 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8579 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8580 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8581 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8585 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8586 @kindex A R (Summary)
8587 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8588 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8591 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8592 @kindex A T (Summary)
8593 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8594 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8595 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8596 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8597 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8598 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8599 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8601 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8602 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8603 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8604 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8605 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8606 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8609 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8610 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8612 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8613 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8614 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8615 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8616 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8617 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8618 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8621 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8622 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8623 by giving this command a prefix.
8625 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8626 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8627 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8628 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8629 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8630 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8633 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8634 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8635 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8638 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8639 then ask Deja if that fails:
8642 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8644 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8647 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8648 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8649 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8650 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8651 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8652 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8655 @node Alternative Approaches
8656 @section Alternative Approaches
8658 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8659 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8662 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8663 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8668 @subsection Pick and Read
8669 @cindex pick and read
8671 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8672 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8673 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8674 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8676 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8677 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8678 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8679 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8680 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8681 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8683 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8688 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8689 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8690 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8691 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8692 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8693 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8694 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8695 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8698 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8699 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8700 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8701 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8705 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8706 Unpick the thread or article
8707 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8708 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8709 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8710 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8711 the thread or article at that line.
8715 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8716 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8717 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8718 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8719 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8720 will still be visible when you are reading.
8724 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8725 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8726 which is mapped to the same function
8727 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8729 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8732 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8735 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8736 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8738 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8739 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8740 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8742 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8743 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8744 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8745 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8746 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8747 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8748 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8752 @subsection Binary Groups
8753 @cindex binary groups
8755 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8756 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8757 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8758 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8759 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8760 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8761 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8764 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8765 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8766 command, when you have turned on this mode
8767 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8769 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8770 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8774 @section Tree Display
8777 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8778 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8779 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8780 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8783 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8786 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8787 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8788 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8790 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8791 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8792 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8793 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8794 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8796 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8797 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8798 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8799 default is @code{modeline}.
8801 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8802 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8803 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8804 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8805 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8806 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8807 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8813 The name of the poster.
8815 The @code{From} header.
8817 The number of the article.
8819 The opening bracket.
8821 The closing bracket.
8826 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8828 Variables related to the display are:
8831 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8832 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8833 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8834 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8835 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8836 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8838 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8839 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8840 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8841 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8845 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8846 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8847 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8848 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8849 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8850 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8851 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8852 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8853 other windows displayed next to it.
8855 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8856 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8857 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8858 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8859 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8860 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8861 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8865 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8868 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8878 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8882 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8883 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8885 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8887 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8892 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8893 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8894 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8897 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8898 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8899 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8900 (gnus-add-configuration
8904 (summary 0.75 point)
8909 @xref{Window Layout}.
8912 @node Mail Group Commands
8913 @section Mail Group Commands
8914 @cindex mail group commands
8916 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8917 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8919 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8920 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8925 @kindex B e (Summary)
8926 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8927 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8928 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8929 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8930 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8933 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8934 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8935 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8936 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8937 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8938 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8941 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8942 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8943 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8944 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8945 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8946 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8949 @kindex B m (Summary)
8951 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8952 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8953 Move the article from one mail group to another
8954 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8955 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8958 @kindex B c (Summary)
8960 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8961 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8962 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8963 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8964 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8967 @kindex B B (Summary)
8968 @cindex crosspost mail
8969 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8970 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8971 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8972 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8973 be properly updated.
8976 @kindex B i (Summary)
8977 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8978 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8979 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8980 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8983 @kindex B r (Summary)
8984 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8985 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8986 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8987 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8988 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8989 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8990 (which is the default).
8994 @kindex B w (Summary)
8996 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8997 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8998 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8999 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9000 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9001 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9004 @kindex B q (Summary)
9005 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9006 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9007 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9008 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9011 @kindex B t (Summary)
9012 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9013 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9014 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9017 @kindex B p (Summary)
9018 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9019 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9020 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9021 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9022 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9023 article from your news server (or rather, from
9024 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9025 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9026 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9027 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9028 just not have arrived yet.
9032 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9033 @cindex moving articles
9034 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9035 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9036 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9037 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9038 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9039 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9040 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9043 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9044 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9045 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9046 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9050 @node Various Summary Stuff
9051 @section Various Summary Stuff
9054 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9055 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9056 * Summary Generation Commands::
9057 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9061 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9062 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9063 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9065 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9066 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9067 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9068 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9069 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9070 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9073 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9074 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9075 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9076 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9077 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9079 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9080 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9081 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9084 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9085 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9086 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9087 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9088 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9089 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9090 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9091 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9092 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9093 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9095 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9096 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9097 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9098 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9099 list of articles to be selected.
9101 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9102 the list in one particular group:
9105 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9106 (if (string= group "some.group")
9107 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9114 @node Summary Group Information
9115 @subsection Summary Group Information
9120 @kindex H f (Summary)
9121 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9122 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9123 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9124 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9125 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9126 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9127 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9128 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9129 be used for fetching the file.
9132 @kindex H d (Summary)
9133 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9134 Give a brief description of the current group
9135 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9136 rereading the description from the server.
9139 @kindex H h (Summary)
9140 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9141 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9142 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9145 @kindex H i (Summary)
9146 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9147 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9151 @node Searching for Articles
9152 @subsection Searching for Articles
9157 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9158 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9159 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9160 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9163 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9164 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9165 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9166 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9170 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9171 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9172 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9173 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9174 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9175 search backward instead.
9177 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9178 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9181 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9182 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9183 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9184 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9187 @node Summary Generation Commands
9188 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9193 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9194 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9195 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9198 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9199 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9200 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9201 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9206 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9207 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9213 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9214 @kindex A D (Summary)
9215 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9216 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9217 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9218 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9219 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9220 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9221 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9222 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9226 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
9227 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9228 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9229 several documents into one biiig group
9230 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9231 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9232 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9233 command understands the process/prefix convention
9234 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9237 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9238 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9239 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9240 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9241 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9242 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9246 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9247 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9248 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9251 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
9252 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9253 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9254 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9257 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
9258 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9259 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9260 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9265 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9266 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9267 @cindex summary exit
9268 @cindex exiting groups
9270 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9271 group and return you to the group buffer.
9277 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9279 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9280 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9281 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9282 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9283 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9284 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9285 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9286 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9287 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9288 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9289 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9293 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9295 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9296 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9297 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9301 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9303 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9304 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9305 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9306 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9309 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9310 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9311 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9312 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9315 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9316 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9317 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9318 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9321 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9322 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9323 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9324 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9325 all articles, both read and unread.
9329 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9330 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9331 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9332 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9333 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9334 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9335 articles, both read and unread.
9338 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9339 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9340 Exit the group and go to the next group
9341 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9344 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9345 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9346 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9347 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9350 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9351 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9352 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9353 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9354 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9355 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9358 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9359 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9360 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9361 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9363 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9364 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9365 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9366 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9367 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9368 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9369 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9370 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9371 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9372 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9373 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9374 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9376 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9378 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9379 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9380 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9381 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9382 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9383 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9384 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9385 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9386 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9389 @node Crosspost Handling
9390 @section Crosspost Handling
9394 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9395 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9396 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9397 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9398 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9399 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9402 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9403 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9404 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9405 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9406 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9408 @cindex cross-posting
9411 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9412 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9413 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9414 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9415 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9416 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9417 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9418 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9419 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9420 the cross reference mechanism.
9422 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9423 @cindex overview.fmt
9424 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9425 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9426 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9427 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9428 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9429 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9432 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9433 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9434 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9439 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9442 @node Duplicate Suppression
9443 @section Duplicate Suppression
9445 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9446 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9447 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9448 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9453 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9454 is evil and not very common.
9457 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9458 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9461 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9462 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9465 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9468 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9469 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9471 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9472 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9473 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9474 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9475 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9476 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9477 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9480 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9481 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9482 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9483 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9484 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9488 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9489 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9490 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9492 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9493 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9494 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9495 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9496 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9497 session are suppressed.
9499 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9500 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9501 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9502 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9504 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9505 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9506 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9507 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9510 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9511 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9512 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9513 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9514 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9515 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9516 to you to figure out, I think.
9521 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9526 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9532 @item mm-verify-option
9533 @vindex mm-verify-option
9534 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9535 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9536 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9538 @item mm-decrypt-option
9539 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9540 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9541 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9542 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9547 @section Mailing List
9549 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369.
9554 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9555 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9556 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9559 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9560 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9561 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9564 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9565 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9566 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9570 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9571 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9572 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9575 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9576 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9577 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9580 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9581 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9582 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9586 @node Article Buffer
9587 @chapter Article Buffer
9588 @cindex article buffer
9590 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9591 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9592 tell gnus otherwise.
9595 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9596 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9597 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9598 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9599 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9603 @node Hiding Headers
9604 @section Hiding Headers
9605 @cindex hiding headers
9606 @cindex deleting headers
9608 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9609 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9611 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9612 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9613 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9614 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9615 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9616 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9617 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9618 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9619 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9621 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9625 @item gnus-visible-headers
9626 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9627 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9628 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9629 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9631 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9632 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9635 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9638 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9641 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9642 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9643 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9644 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9645 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9646 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9648 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9649 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9652 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9655 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9658 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9659 variable will have no effect.
9663 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9664 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9665 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9666 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9667 the headers are to be displayed.
9669 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9670 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9673 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9676 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9677 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9679 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9680 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9681 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9682 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9683 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9684 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9685 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9688 These conditions are:
9691 Remove all empty headers.
9693 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9694 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9696 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9699 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9702 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9703 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9705 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9708 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9710 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9713 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9716 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9717 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9720 This is also the default value for this variable.
9724 @section Using @sc{mime}
9727 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9728 while people stand around yawning.
9730 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9731 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9733 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9734 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9735 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9737 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9738 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9739 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9740 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9741 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9742 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9743 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9744 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9745 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9746 existed yet, sorry).
9748 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9749 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9750 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9751 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9752 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9753 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9755 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9756 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9757 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9758 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9759 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9760 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9761 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9762 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9763 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9766 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9768 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9769 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9770 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9771 buffer when there are nobody else.
9773 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9776 @node Customizing Articles
9777 @section Customizing Articles
9778 @cindex article customization
9780 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9781 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9782 called automatically when you select the articles.
9784 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9785 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9786 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9787 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9789 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9790 for sensible values.
9794 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9797 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9800 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9803 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9806 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9810 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9811 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9812 regexps in the list.
9815 A list where the first element is not a string:
9817 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9818 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9819 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9823 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9827 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9832 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9833 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9834 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9835 considered to contain just a single part.
9837 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9838 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9839 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9840 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9841 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9842 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9843 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9845 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9846 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9847 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9848 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9851 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9852 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9853 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9854 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9855 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9856 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9857 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9858 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9859 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9860 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9861 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9862 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9863 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
9864 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9865 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9866 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9867 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9868 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9869 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9870 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9871 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9872 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9873 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9874 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9875 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9876 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9877 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9878 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9879 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9880 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9881 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9882 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9883 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9884 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9885 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9886 @item gnus-treat-translate
9887 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9890 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9891 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9892 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9893 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9894 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9898 @node Article Keymap
9899 @section Article Keymap
9901 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9902 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9903 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9904 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9907 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9912 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9913 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9914 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9917 @kindex DEL (Article)
9918 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9919 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9922 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9923 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9924 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9925 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9926 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9929 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9930 @findex gnus-article-mail
9931 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9932 given a prefix, include the mail.
9936 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9937 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9938 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9942 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9943 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9944 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9947 @kindex TAB (Article)
9948 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9949 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9950 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9953 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9954 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9955 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9961 @section Misc Article
9965 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9966 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9967 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9968 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9971 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9972 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9974 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9975 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9977 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9978 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9979 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9980 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9981 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9982 the contents of the article buffer.
9984 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9985 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9986 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9988 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9989 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9990 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9991 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9993 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9994 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9995 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9996 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9997 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10002 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10003 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10006 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10009 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10011 @item gnus-break-pages
10012 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10013 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10014 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10015 paging will not be done.
10017 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10018 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10019 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10024 @node Composing Messages
10025 @chapter Composing Messages
10026 @cindex composing messages
10029 @cindex sending mail
10035 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10036 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10037 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10038 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10039 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10040 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10043 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10044 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10045 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10046 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10047 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10048 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10049 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10050 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10053 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10054 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10060 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10063 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10064 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10065 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10066 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10068 @item gnus-add-to-list
10069 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10070 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10071 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10076 @node Posting Server
10077 @section Posting Server
10079 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10080 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10082 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10084 @vindex gnus-post-method
10086 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10087 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10088 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10089 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10090 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10091 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10092 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10095 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10098 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10099 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10100 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10101 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10103 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10104 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10106 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10107 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10110 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10111 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
10114 @node Mail and Post
10115 @section Mail and Post
10117 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10121 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10122 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10123 @cindex mailing lists
10125 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10126 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10127 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10128 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10129 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10130 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10131 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10132 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10133 still a pain, though.
10137 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10138 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10139 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10142 @findex ispell-message
10144 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10147 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10148 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10151 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10155 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10156 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10158 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10161 Modify to suit your needs.
10164 @node Archived Messages
10165 @section Archived Messages
10166 @cindex archived messages
10167 @cindex sent messages
10169 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10170 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10171 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10172 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10175 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10176 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10177 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10180 (nnfolder "archive"
10181 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10182 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10183 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10184 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10187 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10188 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10189 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10190 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10193 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10194 '(nnfolder "archive"
10195 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10196 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10197 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10200 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10202 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10203 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10204 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10206 This variable can be used to do the following:
10210 Messages will be saved in that group.
10212 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10213 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10214 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10215 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10216 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10217 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10218 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10219 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10221 @item a list of strings
10222 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10223 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10224 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10226 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10231 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10233 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10236 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10238 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10241 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10243 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10244 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10245 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10246 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10249 More complex stuff:
10251 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10252 '((if (message-news-p)
10257 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10258 messages in one file per month:
10261 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10262 '((if (message-news-p)
10264 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10267 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10268 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10270 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10271 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10272 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10273 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10274 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10275 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10276 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10277 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10278 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10279 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10281 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10282 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10283 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10284 this will disable archiving.
10287 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10288 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10289 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10290 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10291 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10294 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10295 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10296 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10299 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10300 but the latter is the preferred method.
10302 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10303 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10304 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10309 @node Posting Styles
10310 @section Posting Styles
10311 @cindex posting styles
10314 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10316 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10317 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10318 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10321 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10322 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10323 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10324 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10325 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10330 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10331 (organization "What me?"))
10333 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10334 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10335 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10338 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10339 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10340 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10341 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10342 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10343 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10344 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10345 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10347 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10348 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10349 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10350 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10351 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10352 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10353 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10354 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10355 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10357 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10358 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10359 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10360 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10361 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10362 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10363 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10364 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10365 result is thrown away.
10367 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10368 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10369 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10370 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10371 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10372 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10374 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10375 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10376 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10378 @findex message-mail-p
10379 @findex message-news-p
10381 So here's a new example:
10384 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10386 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10388 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10389 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10391 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10392 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10393 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10395 (signature my-news-signature))
10396 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10397 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10398 ((posting-from-work-p)
10399 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10400 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10401 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10402 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10404 (From (save-excursion
10405 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10406 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10408 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10411 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10412 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10413 if you fill many roles.
10420 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10421 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10422 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10423 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10424 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10426 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10427 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10428 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10429 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10430 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10434 @vindex nndraft-directory
10435 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10436 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10437 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10438 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10439 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10440 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10442 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10443 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10446 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10447 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10448 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10449 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10450 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10451 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10452 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10453 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10454 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10455 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10456 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10457 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10458 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10459 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10461 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10462 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10463 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10465 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10466 @kindex D e (Draft)
10467 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10468 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10469 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10471 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10474 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10475 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10476 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10477 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10478 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10479 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10480 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10483 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10484 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10485 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10488 @node Rejected Articles
10489 @section Rejected Articles
10490 @cindex rejected articles
10492 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10493 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10494 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10495 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10497 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
10498 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10499 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10500 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
10501 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10503 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10504 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10505 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10511 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10512 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10513 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10515 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10516 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10520 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10521 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10524 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10525 to 700, for your own safety.
10527 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10528 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10532 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10535 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10536 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10539 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10542 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10543 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{C-c
10544 C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{C-c C-m c
10545 p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c C-m c s} to
10546 encrypt using S/MIME.
10548 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10549 you've typed it correctly.
10551 @node Select Methods
10552 @chapter Select Methods
10553 @cindex foreign groups
10554 @cindex select methods
10556 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10557 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10558 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10559 personal mail group.
10561 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10562 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10563 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10564 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10565 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10566 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10568 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10569 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10571 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10574 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10575 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10576 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10577 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10578 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10580 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10583 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10584 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10585 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10586 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10587 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10588 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10589 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10593 @node Server Buffer
10594 @section Server Buffer
10596 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10597 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10598 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10599 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10600 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10601 backend represents a virtual server.
10603 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10604 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10605 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10606 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10608 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10609 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10610 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10611 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10612 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10613 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10614 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10616 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10617 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10620 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10621 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10622 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10623 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10624 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10625 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10626 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10629 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10630 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10633 @node Server Buffer Format
10634 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10635 @cindex server buffer format
10637 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10638 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10639 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10640 variable, with some simple extensions:
10645 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10648 The name of this server.
10651 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10654 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10657 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10658 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10659 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10660 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10670 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10673 @node Server Commands
10674 @subsection Server Commands
10675 @cindex server commands
10681 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10682 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10686 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10687 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10690 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10691 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10692 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10696 @findex gnus-server-exit
10697 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10701 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10702 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10706 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10707 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10711 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10712 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10716 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10717 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10721 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10722 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10723 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10728 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10729 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10730 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10731 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10736 @node Example Methods
10737 @subsection Example Methods
10739 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10742 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10745 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10751 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10752 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10755 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10756 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10758 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10759 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10763 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10766 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10767 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10769 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10770 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10771 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10775 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10778 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10781 Here's the method for a public spool:
10785 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10786 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10792 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10793 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10794 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10795 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10796 should probably look something like this:
10800 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
10801 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
10802 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
10803 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10806 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10807 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
10808 configuration to the example above:
10811 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
10814 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
10815 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
10816 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
10820 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
10821 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
10822 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
10823 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10826 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10827 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10828 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10829 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10832 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10833 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10835 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10836 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10838 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10839 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10840 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10842 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10844 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10845 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10846 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10847 will contain the following:
10857 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10858 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10859 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10862 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10863 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10864 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10867 @node Server Variables
10868 @subsection Server Variables
10870 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10871 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10872 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10873 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10874 won't change the "derived" variables.
10876 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10877 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10878 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10879 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10880 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10881 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10882 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10883 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10884 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10888 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10889 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10890 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10894 @node Servers and Methods
10895 @subsection Servers and Methods
10897 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10898 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10899 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10900 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10904 @node Unavailable Servers
10905 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10907 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10908 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10909 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10910 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10911 actually the case or not.
10913 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10914 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10915 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10916 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10917 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10918 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10919 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10920 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10922 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10923 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10925 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
10926 with the following commands:
10932 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10933 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10934 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10938 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10939 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10940 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10944 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10945 Mark the current server as unreachable
10946 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10949 @kindex M-o (Server)
10950 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10951 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10952 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10955 @kindex M-c (Server)
10956 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10957 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10958 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10962 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10963 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10964 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10970 @section Getting News
10971 @cindex reading news
10972 @cindex news backends
10974 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10975 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10976 or it can read from a local spool.
10979 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10980 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10985 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10988 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10989 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10990 server as the, uhm, address.
10992 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10993 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10994 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10995 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10997 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10998 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10999 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11001 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11006 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11007 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11008 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11010 @cindex authentification
11011 @cindex nntp authentification
11012 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11013 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11014 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11015 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11016 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11017 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11018 present in this hook.
11020 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11021 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11022 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11023 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11024 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11025 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11026 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11027 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11028 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11029 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11030 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11031 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11035 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11038 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11040 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11041 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11042 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11043 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11044 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11045 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11046 @samp{force} is explained below.
11050 Here's an example file:
11053 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11054 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11057 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11058 have to be first, for instance.
11060 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11061 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11062 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11063 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11064 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11065 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11066 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11068 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11069 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11075 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11076 previously mentioned.
11078 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11080 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11081 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11082 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11083 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11084 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11087 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11088 '(("innd" (ding))))
11091 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11093 The default value is
11096 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11097 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11098 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11101 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11102 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11104 @item nntp-maximum-request
11105 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11106 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
11107 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11108 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
11109 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11110 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11111 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11113 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11114 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11115 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11116 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11117 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11118 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11119 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11120 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
11121 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11122 no timeouts are done.
11124 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11125 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11126 @c @cindex PPP connections
11127 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11128 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11129 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11130 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11131 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11132 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11133 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11134 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11135 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11136 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11138 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11139 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11140 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11141 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11142 @c described above.
11144 @item nntp-server-hook
11145 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11146 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11149 @item nntp-buggy-select
11150 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11151 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11153 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11154 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11155 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11156 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11159 @item nntp-xover-commands
11160 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11163 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11164 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11168 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11169 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11170 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11171 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11172 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11173 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11174 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11175 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11176 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11177 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11178 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11180 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11181 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11182 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11184 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11185 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11186 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11187 server closes connection.
11189 @item nntp-record-commands
11190 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11191 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11192 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11193 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11194 that doesn't seem to work.
11196 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11197 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11198 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11199 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11200 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11201 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11202 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11203 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11205 @item nntp-list-options
11206 @vindex nntp-list-options
11207 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11208 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11209 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11210 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11211 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11215 (setq gnus-select-method
11216 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11217 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11220 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11221 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11222 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11223 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11224 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11225 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11226 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11229 (setq gnus-select-method
11230 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11231 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11234 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11235 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11236 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11237 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11238 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11239 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11240 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11243 (setq gnus-select-method
11244 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11245 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11250 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11251 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11252 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11256 @node Direct Functions
11257 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11258 @cindex direct connection functions
11260 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11261 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11262 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11263 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11266 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11267 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11268 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11271 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11272 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11273 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
11274 you must have SSLay installed
11275 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
11276 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11277 define a server as follows:
11280 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11282 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11284 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11285 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11286 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11287 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11290 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11291 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11292 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11293 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11294 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11295 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11296 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11297 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11301 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11302 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11303 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11306 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11307 session, which is not a good idea.
11311 @node Indirect Functions
11312 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11313 @cindex indirect connection functions
11315 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11316 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11317 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11318 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11319 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11320 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11323 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11324 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11325 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11326 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11327 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11329 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11332 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11333 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11334 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11335 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11338 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11339 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11340 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11341 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11343 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11346 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11347 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11348 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11351 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11352 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11353 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11354 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11356 @item nntp-via-user-password
11357 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11358 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11360 @item nntp-via-envuser
11361 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11362 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11363 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11364 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11366 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11367 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11368 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11369 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11376 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11381 @item nntp-via-user-name
11382 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11383 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11385 @item nntp-via-address
11386 @vindex nntp-via-address
11387 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11392 @node Common Variables
11393 @subsubsection Common Variables
11395 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11396 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11401 @item nntp-pre-command
11402 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11403 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11404 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11405 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11406 wrapper for instance.
11409 @vindex nntp-address
11410 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11412 @item nntp-port-number
11413 @vindex nntp-port-number
11414 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11416 @item nntp-end-of-line
11417 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11418 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11419 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11420 using a non native connection function.
11422 @item nntp-telnet-command
11423 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11424 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11425 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11426 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11428 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11429 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11430 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11437 @subsection News Spool
11441 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11442 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11443 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11446 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11447 anything else) as the address.
11449 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11450 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11451 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11452 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11456 @item nnspool-inews-program
11457 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11458 Program used to post an article.
11460 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11461 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11462 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11464 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11465 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11466 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11467 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11469 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11470 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11471 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11472 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11474 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11475 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11476 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11478 @item nnspool-active-file
11479 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11480 The path to the active file.
11482 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11483 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11484 The path to the group descriptions file.
11486 @item nnspool-history-file
11487 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11488 The path to the news history file.
11490 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11491 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11492 The path to the active date file.
11494 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11495 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11496 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11499 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11500 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11502 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11503 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11504 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11510 @section Getting Mail
11511 @cindex reading mail
11514 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11518 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11519 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11520 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11521 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11522 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11523 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11524 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11525 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11526 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11527 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11528 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11529 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
11530 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11531 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11535 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11536 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11538 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11539 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11540 of a culture shock.
11542 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11543 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11545 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11546 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11547 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11548 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11550 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11552 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11553 deleted? How awful!
11555 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11556 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11557 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11558 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11561 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11562 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11563 they want to treat a message.
11565 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11566 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11567 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11568 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11569 archived somewhere else.
11571 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11572 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11573 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11574 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11575 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11577 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11578 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11579 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11581 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11582 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11585 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11586 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11587 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11588 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11589 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11591 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11592 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11593 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11594 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11595 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11596 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11600 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11601 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11603 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11604 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11605 and things will happen automatically.
11607 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11608 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11611 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11614 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11615 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11616 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11617 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11618 like any other group.
11620 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11623 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11624 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11625 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11629 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11630 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11631 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11634 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11635 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11636 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11639 @node Splitting Mail
11640 @subsection Splitting Mail
11641 @cindex splitting mail
11642 @cindex mail splitting
11644 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11645 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11646 to be split into groups.
11649 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11650 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11651 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11652 ("mail.other" "")))
11655 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11656 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11657 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11658 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11659 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11660 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11661 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11664 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11667 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11668 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11669 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11670 mail belongs in that group.
11672 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11673 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11674 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11675 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11676 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11677 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11679 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11680 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11681 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11682 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11683 thinks should carry this mail message.
11685 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11686 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11687 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11688 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11690 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11691 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11692 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11693 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11694 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11696 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11699 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11700 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11701 links. If that's the case for you, set
11702 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11703 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11705 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11706 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11707 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11708 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11709 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11710 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11713 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11714 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11715 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11716 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11717 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11718 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11719 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11720 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11721 month's rent money.
11725 @subsection Mail Sources
11727 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11728 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11732 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11733 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11734 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11738 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11739 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11741 @cindex mail server
11744 @cindex mail source
11746 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11747 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11752 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11755 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11756 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11757 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11760 The following mail source types are available:
11764 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11770 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11771 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11774 An example file mail source:
11777 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11780 Or using the default path:
11786 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11787 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11788 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11791 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11795 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11798 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11802 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11805 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11807 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11810 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11814 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11815 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11816 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11817 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11818 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11824 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11828 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11832 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11833 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11834 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11835 predicate are considered.
11839 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11843 An example directory mail source:
11846 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11851 Get mail from a POP server.
11857 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11858 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11861 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11862 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11863 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11864 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11865 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11868 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11872 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11876 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11877 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11880 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11883 The valid format specifier characters are:
11887 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11888 included in this string.
11891 The name of the server.
11894 The port number of the server.
11897 The user name to use.
11900 The password to use.
11903 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11904 corresponding keywords.
11907 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11908 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11911 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11912 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11915 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11916 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11919 @item :authentication
11920 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11921 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11926 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11927 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11929 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11930 default user name, and default fetcher:
11936 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11939 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11940 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11943 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11946 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11950 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11951 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11952 contains exactly one mail.
11958 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11959 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11962 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11963 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11965 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11966 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11967 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11970 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11971 from locking problems).
11975 Two example maildir mail sources:
11978 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
11979 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11983 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
11988 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
11989 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
11990 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
11991 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
11998 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11999 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12002 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12003 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
12006 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12010 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12014 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12015 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12016 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
12018 @item :authentication
12019 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
12020 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
12021 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
12025 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12026 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12027 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12033 The valid format specifier characters are:
12037 The name of the server.
12040 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12043 The port number of the server.
12046 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12047 corresponding keywords.
12050 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12051 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12054 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12055 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12056 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12057 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12058 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12059 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12062 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12063 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12064 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12065 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12068 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12069 after finishing the fetch.
12073 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12076 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12078 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12082 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12083 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12085 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12088 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12089 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12091 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12097 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12098 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12101 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12105 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12109 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12110 folder after finishing the fetch.
12114 An example webmail source:
12117 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12119 :password "secret")
12124 @item Common Keywords
12125 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12131 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12132 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12136 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12141 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12142 useful when you use local mail and news.
12147 @subsubsection Function Interface
12149 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12150 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12151 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12152 consider the following mail-source setting:
12155 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12156 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12159 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12160 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12161 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12162 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12163 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12165 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12168 @node Mail Source Customization
12169 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12171 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12172 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12176 @item mail-source-crash-box
12177 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12178 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12179 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12181 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12182 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12183 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12185 @item mail-source-directory
12186 @vindex mail-source-directory
12187 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12188 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12189 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12192 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12193 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12194 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12195 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12196 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12197 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12199 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12200 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12201 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12206 @node Fetching Mail
12207 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12209 @vindex mail-sources
12210 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12211 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12212 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12213 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12215 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12216 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12219 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12220 mail server, you'd say something like:
12225 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12226 :password "secret")))
12229 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12233 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12234 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12237 :password "secret")))
12241 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12242 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12243 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
12244 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12245 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12246 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12250 @node Mail Backend Variables
12251 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
12253 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12257 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12258 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12259 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12260 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12262 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12263 @item nnmail-split-hook
12264 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12265 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12266 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12267 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12268 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12269 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12270 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12271 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12272 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12275 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12276 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12277 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12278 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12279 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12280 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12281 starting to handle the new mail) and
12282 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12283 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12284 default file modes the new mail files get:
12287 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12288 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12290 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12291 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12294 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12295 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12296 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
12297 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12298 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
12299 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12300 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12302 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12303 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12304 @findex delete-file
12305 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12307 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12308 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12309 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12310 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12311 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12316 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12317 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12318 @cindex mail splitting
12319 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12321 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12322 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12323 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12324 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12325 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12326 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12328 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12331 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12332 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12333 ;; from real errors.
12334 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12336 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12337 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12338 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12339 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12340 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12341 ;; Other mailing lists...
12342 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12343 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12344 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12345 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12346 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12347 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12348 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12349 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12351 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12352 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12356 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12357 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12358 the five possible split syntaxes:
12363 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12364 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12368 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12369 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12370 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12371 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12372 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12373 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12374 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12375 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12378 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12379 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12380 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12381 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12384 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12385 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12388 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12389 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12392 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12393 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12394 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12395 function should return a @var{split}.
12398 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12399 body of the messages:
12402 (defun split-on-body ()
12404 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12405 (goto-char (point-min))
12406 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12410 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12411 when the @code{:} function is run.
12414 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12415 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12416 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12420 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12424 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12425 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12426 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12427 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12428 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12430 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12431 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12432 are expanded as specified by the variable
12433 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12434 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12437 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12438 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12439 when all this splitting is performed.
12441 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12442 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12443 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12446 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12449 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12450 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12452 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12453 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12454 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12455 groupings 1 through 9.
12457 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12458 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12459 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12460 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12461 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12462 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12463 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12464 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12465 it once per thread.
12467 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12468 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12469 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12472 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12473 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12474 ;; other splits go here
12478 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12479 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12480 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12481 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12482 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12483 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12484 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12485 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12486 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12487 unless the group name matches the regexp
12488 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12489 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12490 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12491 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12492 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12493 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12494 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12495 messages goes into the new group.
12498 @node Group Mail Splitting
12499 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12500 @cindex mail splitting
12501 @cindex group mail splitting
12503 @findex gnus-group-split
12504 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12505 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12506 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12507 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12508 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12509 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12510 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12511 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12513 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12514 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12515 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12516 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12518 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12519 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12520 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12521 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12522 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12523 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12524 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12526 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12527 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12528 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12529 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12530 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12531 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12532 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12534 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12535 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12536 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12537 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12538 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12539 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12540 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12541 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12542 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12543 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12544 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12545 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12546 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12548 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12553 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12554 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12556 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12557 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12558 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12559 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12561 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12564 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12565 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12566 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12569 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12570 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12571 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12575 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12576 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12577 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12581 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12584 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12585 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12586 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12587 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12588 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12589 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12590 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12591 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12592 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12594 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12595 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12596 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12597 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12598 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12599 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12600 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12601 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12602 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12604 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12605 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12606 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12607 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12608 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12609 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12612 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12615 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12616 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12617 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12618 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12619 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12622 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12623 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12624 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12625 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12627 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12628 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12629 @cindex incorporating old mail
12630 @cindex import old mail
12632 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12633 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12634 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12637 Doing so can be quite easy.
12639 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12640 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12641 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12642 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12643 your @code{nnml} groups.
12649 Go to the group buffer.
12652 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12653 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12656 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12659 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12660 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12663 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12664 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12667 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12668 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12669 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12670 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12671 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12673 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12674 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12675 using the new mail backend.
12678 @node Expiring Mail
12679 @subsection Expiring Mail
12680 @cindex article expiry
12682 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12683 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12684 different approach to mail reading.
12686 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12687 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12688 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12689 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12690 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12691 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12694 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12695 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12696 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12697 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12698 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12699 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12700 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12701 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12703 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12704 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12705 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12706 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12707 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12708 column in the summary buffer.
12710 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12711 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12712 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12713 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12716 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12718 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12719 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12720 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12723 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12724 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12725 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12726 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12727 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12729 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12730 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12733 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12734 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12737 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12738 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12740 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12741 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12742 don't really mix very well.
12744 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12745 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12746 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12747 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12750 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12751 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12752 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12753 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12756 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12758 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12760 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12762 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12764 ((string= group "important")
12770 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12771 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12773 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12774 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12775 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12778 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12779 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12781 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12782 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12783 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12784 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12785 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12786 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12787 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12788 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12789 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12790 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12791 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12792 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12795 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12797 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12801 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12802 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12803 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12804 easier for procmail users.
12806 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12807 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12808 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12809 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12810 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12811 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12812 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12813 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12814 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12815 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12816 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12817 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12818 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12821 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12823 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12824 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12825 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12826 auto-expire turned on.
12830 @subsection Washing Mail
12831 @cindex mail washing
12832 @cindex list server brain damage
12833 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12835 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12836 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12837 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12838 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12839 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12840 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12842 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12843 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12844 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12847 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12848 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12849 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12850 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12853 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12854 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12855 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12856 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12857 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12860 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12861 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12862 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12863 Emacs running on MS machines.
12867 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12868 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12869 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12870 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12873 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12874 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12875 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12876 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12878 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12879 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12880 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12881 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12882 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12883 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12884 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12887 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12888 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12891 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12892 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12895 This can also be done non-destructively with
12896 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12898 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12899 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12900 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12902 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12903 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12905 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12906 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12907 @code{References} headers.
12911 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12912 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12913 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12917 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12918 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12919 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12926 @subsection Duplicates
12928 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12929 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12930 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12931 @cindex duplicate mails
12932 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12933 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12934 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12935 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12936 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12937 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12938 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12939 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12940 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12941 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12942 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12943 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12944 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12946 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12947 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12948 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12949 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12951 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12954 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12955 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12959 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12960 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12961 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
12962 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12963 (any mail "mail.misc")
12970 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12971 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
12976 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12977 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12978 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12979 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12980 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12983 @node Not Reading Mail
12984 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12986 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12987 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12988 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12990 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12991 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12992 mail, which should help.
12994 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12995 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12996 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12997 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12998 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12999 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13000 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13001 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
13002 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13003 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13004 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13006 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13007 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13011 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
13012 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
13014 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13015 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13016 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13018 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
13019 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
13020 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13021 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13024 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13025 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13026 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13027 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
13028 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13029 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13033 @node Unix Mail Box
13034 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13036 @cindex unix mail box
13038 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13039 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13040 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13041 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13042 which group it belongs in.
13044 Virtual server settings:
13047 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13048 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13049 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13052 @item nnmbox-active-file
13053 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13054 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13055 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13057 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13058 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13059 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13060 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13065 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13069 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13070 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13071 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13072 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13073 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13075 Virtual server settings:
13078 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13079 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13080 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13082 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13083 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13084 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13085 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13087 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13088 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13089 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13095 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13097 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13099 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13100 format. It should be used with some caution.
13102 @vindex nnml-directory
13103 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13104 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13105 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13106 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13108 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13111 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13112 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
13113 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13114 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13115 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13116 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13117 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13118 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13120 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
13121 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13122 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13123 backend when it comes to reading mail.
13125 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13126 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13127 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13128 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13129 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13130 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13131 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13132 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13133 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13136 Virtual server settings:
13139 @item nnml-directory
13140 @vindex nnml-directory
13141 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13142 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13145 @item nnml-active-file
13146 @vindex nnml-active-file
13147 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13148 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13150 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13151 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13152 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13153 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13155 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13156 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13157 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13160 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13161 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13162 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13163 default is @code{nil}.
13165 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13166 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13167 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13169 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13170 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13171 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13173 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13174 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13175 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13176 default is @code{nil}.
13178 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13179 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13180 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13184 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13185 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13186 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13187 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13188 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13189 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13190 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13195 @subsubsection MH Spool
13197 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13199 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13200 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13201 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml},
13202 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13204 Virtual server settings:
13207 @item nnmh-directory
13208 @vindex nnmh-directory
13209 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13210 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13213 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13214 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13215 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13219 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13220 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13221 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13222 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13223 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13224 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13225 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13230 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13232 @cindex mbox folders
13233 @cindex mail folders
13235 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
13236 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13237 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13240 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13241 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13242 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13243 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13244 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13245 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13246 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13247 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13248 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13249 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13250 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13252 Virtual server settings:
13255 @item nnfolder-directory
13256 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13257 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13258 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13261 @item nnfolder-active-file
13262 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13263 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13265 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13266 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13267 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13268 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13270 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13271 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13272 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13275 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13276 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13277 @cindex backup files
13278 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13279 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13280 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13281 your @file{.emacs} file:
13284 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13285 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13287 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13290 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13291 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13292 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13293 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13294 extract some information from it before removing it.
13296 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13297 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13298 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13299 default is @code{nil}.
13301 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13302 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13303 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13305 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13306 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13307 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13308 default is @code{nil}.
13310 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13311 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13312 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13317 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13318 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13319 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13320 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13321 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13322 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13325 @node Comparing Mail Backends
13326 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
13328 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
13329 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13330 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13331 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
13332 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13334 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13335 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13336 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13337 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13338 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13339 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13340 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13341 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13344 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
13345 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13346 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13347 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13352 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13353 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13354 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13355 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13356 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13357 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13358 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13359 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13360 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13361 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13362 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13363 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13364 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13369 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13370 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13371 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13372 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13373 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13374 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13375 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13376 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13377 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13378 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13379 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13380 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13381 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13382 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13384 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13385 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13390 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
13391 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13392 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13393 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13394 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13395 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13396 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13397 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13398 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13399 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13400 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13401 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13402 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13403 provided by the active file and overviews.
13405 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13406 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13407 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13408 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13409 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13412 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
13413 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13418 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13419 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13420 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13421 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13422 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13423 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13424 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13428 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13429 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13430 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13431 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13432 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13433 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13434 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13435 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13436 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13438 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13439 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13440 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13441 friendly mail backend all over.
13446 @node Browsing the Web
13447 @section Browsing the Web
13449 @cindex browsing the web
13453 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13454 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13455 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13456 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13457 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13458 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13459 even know what a news group is.
13461 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13462 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13463 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13464 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13465 you mad in the end.
13467 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13470 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
13471 interfaces to these sources.
13474 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13475 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13476 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13477 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13478 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13479 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13482 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13484 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13485 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13486 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
13487 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
13488 though, you should be ok.
13490 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13491 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13492 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13493 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13494 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13496 @node Archiving Mail
13497 @subsection Archiving Mail
13498 @cindex archiving mail
13499 @cindex backup of mail
13501 Some of the backends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13502 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13503 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13505 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13506 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13509 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13510 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13511 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13512 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13513 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13514 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13515 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13518 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13519 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13520 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13521 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13522 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13523 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13524 notice the new directory.
13527 @subsection Web Searches
13531 @cindex InReference
13532 @cindex Usenet searches
13533 @cindex searching the Usenet
13535 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13536 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13537 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13538 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13539 searches without having to use a browser.
13541 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13542 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13543 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13544 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13545 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13547 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13548 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13549 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13550 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13551 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13552 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13553 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13554 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13555 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13556 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13559 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13560 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13561 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13562 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13563 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13564 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13566 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13567 to use @code{nnweb}.
13569 Virtual server variables:
13574 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13575 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13579 @vindex nnweb-search
13580 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13582 @item nnweb-max-hits
13583 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13584 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13587 @item nnweb-type-definition
13588 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13589 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13590 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13595 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13599 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13602 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13605 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13609 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13616 @subsection Slashdot
13620 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13621 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13622 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13624 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13625 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13628 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13629 '((nnslashdot "")))
13632 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
13633 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13634 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13635 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13636 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13639 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13640 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13642 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13643 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13644 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13645 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13646 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13647 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13650 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13653 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13654 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13655 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13656 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13657 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13658 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13659 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13661 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13662 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13663 The login name to use when posting.
13665 @item nnslashdot-password
13666 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13667 The password to use when posting.
13669 @item nnslashdot-directory
13670 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13671 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13672 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13674 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13675 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13676 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13677 news articles and comments. The default is
13678 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13680 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13681 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13682 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13684 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13686 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13687 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13688 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13690 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13692 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13693 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13694 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13696 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13697 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13698 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13699 updated. The default is 0.
13706 @subsection Ultimate
13708 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13710 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13711 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13712 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13713 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13715 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13716 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13717 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13718 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13719 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13720 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13721 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13723 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13726 @item nnultimate-directory
13727 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13728 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13729 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13734 @subsection Web Archive
13736 @cindex Web Archive
13738 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13739 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13740 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13741 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13744 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13745 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13746 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13747 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13748 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13749 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13750 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13752 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13755 @item nnwarchive-directory
13756 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13757 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13758 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13760 @item nnwarchive-login
13761 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13762 The account name on the web server.
13764 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13765 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13766 The password for your account on the web server.
13774 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13775 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13776 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13779 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13780 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13783 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13786 @item nnrss-directory
13787 @vindex nnrss-directory
13788 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13789 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13793 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
13794 the summary buffer.
13797 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
13798 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
13800 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
13802 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
13803 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
13806 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
13809 (require 'browse-url)
13811 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
13813 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
13816 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
13817 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
13819 (browse-url (cdr url))
13820 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
13822 (eval-after-load "gnus"
13823 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
13824 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
13825 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
13828 @node Customizing w3
13829 @subsection Customizing w3
13835 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13836 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13837 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13839 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13840 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13841 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13844 (eval-after-load "w3"
13846 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13847 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13848 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13849 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13851 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13854 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13855 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13859 @node Other Sources
13860 @section Other Sources
13862 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13863 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13867 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13868 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13869 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13870 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13871 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13872 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13876 @node Directory Groups
13877 @subsection Directory Groups
13879 @cindex directory groups
13881 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13882 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13885 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13886 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13887 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13888 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13890 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13891 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13892 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13893 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13894 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13896 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13898 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13899 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13900 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13901 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13904 @node Anything Groups
13905 @subsection Anything Groups
13908 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13909 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13910 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13913 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13914 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13915 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13916 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13917 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13918 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13919 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13920 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13921 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13922 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13925 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13926 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13927 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13928 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13930 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13931 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13932 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13933 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13935 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13936 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13937 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13938 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13939 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13940 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13941 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13942 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13947 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13948 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13949 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13950 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13952 @item nneething-exclude-files
13953 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13954 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13955 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13957 @item nneething-include-files
13958 @vindex nneething-include-files
13959 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13960 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13962 @item nneething-map-file
13963 @vindex nneething-map-file
13964 Name of the map files.
13968 @node Document Groups
13969 @subsection Document Groups
13971 @cindex documentation group
13974 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13975 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13982 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13987 The standard Unix mbox file.
13989 @cindex MMDF mail box
13991 The MMDF mail box format.
13994 Several news articles appended into a file.
13997 @cindex rnews batch files
13998 The rnews batch transport format.
13999 @cindex forwarded messages
14002 Forwarded articles.
14005 Netscape mail boxes.
14008 MIME multipart messages.
14010 @item standard-digest
14011 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14014 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14017 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14018 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14019 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14022 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14023 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14024 group. And that's it.
14026 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14027 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14028 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14029 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14030 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14031 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14032 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14033 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14034 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14035 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14037 Virtual server variables:
14040 @item nndoc-article-type
14041 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14042 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14043 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14044 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14045 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
14047 @item nndoc-post-type
14048 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14049 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14050 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14055 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14059 @node Document Server Internals
14060 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14062 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14063 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14064 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14065 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14067 First, here's an example document type definition:
14071 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14072 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14075 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14076 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14077 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14078 types can be defined with very few settings:
14081 @item first-article
14082 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14083 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14086 @item article-begin
14087 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14088 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14090 @item head-begin-function
14091 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14094 @item nndoc-head-begin
14095 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14098 @item nndoc-head-end
14099 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14100 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14102 @item body-begin-function
14103 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14107 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
14110 @item body-end-function
14111 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
14115 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
14118 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
14119 regexp will be totally ignored.
14123 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
14124 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
14125 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
14126 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
14127 something that's palatable for Gnus:
14130 @item prepare-body-function
14131 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
14132 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
14133 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
14135 @item article-transform-function
14136 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
14137 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
14138 body of the article.
14140 @item generate-head-function
14141 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
14142 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
14143 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
14144 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
14148 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14153 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14154 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14155 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14156 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14157 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14158 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14159 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14160 (subtype digest guess))
14163 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14164 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14165 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14166 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14167 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14169 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14170 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14171 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14172 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14173 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
14174 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14175 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14176 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14177 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
14178 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
14186 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
14187 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
14188 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
14190 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
14191 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
14192 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
14195 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
14196 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
14197 that interested in doing things properly.
14199 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
14200 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
14203 First some terminology:
14208 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
14209 get news and/or mail from.
14212 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
14213 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
14216 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
14220 @item message packets
14221 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
14222 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
14223 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14225 @item response packets
14226 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
14227 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
14228 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14238 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
14239 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
14240 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
14241 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
14244 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
14247 You put the packet in your home directory.
14250 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
14251 the native or secondary server.
14254 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
14255 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
14258 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
14262 You transfer this packet to the server.
14265 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
14268 You then repeat until you die.
14272 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
14273 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
14276 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
14277 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
14278 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
14282 @node SOUP Commands
14283 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
14285 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
14289 @kindex G s b (Group)
14290 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
14291 Pack all unread articles in the current group
14292 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
14293 process/prefix convention.
14296 @kindex G s w (Group)
14297 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
14298 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
14301 @kindex G s s (Group)
14302 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
14303 Send all replies from the replies packet
14304 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
14307 @kindex G s p (Group)
14308 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
14309 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
14312 @kindex G s r (Group)
14313 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
14314 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
14317 @kindex O s (Summary)
14318 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
14319 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
14320 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
14321 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14326 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
14331 @item gnus-soup-directory
14332 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
14333 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
14334 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
14336 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
14337 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
14338 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
14339 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
14341 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
14342 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
14343 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
14344 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
14346 @item gnus-soup-packer
14347 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
14348 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14349 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
14351 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
14352 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
14353 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14354 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14356 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
14357 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
14358 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
14360 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14361 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14362 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
14363 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
14369 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
14372 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
14373 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
14374 you can read them at leisure.
14376 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
14380 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
14381 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
14382 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
14383 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
14385 @item nnsoup-directory
14386 @vindex nnsoup-directory
14387 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
14388 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
14390 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
14391 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
14392 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
14393 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
14395 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
14396 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
14397 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
14398 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
14399 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
14401 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
14402 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
14403 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
14404 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
14406 @item nnsoup-active-file
14407 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
14408 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
14409 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
14410 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
14411 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
14413 @item nnsoup-packer
14414 @vindex nnsoup-packer
14415 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
14416 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
14418 @item nnsoup-unpacker
14419 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
14420 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
14421 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14423 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
14424 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
14425 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
14428 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
14429 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
14430 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
14433 @item nnsoup-always-save
14434 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
14435 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
14441 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
14443 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
14444 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
14445 more for that to happen.
14447 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
14448 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
14449 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
14452 In specific, this is what it does:
14455 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
14456 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
14459 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
14460 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
14461 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
14464 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
14465 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
14466 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
14469 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
14470 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
14471 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
14473 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
14479 @item nngateway-address
14480 @vindex nngateway-address
14481 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
14483 @item nngateway-header-transformation
14484 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
14485 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
14486 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
14487 transformation should be called, and defaults to
14488 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
14489 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
14492 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
14493 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
14494 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
14497 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
14500 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
14503 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
14506 The following pre-defined functions exist:
14508 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14511 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14512 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14513 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
14515 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14517 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14518 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14519 @code{nngateway-address}.
14524 (setq gnus-post-method
14526 "mail2news@@replay.com"
14527 (nngateway-header-transformation
14528 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
14536 So, to use this, simply say something like:
14539 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
14545 @subsection @sc{imap}
14549 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14550 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14551 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14552 specify the network address of the server.
14554 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14555 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14556 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14557 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14558 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14560 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14561 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14562 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14563 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14565 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14566 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14567 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14568 usage explained in this section.
14570 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14571 might look something like this:
14574 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14575 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14576 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14578 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14579 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14580 ; a UW server running on localhost
14582 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14583 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14584 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14585 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14586 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14587 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14588 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14589 (nnimap-stream network))
14590 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14592 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14593 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14594 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14597 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14602 @item nnimap-address
14603 @vindex nnimap-address
14605 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14606 server name if not specified.
14608 @item nnimap-server-port
14609 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14610 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14612 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
14615 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14616 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14619 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14620 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14621 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14622 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14623 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14624 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14625 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14627 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14628 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14629 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14632 Example server specification:
14635 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14636 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14637 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14640 @item nnimap-stream
14641 @vindex nnimap-stream
14642 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14643 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14644 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14645 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14647 Example server specification:
14650 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14651 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14654 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14658 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14659 @samp{imtest} program.
14661 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14663 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14664 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14667 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the
14668 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14670 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14672 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14675 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14676 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14677 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14678 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14679 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14680 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14681 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14682 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14683 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14686 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14687 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14688 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14689 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
14690 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14691 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14692 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14695 @vindex imap-shell-program
14696 @vindex imap-shell-host
14697 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14698 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14700 @item nnimap-authenticator
14701 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14703 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14704 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14706 Example server specification:
14709 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14710 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14713 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14717 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14718 external program @code{imtest}.
14720 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14723 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14724 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14726 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14728 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14730 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14733 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14735 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14736 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14737 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14738 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14739 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14740 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14743 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14744 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14745 running in circles yet?
14747 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14748 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14751 The possible options are:
14756 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14759 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14760 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14761 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14762 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14764 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14769 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14770 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14772 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14773 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14774 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14775 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14776 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14778 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14779 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14782 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14783 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14784 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14785 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14788 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14789 as ticked for other users.
14791 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14793 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14795 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14796 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14797 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14798 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14800 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14801 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14802 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14803 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14805 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14806 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14808 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14809 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14810 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14816 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14817 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14818 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14823 @node Splitting in IMAP
14824 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14825 @cindex splitting imap mail
14827 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14828 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14829 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14830 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14831 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14835 Here are the variables of interest:
14839 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14840 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14842 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14844 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14845 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14847 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14849 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14850 @cindex splitting, inbox
14852 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14854 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14855 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14859 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14860 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14863 No nnmail equivalent.
14865 @item nnimap-split-rule
14866 @cindex Splitting, rules
14867 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14869 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14872 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14873 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14874 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14875 Neither did I, we need examples.
14878 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14880 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14881 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14882 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14885 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14886 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14887 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14889 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14890 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14894 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14897 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14898 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14899 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14900 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14902 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14903 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14904 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14905 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14906 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14907 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14909 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14910 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14911 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14913 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14914 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14915 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14917 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14919 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14920 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14921 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14924 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14925 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14926 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14927 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14928 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14929 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14932 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14933 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14934 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14935 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14936 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14937 group/function elements.
14939 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14941 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14943 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14945 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14946 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14948 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14949 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14950 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14953 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14954 @cindex splitting, fancy
14955 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14956 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14958 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14959 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14960 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14962 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14963 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14964 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14965 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14970 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14971 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14974 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14978 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14979 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14980 @cindex editing imap acls
14981 @cindex Access Control Lists
14982 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14984 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14986 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14987 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14988 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14991 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14992 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14993 editing window with detailed instructions.
14995 Some possible uses:
14999 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15000 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15001 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15003 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15004 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15005 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15009 @node Expunging mailboxes
15010 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
15014 @cindex Manual expunging
15016 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15018 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15019 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15020 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15022 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15027 @node Combined Groups
15028 @section Combined Groups
15030 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15034 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15035 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15039 @node Virtual Groups
15040 @subsection Virtual Groups
15042 @cindex virtual groups
15043 @cindex merging groups
15045 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15048 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15049 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15050 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15052 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15053 regexp to match component groups.
15055 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15056 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15057 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15058 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15059 the virtual group.)
15061 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15062 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15065 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15068 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15069 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15071 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15072 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15073 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15074 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15077 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15080 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15081 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15082 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15084 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15085 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15086 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15087 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15088 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15090 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15091 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15092 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15094 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15095 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15096 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15097 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15098 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15099 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15100 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15101 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15102 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15103 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15104 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15106 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15107 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15108 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
15109 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15110 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
15111 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15112 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15114 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15115 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15119 @node Kibozed Groups
15120 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15124 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15125 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
15126 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15127 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15129 @kindex G k (Group)
15130 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15133 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15134 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15135 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15136 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15138 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15139 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15140 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15142 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15143 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15144 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15145 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15146 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15147 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15148 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15149 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15151 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15152 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15153 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15154 Stranger things have happened.
15156 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15157 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15159 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15160 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15161 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15162 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15163 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15164 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15166 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15167 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15170 @node Gnus Unplugged
15171 @section Gnus Unplugged
15176 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15178 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15179 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15180 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15181 read news. Believe it or not.
15183 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15184 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15185 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15186 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15187 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15189 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15190 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15191 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15192 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15193 reading news on a machine.
15195 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15199 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15200 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15204 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15205 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15212 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15214 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15217 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15218 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15219 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15220 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15221 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15222 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15223 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15224 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15225 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15226 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15231 @subsection Agent Basics
15233 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15235 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15236 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15237 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15238 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15240 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15241 connected to the net continuously.
15243 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15244 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15246 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15251 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15252 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15253 already fetched while in this mode.
15256 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15257 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15258 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15259 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15260 Source Specifiers}).
15263 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15264 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15265 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15266 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15267 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15270 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15271 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15272 then you read the news offline.
15275 And then you go to step 2.
15278 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15284 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15285 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15286 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15287 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15288 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15289 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15292 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15299 @node Agent Categories
15300 @subsection Agent Categories
15302 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15303 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15304 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15305 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15306 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15307 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15308 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15310 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15311 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15312 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15313 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15314 managing categories.
15317 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15318 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15319 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15323 @node Category Syntax
15324 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15326 A category consists of two things.
15330 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15331 are eligible for downloading; and
15334 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15335 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15336 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15339 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15340 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15341 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15342 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15344 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15345 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15346 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15348 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15349 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15350 operators sprinkled in between.
15352 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15354 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15355 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15361 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15362 short (for some value of ``short'').
15364 Here's a more complex predicate:
15373 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15374 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15377 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15378 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15379 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15381 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15382 you want to do, you can write your own.
15386 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15387 lines; default 100.
15390 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15391 lines; default 200.
15394 True iff the article has a download score less than
15395 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15398 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15399 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15402 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15403 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15404 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15413 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15414 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15415 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15418 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15419 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15420 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15421 something along the lines of the following:
15424 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15425 "Say whether an article is old."
15426 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15427 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15430 with the predicate then defined as:
15433 (not my-article-old-p)
15436 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15437 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15438 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15439 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15442 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15443 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15444 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15447 and simply specify your predicate as:
15453 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15454 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15455 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15456 just don't give a damn.
15458 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15459 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15460 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15461 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15462 parameters like so:
15465 (agent-predicate . short)
15468 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15469 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15470 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15472 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15475 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15478 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15479 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15480 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15483 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15484 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15485 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15486 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15487 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15488 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15490 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15491 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15492 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15493 if it's to be specific to that group.
15495 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15502 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15503 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15509 Category specification
15513 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15519 Group Parameter specification
15522 (agent-score ("from"
15523 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15528 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15534 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15541 Category specification
15544 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15550 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15554 Group Parameter specification
15557 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15560 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15565 Use @code{normal} score files
15567 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15568 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15569 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15570 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15572 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15573 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15574 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15575 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15579 Category Specification
15586 Group Parameter specification
15589 (agent-score . file)
15594 @node Category Buffer
15595 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15597 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15598 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15599 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15601 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15605 @kindex q (Category)
15606 @findex gnus-category-exit
15607 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15610 @kindex k (Category)
15611 @findex gnus-category-kill
15612 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15615 @kindex c (Category)
15616 @findex gnus-category-copy
15617 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15620 @kindex a (Category)
15621 @findex gnus-category-add
15622 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15625 @kindex p (Category)
15626 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15627 Edit the predicate of the current category
15628 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15631 @kindex g (Category)
15632 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15633 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15634 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15637 @kindex s (Category)
15638 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15639 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15640 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15643 @kindex l (Category)
15644 @findex gnus-category-list
15645 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15649 @node Category Variables
15650 @subsubsection Category Variables
15653 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15654 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15655 Hook run in category buffers.
15657 @item gnus-category-line-format
15658 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15659 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15660 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15664 The name of the category.
15667 The number of groups in the category.
15670 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15671 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15672 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15674 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15675 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15676 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15678 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15679 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15680 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15682 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15683 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15684 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15687 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15688 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15689 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15695 @node Agent Commands
15696 @subsection Agent Commands
15698 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15699 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
15700 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15704 * Group Agent Commands::
15705 * Summary Agent Commands::
15706 * Server Agent Commands::
15709 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15710 following incantation:
15712 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15714 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15719 @node Group Agent Commands
15720 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15724 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15725 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15726 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15727 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15730 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15731 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15732 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15735 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15736 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15737 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15738 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15741 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15742 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15743 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15744 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15747 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15748 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15749 Add the current group to an Agent category
15750 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15751 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15754 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15755 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15756 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15757 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15758 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15761 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15762 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15763 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15769 @node Summary Agent Commands
15770 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15774 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15775 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15776 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15779 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15780 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15781 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15782 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15785 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15786 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15787 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15790 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15791 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15792 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15795 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
15796 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
15797 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
15798 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
15803 @node Server Agent Commands
15804 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15808 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15809 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15810 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15811 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15814 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15815 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15816 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15817 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15823 @subsection Agent Expiry
15825 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15826 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15827 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15828 @cindex Agent expiry
15829 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15832 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15833 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15834 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15835 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15836 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15837 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15839 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15840 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15841 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15842 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15843 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15846 @node Agent and IMAP
15847 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15849 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However,
15850 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15851 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15852 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15854 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15855 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15856 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15857 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15859 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15860 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15861 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15862 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15863 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15865 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15866 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15867 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15868 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15869 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15870 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15872 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15873 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15874 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15875 in the group buffer by default.
15877 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15878 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15883 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15886 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15890 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15891 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15892 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15893 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15894 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15895 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15896 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15897 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15900 @node Outgoing Messages
15901 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15903 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15904 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15905 after posting, and edit them at will.
15907 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15908 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15909 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15910 messages in the draft group.
15914 @node Agent Variables
15915 @subsection Agent Variables
15918 @item gnus-agent-directory
15919 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15920 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15921 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15923 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15924 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15925 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15926 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15927 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15930 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15931 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15932 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15934 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15935 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15936 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15941 @node Example Setup
15942 @subsection Example Setup
15944 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15945 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15946 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15949 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15950 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15951 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15953 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15954 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15955 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15957 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15958 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15960 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15964 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15965 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15968 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15969 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15970 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15971 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15972 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15975 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15976 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15977 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15978 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15979 back all the killed groups.)
15981 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15982 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15983 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15986 @node Batching Agents
15987 @subsection Batching Agents
15989 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15990 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15991 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15995 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15999 @node Agent Caveats
16000 @subsection Agent Caveats
16002 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16003 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16007 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16012 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16013 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16019 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16020 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16027 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16028 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16029 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16032 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16033 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16034 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16035 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16036 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16038 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16039 before generating the summary buffer.
16041 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16042 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16043 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16045 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16046 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16047 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16048 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16051 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16052 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16053 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16054 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16055 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16056 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16057 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16058 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16059 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16060 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16061 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16062 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16063 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16064 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16065 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16066 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16067 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16071 @node Summary Score Commands
16072 @section Summary Score Commands
16073 @cindex score commands
16075 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16076 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16077 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16078 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16079 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16081 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16082 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16083 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16084 score file the current one.
16086 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16091 @kindex V s (Summary)
16092 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16093 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16096 @kindex V S (Summary)
16097 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16098 Display the score of the current article
16099 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16102 @kindex V t (Summary)
16103 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16104 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16105 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16108 @kindex V R (Summary)
16109 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16110 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16111 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16112 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16113 effect you're having.
16116 @kindex V c (Summary)
16117 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16118 Make a different score file the current
16119 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16122 @kindex V e (Summary)
16123 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16124 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16125 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16129 @kindex V f (Summary)
16130 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16131 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16132 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16135 @kindex V F (Summary)
16136 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16137 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16138 after editing score files.
16141 @kindex V C (Summary)
16142 @findex gnus-score-customize
16143 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16144 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16148 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16153 @kindex V m (Summary)
16154 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16155 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16156 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16159 @kindex V x (Summary)
16160 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16161 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16162 expunge all articles below this score
16163 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16166 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16167 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16170 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16171 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16175 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16176 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16178 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16179 keys are available:
16183 Score on the author name.
16186 Score on the subject line.
16189 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16192 Score on the @code{References} line.
16198 Score on the number of lines.
16201 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16204 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16205 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16206 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16215 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16221 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16222 what headers you are scoring on.
16234 Substring matching.
16237 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16266 Greater than number.
16271 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16272 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16273 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16277 Temporary score entry.
16280 Permanent score entry.
16283 Immediately scoring.
16288 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16289 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16290 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16291 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16293 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16294 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16295 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16296 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16297 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16299 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16300 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16301 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16302 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16303 current score file.
16305 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16306 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16307 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16310 @node Group Score Commands
16311 @section Group Score Commands
16312 @cindex group score commands
16314 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16319 @kindex W f (Group)
16320 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16321 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16322 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16323 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16327 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16329 @findex gnus-batch-score
16330 @cindex batch scoring
16332 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16336 @node Score Variables
16337 @section Score Variables
16338 @cindex score variables
16342 @item gnus-use-scoring
16343 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16344 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16345 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16347 @item gnus-kill-killed
16348 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16349 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16350 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16351 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16352 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16353 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16354 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16356 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16357 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16358 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16359 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16360 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16362 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16363 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16364 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16365 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16367 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16368 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16369 @cindex score cache
16370 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16371 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16372 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16373 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16374 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16375 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16378 @item gnus-save-score
16379 @vindex gnus-save-score
16380 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16381 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16382 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16384 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16385 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16386 across group visits.
16388 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16389 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16390 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16391 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16392 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16393 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16394 manually entered data.
16396 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16397 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16398 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16400 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16401 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16402 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16403 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16404 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16405 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16407 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16408 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16409 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16410 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16412 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16413 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16414 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16415 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16417 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16418 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16419 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16420 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16422 Predefined functions available are:
16425 @item gnus-score-find-single
16426 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16427 Only apply the group's own score file.
16429 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16430 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16431 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16432 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16433 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16434 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16435 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16436 then a regexp match is done.
16438 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16439 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16441 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16442 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16443 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16444 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16446 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16447 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16448 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16449 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16450 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16454 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16455 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16456 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16457 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16458 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16459 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16460 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16463 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16464 overall score file, you could use the value
16466 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16467 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16470 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16471 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16472 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16473 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16474 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16476 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16477 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16478 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16479 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16480 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16481 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16482 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16485 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16486 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16487 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16489 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16490 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16491 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16492 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16493 threading---according to the current value of
16494 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16495 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16496 simplified in this manner.
16501 @node Score File Format
16502 @section Score File Format
16503 @cindex score file format
16505 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16506 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16507 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16509 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16513 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16515 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16517 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16519 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16524 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16528 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16529 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16530 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16531 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16535 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16536 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16538 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16539 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16540 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16542 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16547 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16548 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16549 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16550 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16551 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16552 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16553 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16554 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16555 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16556 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16557 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16558 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16559 to articles that matches these score entries.
16561 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16562 score entry has one to four elements.
16566 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16567 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16571 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16572 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16573 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16574 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16575 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16576 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16579 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16580 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16581 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16582 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16583 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16586 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16587 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16588 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16589 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16592 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16593 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16594 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16595 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16596 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16597 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16598 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16599 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16600 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16601 instead, if you feel like.
16604 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16605 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16607 These predicates are true if
16610 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16613 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16614 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16621 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16622 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16623 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16624 it's not. I think.)
16626 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
16627 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16628 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16629 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16632 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16633 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16634 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16635 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16636 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16637 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16638 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16642 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16643 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16644 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16645 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16646 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16647 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16648 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16649 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16652 @item Head, Body, All
16653 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16657 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16658 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16659 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16660 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16661 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16662 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16663 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16667 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16668 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16669 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16670 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16671 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16672 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16673 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16674 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16675 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16676 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16677 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16681 @cindex Score File Atoms
16683 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16684 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16687 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16688 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16690 @item mark-and-expunge
16691 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16692 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16695 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16696 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16697 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16698 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16699 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16702 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16703 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16706 @item exclude-files
16707 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16708 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16712 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16713 ignored when handling global score files.
16716 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16717 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16718 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16719 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16722 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16723 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16724 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16725 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16727 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16731 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16734 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16735 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16736 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16737 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16738 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16740 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16741 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16742 scoring rules exist.
16745 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16746 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16747 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16748 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16749 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16750 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16751 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16752 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16753 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16754 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16755 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16759 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16760 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16761 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16762 file for a number of groups.
16765 @cindex local variables
16766 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16767 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16768 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16769 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16770 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16774 @node Score File Editing
16775 @section Score File Editing
16777 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16778 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16779 with a mode for that.
16781 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16782 additional commands:
16787 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16788 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16789 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16790 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16793 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16794 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16795 Insert the current date in numerical format
16796 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16797 you were wondering.
16800 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16801 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16802 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16803 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16804 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16809 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16811 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16812 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16814 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16815 e} to begin editing score files.
16818 @node Adaptive Scoring
16819 @section Adaptive Scoring
16820 @cindex adaptive scoring
16822 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16823 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16824 stupidity, to be precise.
16826 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16827 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16828 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16829 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16830 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16831 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16832 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16833 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16834 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16836 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16837 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16838 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16839 might look something like this:
16842 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16843 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16844 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16845 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16846 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16847 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16848 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16849 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16850 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16851 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16852 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16853 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16856 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16857 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16858 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16859 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16860 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16861 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16864 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16865 will be applied to each article.
16867 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16868 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16869 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16870 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16872 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16873 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16874 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16875 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16877 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16878 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16879 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16880 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16882 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16883 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16884 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16885 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16886 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16887 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16889 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16890 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16891 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16892 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16893 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16894 aspirins afterwards.)
16896 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16897 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16898 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16900 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16901 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16902 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16904 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16905 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16906 let you use different rules in different groups.
16908 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16909 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16910 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16913 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16914 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16915 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16916 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16917 the length of the match is less than
16918 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16919 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16922 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16923 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16924 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16925 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16926 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16929 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16930 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16931 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16932 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16933 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16936 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16937 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16938 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16939 score with 30 points.
16941 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16942 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16943 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16944 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16945 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16947 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
16948 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
16949 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
16950 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
16951 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
16953 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16954 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16955 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16956 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16958 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16959 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16960 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16961 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16963 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16964 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16965 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16966 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16967 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16969 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16970 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16971 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16973 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16974 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16975 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16976 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16979 @node Home Score File
16980 @section Home Score File
16982 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16983 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16984 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16985 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16987 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16988 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16989 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16991 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16992 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16997 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17001 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17002 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17006 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17010 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17011 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17014 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17015 the home score file.
17018 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17021 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17026 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17029 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17030 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17033 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17034 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17036 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17038 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17039 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17042 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17043 Other functions include
17046 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17047 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17048 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17049 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17053 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17054 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17055 their own home score files:
17058 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17059 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17060 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17061 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17062 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17065 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17066 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17067 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17068 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17069 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17071 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17072 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17073 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17074 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17075 precedence over this variable.
17078 @node Followups To Yourself
17079 @section Followups To Yourself
17081 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17082 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17083 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17084 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17085 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17086 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17090 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17091 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17092 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17095 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17096 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17097 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17101 @vindex message-sent-hook
17102 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17103 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17105 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17109 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17110 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17114 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17115 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17118 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17119 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17124 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17128 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17129 is system-dependent.
17132 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17133 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17134 @cindex scoring on other headers
17136 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17137 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17138 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17139 that Gnus has to request every single article from the backend to find
17140 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17142 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17143 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17144 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17145 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17146 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17148 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17151 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17152 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17155 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17156 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17157 time if you have much mail.
17159 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17160 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17166 @section Scoring Tips
17167 @cindex scoring tips
17173 @cindex scoring crossposts
17174 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17175 the @code{Xref} header.
17177 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17180 @item Multiple crossposts
17181 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17182 more than, say, 3 groups:
17185 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17189 @item Matching on the body
17190 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17191 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17192 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17193 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17194 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17195 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17196 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17199 @item Marking as read
17200 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17201 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17202 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17206 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17208 @item Negated character classes
17209 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17210 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17211 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17215 @node Reverse Scoring
17216 @section Reverse Scoring
17217 @cindex reverse scoring
17219 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17220 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17221 like this in your score file:
17225 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17230 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17231 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17234 @node Global Score Files
17235 @section Global Score Files
17236 @cindex global score files
17238 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17239 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17240 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17242 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17243 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17244 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17246 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17247 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17248 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17249 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17250 files are applicable to which group.
17252 To use the score file
17253 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17254 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17258 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17259 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17260 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17263 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17265 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17266 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17267 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17268 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17270 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17271 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17273 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17274 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17275 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17276 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17277 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17278 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17280 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17286 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17288 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17290 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17292 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17293 lowered out of existence.
17295 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17296 articles completely.
17299 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17300 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17301 old articles for a long time.
17304 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17305 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17306 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17307 holding our breath yet?
17311 @section Kill Files
17314 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17315 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17316 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17318 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17319 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17320 files into score files.
17322 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17323 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17324 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17325 that isn't a very good idea.
17327 Normal kill files look like this:
17330 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17331 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17335 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17336 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17338 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17339 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17342 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17347 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17348 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17349 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17352 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17353 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17354 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17357 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17362 @kindex M-k (Group)
17363 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17364 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17367 @kindex M-K (Group)
17368 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17369 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17372 Kill file variables:
17375 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17376 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17377 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17378 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17379 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17380 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17381 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17383 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17384 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17385 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17386 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17389 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17390 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17391 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17392 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17393 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17394 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17395 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17396 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17397 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17399 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17400 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17401 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17406 @node Converting Kill Files
17407 @section Converting Kill Files
17409 @cindex converting kill files
17411 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17412 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17413 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17416 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17417 You can fetch it from
17418 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17420 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17421 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17422 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17430 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
17431 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
17432 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
17434 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17435 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17436 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17437 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17438 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17439 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17440 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17441 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17445 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17446 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17447 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17448 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17452 @node Using GroupLens
17453 @subsection Using GroupLens
17455 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17457 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17458 better bit in town at the moment.
17460 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17464 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17465 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17466 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17467 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17469 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17470 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17471 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17472 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17474 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17475 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17476 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17480 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17481 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17482 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17483 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17484 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17485 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17488 @node Rating Articles
17489 @subsection Rating Articles
17491 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17492 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17493 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17494 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17497 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17502 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17503 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17504 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17507 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17508 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17509 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17510 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17511 threads in rec.humor.
17515 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17516 the score of the article you're reading.
17521 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17522 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17523 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17526 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17527 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17528 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17532 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17533 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17536 @node Displaying Predictions
17537 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17539 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17540 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17541 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17542 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17543 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17545 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17546 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17547 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17548 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17549 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17550 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17551 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17552 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17553 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17554 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17555 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17556 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17557 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17559 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17560 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17561 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17562 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17564 The following are valid values for that variable.
17567 @item prediction-spot
17568 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17571 @item confidence-interval
17572 A numeric confidence interval.
17574 @item prediction-bar
17575 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17577 @item confidence-bar
17578 Numerical confidence.
17580 @item confidence-spot
17581 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17583 @item prediction-num
17584 Plain-old numeric value.
17586 @item confidence-plus-minus
17587 Prediction +/- confidence.
17592 @node GroupLens Variables
17593 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17597 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17598 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17599 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17600 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17603 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17604 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17607 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17608 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17610 @item grouplens-score-offset
17611 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17612 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17615 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17616 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17617 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17622 @node Advanced Scoring
17623 @section Advanced Scoring
17625 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17626 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17627 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17628 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17629 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17631 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17635 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17636 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17637 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17641 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17642 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17644 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17645 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17646 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17647 non-@code{nil} value.
17649 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17650 operator, and various match operators.
17657 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17658 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17659 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17664 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17665 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17666 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17671 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17672 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17676 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17677 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17678 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17679 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17680 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17681 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17682 the ancestry you want to go.
17684 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17685 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17686 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17687 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17688 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17691 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17692 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17694 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17695 when he's talking about Gnus:
17699 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17700 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17706 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17710 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17717 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17718 really don't want to read what he's written:
17722 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17723 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17727 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17728 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17729 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17736 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17737 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17738 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17739 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17743 The possibilities are endless.
17746 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17747 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17749 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17750 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17751 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17752 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17753 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17754 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17755 @samp{subject}) first.
17757 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17758 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17769 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17770 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17776 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17783 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17784 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17789 @section Score Decays
17790 @cindex score decays
17793 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17794 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17795 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17796 use them in any sensible way.
17798 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17799 @findex gnus-decay-score
17800 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17801 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17802 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17803 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17804 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17805 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17806 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17807 definition of that function:
17810 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17812 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17813 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17816 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17818 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17820 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17823 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17824 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17825 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17826 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17830 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17833 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17836 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17840 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17841 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17842 the new score, which should be an integer.
17844 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17845 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17852 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17853 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17854 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17855 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17856 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17857 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17858 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17859 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17860 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17861 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17862 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17863 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17864 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17865 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17866 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17867 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17868 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17869 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17873 @node Process/Prefix
17874 @section Process/Prefix
17875 @cindex process/prefix convention
17877 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17878 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17880 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17881 command to be performed on.
17885 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17886 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17887 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17888 with the current one.
17890 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17891 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17892 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17894 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17895 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17898 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17899 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17901 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17904 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17905 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17906 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17907 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17909 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17910 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17911 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17912 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17913 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17914 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17915 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17916 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17918 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17919 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17920 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17921 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17922 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17926 @section Interactive
17927 @cindex interaction
17931 @item gnus-novice-user
17932 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17933 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17934 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17935 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17936 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17939 @item gnus-expert-user
17940 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17941 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17942 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17943 matter how strange.
17945 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17946 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17947 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17948 is @code{t} by default.
17950 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17951 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17952 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17957 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17958 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17959 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17961 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17962 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17963 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17964 rule of 900 to the current article.
17966 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17967 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17968 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17969 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17970 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17971 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17972 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17974 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17975 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17976 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17977 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17978 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17979 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17980 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17981 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17982 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17984 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17985 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17986 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17988 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17992 @node Formatting Variables
17993 @section Formatting Variables
17994 @cindex formatting variables
17996 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17997 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17998 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17999 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18000 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18003 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18004 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18005 lots of percentages everywhere.
18008 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18009 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18010 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18011 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18012 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18013 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18014 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18015 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18018 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18019 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18020 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18021 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18022 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18023 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18024 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18025 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18027 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18028 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18030 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18031 @findex gnus-update-format
18032 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18033 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18034 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18035 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18039 @node Formatting Basics
18040 @subsection Formatting Basics
18042 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18043 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18044 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18046 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18047 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18048 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18049 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18050 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18053 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18054 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18055 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18056 less than 4 characters wide.
18059 @node Mode Line Formatting
18060 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18062 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18063 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18064 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18065 with the following two differences:
18070 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18073 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18074 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18075 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18076 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18077 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18078 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18079 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18084 @node Advanced Formatting
18085 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18087 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18088 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18089 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18090 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18092 These are the valid modifiers:
18097 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18101 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18106 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18109 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18114 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18117 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18120 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18123 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18127 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18128 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18129 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18130 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18131 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18132 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18133 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18135 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18136 last operation, padding.
18138 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18139 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
18140 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
18141 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
18142 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
18143 the look of your lines.
18144 @xref{Compilation}.
18147 @node User-Defined Specs
18148 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18150 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18151 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18152 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18153 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18154 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18155 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18156 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18157 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18158 should protect against that.
18160 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18161 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18162 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18163 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18167 @node Formatting Fonts
18168 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18170 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18171 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18172 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18173 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18176 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18177 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18178 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18179 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18180 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18181 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18183 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18184 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18185 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18186 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18187 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18188 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18189 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18190 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18192 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18195 ;; Create three face types.
18196 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18197 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18199 ;; We want the article count to be in
18200 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18201 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18202 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18204 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18205 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18207 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18208 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18209 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18212 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18213 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18215 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18216 mode-line variables.
18218 @node Positioning Point
18219 @subsection Positioning Point
18221 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18222 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18223 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18225 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18227 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18228 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18229 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18231 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18232 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18233 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18238 @subsection Tabulation
18240 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18241 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18242 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18243 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18245 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18246 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18248 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18249 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18250 This is the soft tabulator.
18252 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18253 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18254 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18257 @node Wide Characters
18258 @subsection Wide Characters
18260 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18261 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18262 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18264 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18265 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18266 these coutries, that's not true.
18268 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18269 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18270 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18271 prettieer. The default value is @code{nil}.
18275 @node Window Layout
18276 @section Window Layout
18277 @cindex window layout
18279 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18281 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18282 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18283 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18284 @code{t} by default.
18286 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18287 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18289 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18290 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18291 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18294 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18295 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18296 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18300 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18301 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18302 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18303 possible names is listed below.
18305 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18306 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18309 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18313 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18314 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18315 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18316 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18317 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18318 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18319 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18320 size spec per split.
18322 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18323 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18324 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18325 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18326 present) gets focus.
18328 Here's a more complicated example:
18331 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18332 (summary 0.25 point)
18333 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18337 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18338 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18339 occupy, not a percentage.
18341 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18342 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18343 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18344 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18345 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18348 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18351 (article (horizontal 1.0
18356 (summary 0.25 point)
18361 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18362 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18364 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18365 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18366 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18367 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18368 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18370 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18371 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18372 lines from the splits.
18374 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18378 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18379 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18380 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18381 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18382 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18383 size = number | frame-params
18384 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18387 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18388 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18389 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18390 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18392 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18393 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18394 @cindex window height
18395 @cindex window width
18396 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18397 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18398 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18399 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18400 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18401 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18403 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18404 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18405 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18406 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18408 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18409 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18410 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18411 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18412 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18413 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18414 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18415 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18416 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18417 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18418 configuration list.
18421 (gnus-configure-frame
18425 (article 0.3 point))
18433 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18434 @code{frame} split:
18437 (gnus-configure-frame
18440 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18442 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18443 (user-position . t)
18444 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18449 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18450 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18451 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18452 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18453 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18454 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18455 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18456 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18458 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18459 be found in its default value.
18461 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18462 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18463 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18467 (message (horizontal 1.0
18468 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18470 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18475 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18476 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18477 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18482 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18483 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18484 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18485 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18486 (name . "Message"))
18487 (message 1.0 point))))
18490 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18491 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18492 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18493 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18494 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18497 (gnus-add-configuration
18498 '(article (vertical 1.0
18500 (summary .25 point)
18504 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18505 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18506 Gnus has been loaded.
18508 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18509 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18510 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18511 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18512 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18514 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18515 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18516 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18519 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18523 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18524 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18539 (gnus-add-configuration
18542 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18544 (summary 0.16 point)
18547 (gnus-add-configuration
18550 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18551 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18557 @node Faces and Fonts
18558 @section Faces and Fonts
18563 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18564 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18565 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18570 @section Compilation
18571 @cindex compilation
18572 @cindex byte-compilation
18574 @findex gnus-compile
18576 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18577 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18578 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
18579 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
18580 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
18581 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18582 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18583 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18586 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18587 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18588 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18589 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
18590 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18593 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
18594 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
18595 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
18596 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
18597 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
18602 @section Mode Lines
18605 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18606 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18607 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18608 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18609 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18610 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18611 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18614 @cindex display-time
18616 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18617 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18618 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18619 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18620 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18621 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18622 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18623 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18626 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18628 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18629 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18631 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18632 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18633 (length display-time-string)))))
18636 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18637 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18638 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18639 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18640 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18643 @node Highlighting and Menus
18644 @section Highlighting and Menus
18646 @cindex highlighting
18649 @vindex gnus-visual
18650 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18651 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18652 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18655 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18656 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18659 @item group-highlight
18660 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18661 @item summary-highlight
18662 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18663 @item article-highlight
18664 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18666 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18668 Create menus in the group buffer.
18670 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18672 Create menus in the article buffer.
18674 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18676 Create menus in the server buffer.
18678 Create menus in the score buffers.
18680 Create menus in all buffers.
18683 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18684 buffers, you could say something like:
18687 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18690 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18693 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18696 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18697 in all Gnus buffers.
18699 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18702 @item gnus-mouse-face
18703 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18704 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18705 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18709 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18713 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18714 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18715 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18717 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18718 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18719 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18721 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18722 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18723 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18725 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18726 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18727 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18729 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18730 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18731 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18733 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18734 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18735 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18746 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18747 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18748 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18749 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18750 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18754 @vindex gnus-carpal
18755 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18756 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18757 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18762 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18763 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18764 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18766 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18767 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18768 Face used on buttons.
18770 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18771 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18772 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18774 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18775 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18776 Buttons in the group buffer.
18778 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18779 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18780 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18782 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18783 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18784 Buttons in the server buffer.
18786 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18787 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18788 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18791 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18792 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18793 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18801 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18802 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18803 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18804 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18805 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18807 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18808 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18809 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18811 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18812 been idle for thirty minutes:
18815 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18818 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18822 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18825 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18826 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18827 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18829 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18830 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18831 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18832 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18834 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18835 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18836 @var{idle} minutes.
18838 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18839 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18842 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18843 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18844 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18846 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18847 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18848 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18849 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18851 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18852 your @file{.gnus} file:
18854 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
18856 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
18859 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
18860 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
18861 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
18862 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18863 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18864 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
18865 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
18866 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
18867 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
18868 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
18869 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18871 @findex gnus-demon-init
18872 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18873 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18874 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18875 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18876 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18878 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18879 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18880 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18889 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18890 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18892 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18893 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18894 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18895 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18898 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18899 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18900 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18901 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18903 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18904 this will make spam disappear.
18906 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18909 @item gnus-use-nocem
18910 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18911 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18914 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18915 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18916 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18917 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18918 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18920 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18921 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18922 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18923 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18924 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18925 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18927 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18928 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18930 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18931 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18932 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18933 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18934 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18935 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18936 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18937 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18938 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18939 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18941 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18942 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18945 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18948 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18949 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18952 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18955 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18958 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18959 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18961 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18962 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18963 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18964 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18966 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18967 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18970 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18972 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18980 This might be dangerous, though.
18982 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18983 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18984 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18985 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18987 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18988 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18989 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18990 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18991 might then see old spam.
18993 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18994 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18995 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18996 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18997 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19000 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19001 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19002 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19003 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19007 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19008 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19009 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19010 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19017 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19018 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19019 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19021 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19022 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19023 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19024 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19025 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19026 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19027 @code{undo} function.
19029 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19030 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19031 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19032 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19033 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19034 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19035 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19036 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19037 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19038 never be totally undoable.
19040 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19041 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19043 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19044 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19045 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19046 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19051 @section Moderation
19054 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19055 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19056 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19059 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19063 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19066 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19068 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19073 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19074 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19075 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19078 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19079 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19082 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19083 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19087 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19090 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19091 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19095 @node XEmacs Enhancements
19096 @section XEmacs Enhancements
19099 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
19103 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
19104 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19105 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19106 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19119 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19120 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19121 over your shoulder as you read news.
19124 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19125 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19126 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19127 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19128 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19133 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19135 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19144 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19145 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19146 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19147 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19148 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19149 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19150 @code{GIF} formats.
19153 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19154 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19155 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19156 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19157 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19159 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19160 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19161 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19162 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19163 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19164 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19167 @node Picon Requirements
19168 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19170 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
19171 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
19174 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
19175 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
19176 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19178 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19179 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19180 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19181 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19182 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19186 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19188 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19189 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19192 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19193 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19196 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19197 containing the Picons databases.
19199 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19202 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19203 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19208 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19216 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19217 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19218 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19219 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19220 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19225 @item gnus-picons-database
19226 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19227 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19228 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19229 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19230 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19231 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19233 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19234 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19235 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19236 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19237 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19238 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19239 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19241 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19242 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19243 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19244 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19245 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19246 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19247 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19248 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19250 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19251 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19252 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19257 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19258 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19260 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19261 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19264 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19266 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19267 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19268 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19269 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19271 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19272 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19273 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19279 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19280 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19288 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19289 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19290 don't need to worry about.
19294 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19295 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19296 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19297 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19299 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19300 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19301 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19302 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19304 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19305 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19306 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19307 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19308 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19310 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19311 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19312 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19313 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19314 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19315 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19316 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19318 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19319 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19320 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19321 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19323 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19324 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19325 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19326 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19327 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19328 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19329 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19331 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19332 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19333 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19334 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19336 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19337 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19338 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19339 Defaults to @code{t}.
19341 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19342 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19343 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19344 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19346 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19347 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19348 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19350 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19351 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19352 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19353 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19355 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19356 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19358 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19359 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19360 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19361 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19362 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19363 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19364 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19365 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19376 @subsection Smileys
19381 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
19386 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19387 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19389 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19390 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19393 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19396 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19397 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19398 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19399 text and maps that to file names.
19401 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19402 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19403 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19404 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19405 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19406 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19408 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19409 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19411 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19412 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19413 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19415 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19416 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19420 @item smiley-data-directory
19421 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19422 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19424 @item smiley-flesh-color
19425 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19426 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19428 @item smiley-features-color
19429 @vindex smiley-features-color
19430 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19432 @item smiley-tongue-color
19433 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19434 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19436 @item smiley-circle-color
19437 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19438 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19440 @item smiley-mouse-face
19441 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19442 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19448 @subsection Toolbar
19458 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19459 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19460 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19461 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19462 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19464 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19465 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19466 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19468 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19469 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19470 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19472 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19473 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19474 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19480 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19483 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19484 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19485 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19486 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19487 unusual directory structure.
19489 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19490 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19491 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19492 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19494 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19495 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19496 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19497 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19498 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19499 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19501 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19502 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19503 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19517 @node Fuzzy Matching
19518 @section Fuzzy Matching
19519 @cindex fuzzy matching
19521 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19522 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19524 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19525 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19526 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19528 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19529 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19530 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19531 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19532 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19535 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19536 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19540 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19542 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19543 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19544 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19545 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19546 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19547 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19548 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19549 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19552 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19553 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19554 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19555 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19556 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19557 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19561 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19562 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19564 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19565 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19566 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19567 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19568 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19569 part of the mail address.)
19572 (setq message-default-news-headers
19573 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19576 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19577 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19582 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19583 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19584 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19590 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19591 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19592 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19593 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19595 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19596 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19597 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19598 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19599 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19600 your fancy split rule in this way:
19605 (to "larsi" "misc")
19609 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19610 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19611 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19612 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19613 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19615 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19616 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19617 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19618 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19619 cosmic balance somewhat.
19621 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19622 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19623 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19624 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19627 @node Various Various
19628 @section Various Various
19634 @item gnus-home-directory
19635 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19636 defaults to @file{~/}.
19638 @item gnus-directory
19639 @vindex gnus-directory
19640 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19641 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19642 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19644 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19645 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19646 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19647 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19649 @item gnus-default-directory
19650 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19651 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19652 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19653 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19654 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19655 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19656 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19659 @vindex gnus-verbose
19660 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19661 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19662 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19663 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19664 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19666 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19667 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19668 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19669 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
19671 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19672 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19673 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19674 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19675 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
19676 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19677 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19678 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19679 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19680 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19682 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19683 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19684 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19685 read when doing the operation described above.
19687 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19688 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19690 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19691 @cindex characters in file names
19692 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19693 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19694 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19697 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19701 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19702 Windows (phooey) systems.
19704 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19705 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19706 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19707 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19708 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19710 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19711 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19712 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19713 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19714 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19716 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19717 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19718 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19720 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19721 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19723 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19724 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19725 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19726 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19729 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19738 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19739 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19741 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19743 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19749 Not because of victories @*
19752 but for the common sunshine,@*
19754 the largess of the spring.
19758 but for the day's work done@*
19759 as well as I was able;@*
19760 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19761 but at the common table.@*
19766 @chapter Appendices
19769 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19770 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19771 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19772 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19773 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19774 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19775 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19776 * Frequently Asked Questions::
19784 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19785 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19787 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19788 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19789 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19790 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19791 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19793 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19794 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19795 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19796 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19797 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19798 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19800 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19801 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19802 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19803 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19806 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19807 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19808 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19809 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19810 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19811 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19812 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19813 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19814 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19818 @node Gnus Versions
19819 @subsection Gnus Versions
19820 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19822 @cindex September Gnus
19823 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19825 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19826 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19827 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19829 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19830 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19832 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19833 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19835 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19836 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19838 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19839 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19842 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19844 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19845 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19846 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19847 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19848 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19849 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19852 @node Other Gnus Versions
19853 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19856 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19857 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19858 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19859 @sc{mime} capabilities.
19861 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
19862 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19863 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19864 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19871 What's the point of Gnus?
19873 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19874 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19875 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19876 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19877 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19878 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19879 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19880 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19881 keep track of millions of people who post?
19883 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19884 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19885 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19886 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
19887 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
19888 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19889 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19890 every one of you to explore and invent.
19892 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19893 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19896 @node Compatibility
19897 @subsection Compatibility
19899 @cindex compatibility
19900 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19901 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19902 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19907 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19911 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19914 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19917 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19918 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19919 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19920 important variables have their values copied into their global
19921 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19922 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19924 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19925 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19926 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19927 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19928 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19932 @cindex highlighting
19933 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19934 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19935 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19936 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19937 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19938 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19941 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19942 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19943 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19944 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19946 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19947 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19948 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19949 to stop doing it the old way.
19951 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19953 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19955 @cindex reporting bugs
19957 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19958 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19959 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19961 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19962 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19963 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19964 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19969 @subsection Conformity
19971 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19972 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19979 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19983 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19985 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19986 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19987 We do have some breaches to this one.
19993 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19994 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19995 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19996 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19997 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20002 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20003 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20004 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20005 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20009 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20010 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20015 @subsection Emacsen
20021 Gnus should work on :
20029 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
20033 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20034 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20035 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
20036 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
20037 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
20039 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20040 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20041 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20045 @node Gnus Development
20046 @subsection Gnus Development
20048 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20049 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20050 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
20051 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20052 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20053 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20054 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20055 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20057 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20058 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20059 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20060 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20061 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20064 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20065 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20066 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20067 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20068 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20070 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20071 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20072 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20073 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20074 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20075 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20076 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20077 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20078 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20079 can't be assumed to do so.
20084 @subsection Contributors
20085 @cindex contributors
20087 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20088 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20089 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20090 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20091 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20092 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20093 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20094 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20095 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20096 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20098 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20104 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20107 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20108 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20109 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20110 functionality and stuff.
20113 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20114 well as numerous other things).
20117 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20120 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20123 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20126 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20129 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20130 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20133 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20136 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20137 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20140 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20143 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20146 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20149 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20152 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20153 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20156 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20159 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20162 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20165 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20169 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20172 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20175 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20178 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20179 well as autoconf support.
20183 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20184 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20186 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20195 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20199 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20209 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20224 Massimo Campostrini,
20229 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20230 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20234 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20237 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20243 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20248 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20252 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20260 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20262 Michelangelo Grigni,
20266 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20268 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20270 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20277 François Felix Ingrand,
20278 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20279 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20281 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20292 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20293 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20295 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20296 Thor Kristoffersen,
20299 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20317 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20318 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20325 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20330 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20334 John McClary Prevost,
20340 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20345 Christian von Roques,
20348 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20355 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20357 Randal L. Schwartz,
20371 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20376 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20392 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20397 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20398 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20399 (550kB and counting).
20401 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20404 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20405 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20409 @subsection New Features
20410 @cindex new features
20413 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20414 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20415 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20416 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20417 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20420 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20421 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20422 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20425 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20427 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20432 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20433 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20436 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20437 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20440 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20443 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20444 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20445 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20448 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20449 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20450 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20451 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20454 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20455 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20458 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20459 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20460 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20463 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20464 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20467 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20468 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20469 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20472 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20473 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20474 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20477 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20478 the @file{.emacs} file.
20481 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20482 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20485 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20486 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20489 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20490 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20493 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20494 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20497 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20498 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20501 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20504 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20505 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20508 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20509 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20512 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20513 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20516 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20519 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20520 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20523 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20527 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20531 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20532 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20535 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20541 @node September Gnus
20542 @subsubsection September Gnus
20546 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
20550 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20555 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20556 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20560 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20561 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20565 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20569 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20570 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20573 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20577 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20580 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20583 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20586 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20590 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20591 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20594 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20598 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20602 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20606 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20610 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20613 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20614 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20617 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20621 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20622 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20625 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20628 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20629 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20630 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20633 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20637 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20640 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20644 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20645 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20648 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20649 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20652 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20653 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20656 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20657 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20658 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20661 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20662 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20665 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20668 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20671 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20674 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20677 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20678 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20681 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
20685 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20688 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
20693 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20696 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20700 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20703 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20707 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20710 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20713 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20714 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20717 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20718 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20722 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20723 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20726 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20730 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20731 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20734 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20737 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20741 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20745 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20746 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20749 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20753 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20754 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20757 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20758 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20761 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20765 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20768 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20771 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20777 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20779 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20783 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
20790 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20793 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20794 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20797 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20798 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20802 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20803 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20806 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20809 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20810 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20813 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20817 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20818 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20822 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20823 Server Internals}).
20826 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20830 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20833 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20834 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20837 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20838 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20839 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20842 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20843 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20846 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20847 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20850 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20854 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20855 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20858 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20859 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20862 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
20866 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20869 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20873 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20874 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20877 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20878 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20881 A new command for reading collections of documents
20882 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20883 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20886 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20890 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20891 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20894 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
20895 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20896 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20899 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20900 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20904 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20908 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20912 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
20917 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20921 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20925 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20926 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20929 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20935 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20937 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20942 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20943 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20944 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20947 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20948 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20949 group, which is created automatically.
20952 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20956 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20959 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20960 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20963 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20967 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20970 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20971 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20974 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20977 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20978 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20981 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20982 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20985 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20986 control over simplification.
20989 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20992 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20996 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20999 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21002 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21003 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21004 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21007 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21008 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21011 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21015 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21016 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21019 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21020 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21023 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21027 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21030 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21033 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21034 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21037 A new function for citing in Message has been
21038 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21041 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21044 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21048 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21049 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21052 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21053 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21056 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
21059 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21063 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21064 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21066 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21070 @item The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21071 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21073 If you used procmail like in
21076 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21077 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21078 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21079 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21082 this now has changed to
21086 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21090 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21091 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21093 @item Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21094 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21096 @item Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21097 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21099 @item @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21100 called to position point.
21102 @item The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21103 summary buffers and NOV files.
21105 @item @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21106 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21108 @item The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21109 subtly different manner.
21111 @item New web-based backends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21112 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21113 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21115 @item Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21123 @section The Manual
21127 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21128 either @code{texi2dvi}
21130 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21131 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21133 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21135 The following conventions have been used:
21140 This is a @samp{string}
21143 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21146 This is a @file{file}
21149 This is a @code{symbol}
21153 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21157 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21160 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21163 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21166 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21167 ever get them confused.
21171 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21172 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21173 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21174 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21175 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21176 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21177 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21183 @node On Writing Manuals
21184 @section On Writing Manuals
21186 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21187 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21188 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21189 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21190 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21191 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21194 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21195 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21196 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21199 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21200 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21205 @section Terminology
21207 @cindex terminology
21212 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21213 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21214 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21215 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21216 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21220 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21221 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21222 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21223 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21227 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21231 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21236 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21237 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21238 is all done by the backends.
21242 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21243 default, way of getting news.
21247 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21248 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21253 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21254 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21258 A message that has been posted as news.
21261 @cindex mail message
21262 A message that has been mailed.
21266 A mail message or news article
21270 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21275 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21280 A line from the head of an article.
21284 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21285 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21289 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21290 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21291 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21292 normal @sc{head} format.
21296 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21297 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21298 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21299 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21300 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21301 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21303 @item killed groups
21304 @cindex killed groups
21305 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21306 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21308 @item zombie groups
21309 @cindex zombie groups
21310 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21313 @cindex active file
21314 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21315 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21316 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21319 @cindex bogus groups
21320 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21321 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21322 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21325 @cindex activating groups
21326 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21327 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21328 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21332 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21334 @item select method
21335 @cindex select method
21336 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21339 @item virtual server
21340 @cindex virtual server
21341 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21342 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21343 whole is a virtual server.
21347 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21348 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21351 @item ephemeral groups
21352 @cindex ephemeral groups
21353 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21354 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21355 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21358 @cindex solid groups
21359 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21360 group buffer are solid groups.
21362 @item sparse articles
21363 @cindex sparse articles
21364 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21365 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21369 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21370 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21374 @cindex thread root
21375 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21376 articles in the thread.
21380 An article that has responses.
21384 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21388 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21389 specified by RFC 1153.
21395 @node Customization
21396 @section Customization
21397 @cindex general customization
21399 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21400 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21401 for some quite common situations.
21404 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21405 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21406 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21407 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21411 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21412 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21414 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21415 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21416 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21420 @item gnus-read-active-file
21421 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21422 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21423 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21424 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21425 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21427 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21428 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21429 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21430 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21434 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21435 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21437 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21438 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21439 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21443 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21444 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21445 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21446 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21447 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21449 @item gnus-visible-headers
21450 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21451 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21452 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21453 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21455 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21457 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21458 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21459 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21462 @item gnus-use-full-window
21463 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21464 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21465 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21466 want to read them anyway.
21468 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21469 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21472 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21473 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21474 lines, which might save some time.
21478 @node Little Disk Space
21479 @subsection Little Disk Space
21482 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21483 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21487 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21488 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21489 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21490 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21493 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21494 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21495 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21496 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21499 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21500 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21501 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21502 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21503 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21509 @subsection Slow Machine
21510 @cindex slow machine
21512 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21513 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21515 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21516 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21518 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21519 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21520 summary buffer faster.
21524 @node Troubleshooting
21525 @section Troubleshooting
21526 @cindex troubleshooting
21528 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21536 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21539 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21540 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21544 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21545 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
21546 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
21547 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
21548 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21551 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21555 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21556 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21557 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21558 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21559 something like that.
21562 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21565 @cindex reporting bugs
21567 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21569 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21570 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21571 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21572 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21574 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21575 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21576 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21577 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21580 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21581 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21582 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21583 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21584 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21585 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21587 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21588 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21589 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21593 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21594 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21596 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21597 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21599 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21600 @cindex ding mailing list
21601 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21602 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21606 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21607 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21609 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21610 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21611 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21612 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21615 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21616 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21617 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21618 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21619 and general methods of operation.
21622 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21623 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21624 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21625 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21626 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21627 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21628 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21629 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21630 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21634 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21635 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21636 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21637 @cindex utility functions
21639 @cindex internal variables
21641 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21642 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21643 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21647 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21648 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21649 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21651 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21652 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21653 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21655 @item gnus-group-real-name
21656 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21657 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21660 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21661 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21662 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21663 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21665 @item gnus-get-info
21666 @findex gnus-get-info
21667 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21669 @item gnus-group-unread
21670 @findex gnus-group-unread
21671 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21675 @findex gnus-active
21676 The active entry for @var{group}.
21678 @item gnus-set-active
21679 @findex gnus-set-active
21680 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21682 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21683 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21684 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21687 @item gnus-continuum-version
21688 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21689 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21690 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21693 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21694 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21695 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21697 @item gnus-news-group-p
21698 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21699 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21701 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21702 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21703 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21705 @item gnus-server-to-method
21706 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21707 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21709 @item gnus-server-equal
21710 @findex gnus-server-equal
21711 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21713 @item gnus-group-native-p
21714 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21715 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21717 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21718 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21719 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21721 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21722 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21723 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21725 @item group-group-find-parameter
21726 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21727 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21728 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21730 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21731 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21732 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21734 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21735 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21736 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21738 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21739 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21740 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21741 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21744 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21748 @item gnus-read-method
21749 @findex gnus-read-method
21750 Prompts the user for a select method.
21755 @node Backend Interface
21756 @subsection Backend Interface
21758 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21759 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21760 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21761 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21762 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21763 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21765 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21766 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21767 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21768 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21769 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21770 been opened, the function should fail.
21772 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21773 name. Take this example:
21777 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21778 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21781 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21782 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21784 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21785 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21786 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21788 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21789 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21790 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21792 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21793 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21794 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21795 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21796 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21797 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21800 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21801 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21802 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21803 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21806 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
21807 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
21808 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
21809 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
21810 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
21811 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
21812 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
21813 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Backend Functions}.}
21814 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
21815 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
21817 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
21818 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
21819 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
21820 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
21821 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
21822 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
21823 of numbers as long as possible.
21825 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21828 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21831 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21832 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21833 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21834 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21835 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21836 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21840 @node Required Backend Functions
21841 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21845 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21847 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21848 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21849 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21850 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21852 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21853 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21854 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21855 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21857 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21858 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21859 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21860 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21861 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21862 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21863 number, do maximum fetches.
21865 Here's an example HEAD:
21868 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21869 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21870 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21871 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21872 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21873 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21874 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21876 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21877 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21878 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21882 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21883 these in the data buffer.
21885 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21889 head = error / valid-head
21890 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21891 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21892 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21893 header = <text> eol
21896 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21897 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21901 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21902 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21903 field = <text except TAB>
21906 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21910 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21912 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21913 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21915 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21916 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21917 server. In fact, it should do so.
21919 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21920 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21923 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21925 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21926 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21929 There should be no data returned.
21932 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21934 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21935 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21936 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21937 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21939 There should be no data returned.
21942 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21944 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21945 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21946 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21947 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21949 There should be no data returned.
21952 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21954 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21956 There should be no data returned.
21959 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21961 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21962 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21963 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21964 it would be nice if that were possible.
21966 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21967 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21968 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21969 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21970 into its article buffer.
21972 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21973 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21974 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21975 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21976 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21977 on successful article retrieval.
21980 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21982 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21983 making @var{group} the current group.
21985 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21988 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21991 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21994 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21995 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21996 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21997 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21998 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21999 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22000 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22001 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22004 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22005 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22006 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22010 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22012 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22013 a no-op on most backends.
22015 There should be no data returned.
22018 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22020 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22023 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22026 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22027 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22030 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22031 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22034 active-file = *active-line
22035 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22037 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22040 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22041 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22042 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22045 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22047 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22048 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22049 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22050 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22051 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22052 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22054 There should be no result data from this function.
22059 @node Optional Backend Functions
22060 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
22064 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22066 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22067 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22068 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22070 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22071 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22072 former is in the same format as the data from
22073 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22074 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22077 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22081 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22083 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
22084 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
22085 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22086 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22087 should return the (altered) group info.
22089 There should be no result data from this function.
22092 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22094 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22095 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22096 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22097 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22098 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22099 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22100 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22101 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22103 There should be no result data from this function.
22106 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22108 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22109 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22110 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22111 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22112 propagate the mark information to the server.
22114 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22117 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22120 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22121 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22122 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22123 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22124 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22125 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22126 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your backend should, if
22127 possible, not limit itself to these.
22129 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22130 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22131 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22132 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22134 An example action list:
22137 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22138 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22139 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22142 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22143 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22145 There should be no result data from this function.
22147 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22149 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
22150 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22151 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22152 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
22153 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22155 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22156 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22157 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22160 There should be no result data from this function.
22163 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22165 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22166 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
22167 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
22168 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22169 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
22170 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22171 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22173 There should be no result data from this function.
22176 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22178 The result data from this function should be a description of
22182 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22184 description = <text>
22187 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22189 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22190 groups available on the server.
22193 description-buffer = *description-line
22197 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22199 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22200 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22201 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22202 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22203 in the active buffer format.
22205 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some backends
22206 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22207 just the new groups. But don't do this for backends with many groups.
22208 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22209 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for backends
22210 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22211 likely that there can be many groups.
22214 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22216 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22218 There should be no return data.
22221 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22223 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22224 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22225 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22226 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22227 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22230 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22233 There should be no result data returned.
22236 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22239 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22240 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22242 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22243 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22244 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22245 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22246 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22247 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22249 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22250 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22253 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22254 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22256 There should be no data returned.
22259 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22261 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22262 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22263 this function in short order.
22265 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22266 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22268 There should be no data returned.
22271 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22273 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22274 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22276 There should be no data returned.
22279 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22281 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22282 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22283 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22285 There should be no data returned.
22288 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22290 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22291 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22293 There should be no data returned.
22298 @node Error Messaging
22299 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22301 @findex nnheader-report
22302 @findex nnheader-get-report
22303 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22304 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22305 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22306 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22307 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22308 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22311 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22313 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22316 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22317 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22318 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22319 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22321 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22322 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22323 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22326 @node Writing New Backends
22327 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22329 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22330 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22331 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22332 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22333 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22336 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22337 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22338 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22340 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22341 package called @code{nnoo}.
22343 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22344 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22350 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22351 parameters. For instance:
22354 (nnoo-declare nndir
22358 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22359 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22362 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22363 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22364 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22366 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22367 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22368 a function in those backends.
22371 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22372 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22373 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22376 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22377 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22378 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22380 @item nnoo-define-basics
22381 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22385 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22389 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22390 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22391 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22393 @item nnoo-map-functions
22394 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22395 functions from the parent backends.
22398 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22399 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22400 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22403 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22404 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22405 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22406 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22409 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22410 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22411 haven't already been defined.
22417 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22421 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22422 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22423 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22428 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22431 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22432 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22436 (require 'nnheader)
22440 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22442 (nnoo-declare nndir
22445 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22446 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22447 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22449 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22450 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22453 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22455 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22456 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22457 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22459 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22460 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22462 ;;; Interface functions.
22464 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22466 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22467 (setq nndir-directory
22468 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22470 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22471 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22472 (push `(nndir-current-group
22473 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22474 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22476 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22477 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22479 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22481 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22482 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22483 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22484 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22485 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22489 nnmh-status-message
22491 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22497 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22498 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22500 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22501 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22502 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22503 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22504 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22506 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22507 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22512 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22515 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
22517 The abilities can be:
22521 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22523 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22525 This backend supports both mail and news.
22527 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22530 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22531 articles and groups.
22533 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22534 true for almost all backends.
22535 @item prompt-address
22536 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22537 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22538 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22542 @node Mail-like Backends
22543 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22545 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22546 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22547 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22548 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22551 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22552 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22553 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22556 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22557 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22560 This function takes four parameters.
22564 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22567 @item exit-function
22568 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22570 @item temp-directory
22571 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22574 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22575 performed for one group only.
22578 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22579 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22580 find the article number assigned to this article.
22582 The function also uses the following variables:
22583 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22584 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22585 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22586 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22590 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22591 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22595 @node Score File Syntax
22596 @subsection Score File Syntax
22598 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22599 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22600 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22602 Here's a typical score file:
22606 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22613 BNF definition of a score file:
22616 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22617 element = rule / atom
22618 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22619 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22620 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22621 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22623 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22624 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22625 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22626 date-header = "date"
22627 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22628 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22629 score = "nil" / <integer>
22630 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22631 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22632 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22633 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22634 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22635 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22636 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22637 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22638 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22639 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22640 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22641 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22642 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22643 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22644 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22645 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22646 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22647 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22648 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22649 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22650 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22651 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22652 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22653 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22654 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22655 eval = "eval" space <form>
22656 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22659 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22662 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22663 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22664 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22665 one looong line, then that's ok.
22667 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22668 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22672 @subsection Headers
22674 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22675 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22676 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22677 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22679 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22680 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22681 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22682 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22683 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22684 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22685 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22687 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22688 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22689 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22690 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22691 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22693 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22694 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22700 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22701 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22703 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22704 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22705 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22706 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22708 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22712 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22715 is transformed into
22718 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22721 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22722 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22725 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22728 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22729 is slightly tricky:
22732 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22738 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22741 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22747 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22754 and is equal to the previous range.
22756 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22757 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22758 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22762 range = simple-range / normal-range
22763 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22764 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22765 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22766 number *[ " " contents ]
22769 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22770 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22771 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22772 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22773 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22778 @subsection Group Info
22780 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22781 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22782 describes the group.
22784 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22785 second is a more complex one:
22788 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22790 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22791 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22793 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22796 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22797 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22798 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22799 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22800 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22801 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22802 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22803 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22804 this section is about.
22806 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22807 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22808 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22810 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22813 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22814 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22815 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22816 group = quote <string> quote
22817 ralevel = rank / level
22818 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22819 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22820 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22822 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22823 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22824 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22825 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22828 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22829 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22832 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22833 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22836 @item gnus-info-group
22837 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22838 @findex gnus-info-group
22839 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22840 Get/set the group name.
22842 @item gnus-info-rank
22843 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22844 @findex gnus-info-rank
22845 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22846 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22848 @item gnus-info-level
22849 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22850 @findex gnus-info-level
22851 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22852 Get/set the group level.
22854 @item gnus-info-score
22855 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22856 @findex gnus-info-score
22857 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22858 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22860 @item gnus-info-read
22861 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22862 @findex gnus-info-read
22863 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22864 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22866 @item gnus-info-marks
22867 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22868 @findex gnus-info-marks
22869 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22870 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22872 @item gnus-info-method
22873 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22874 @findex gnus-info-method
22875 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22876 Get/set the group select method.
22878 @item gnus-info-params
22879 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22880 @findex gnus-info-params
22881 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22882 Get/set the group parameters.
22885 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22886 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22888 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22889 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22890 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22891 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22894 @node Extended Interactive
22895 @subsection Extended Interactive
22896 @cindex interactive
22897 @findex gnus-interactive
22899 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22900 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22901 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22904 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22905 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22910 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22911 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22912 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22913 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22914 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22915 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22916 @code{interactive}.
22918 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22923 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22924 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22928 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22929 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22930 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22933 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22937 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22941 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22947 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22948 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22952 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22953 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22954 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22956 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22957 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22958 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22959 Gnus, that's very useful.
22961 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22962 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22963 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22964 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22965 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22966 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22967 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22968 following function:
22971 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22975 (,function ,@@args))
22979 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22980 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22981 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22984 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22985 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22986 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22988 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22989 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22990 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22993 @node Various File Formats
22994 @subsection Various File Formats
22997 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22998 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23002 @node Active File Format
23003 @subsubsection Active File Format
23005 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23006 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23009 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23012 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23013 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23014 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23015 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23016 no.general 1000 900 y
23019 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23022 active = *group-line
23023 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23024 group = <non-white-space string>
23026 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23027 low-number = <positive integer>
23028 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23031 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23032 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23035 @node Newsgroups File Format
23036 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23038 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23039 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23040 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23043 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23044 Here's the definition:
23048 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23049 group = <non-white-space string>
23051 description = <string>
23056 @node Emacs for Heathens
23057 @section Emacs for Heathens
23059 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23060 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23061 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23062 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23063 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23064 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23065 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23069 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23070 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23075 @subsection Keystrokes
23079 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23082 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23085 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23086 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23087 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23088 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23089 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23090 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23092 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23093 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23094 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23095 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23096 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23097 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23098 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23100 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23101 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23102 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23103 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23104 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23105 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23106 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23108 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23109 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23110 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23111 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23112 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23118 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23120 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23121 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23122 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23123 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23125 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23126 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23127 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23128 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23129 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23130 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23131 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23134 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23135 write the following:
23138 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23141 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23142 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23143 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23146 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23147 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23148 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23149 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23150 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23152 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23153 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23154 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23158 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23162 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23165 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23166 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23169 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23172 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23173 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23176 @include gnus-faq.texi
23197 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23198 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23199 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23200 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23201 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref