1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- -*- coding: iso-latin-1 -*-
4 @settitle T-gnus 6.14 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
14 @setchapternewpage odd
18 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
19 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
20 \usepackage{pagestyle}
28 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
29 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
31 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
33 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
34 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}}
40 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
41 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\fontfamily{pfu}\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont #1}''}
42 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
44 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
45 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
46 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
49 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
52 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
53 \newcommand{\gnusresult}[1]{\gnustt{=> #1}}
55 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
56 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
57 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
58 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
59 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
60 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
62 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
63 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
64 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
65 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
69 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
70 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
71 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
74 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
76 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
83 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
85 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
87 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
88 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
91 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
92 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
93 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
98 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
100 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
107 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
108 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/#1-up.ps,height=1cm}}}
111 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
112 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
115 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
116 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
119 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
120 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
123 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
125 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
126 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
130 \newenvironment{codelist}%
135 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
141 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
146 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
151 \newenvironment{samplist}%
156 \newenvironment{varlist}%
161 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
166 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
167 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
168 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
170 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
175 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
179 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
188 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
190 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
195 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
200 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
204 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
212 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
214 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
224 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
228 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
236 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
238 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
243 \pagenumbering{roman}
244 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
254 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
255 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
257 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
259 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
262 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
265 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
272 \thispagestyle{empty}
274 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
276 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
277 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
278 are preserved on all copies.
280 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
281 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
282 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
283 permission notice identical to this one.
285 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
286 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
295 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
297 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
299 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
300 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
301 are preserved on all copies.
304 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
305 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
306 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
307 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
310 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
311 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
312 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
313 permission notice identical to this one.
315 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
316 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
322 @title T-gnus 6.14 Manual
324 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
327 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
328 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
330 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
331 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
332 are preserved on all copies.
334 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
335 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
336 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
337 permission notice identical to this one.
339 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
340 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
349 @top The gnus Newsreader
353 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
354 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
355 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
358 T-gnus provides MIME features based on SEMI API. So T-gnus supports
359 your right to read strange messages including big images or other
360 various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
361 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
362 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
363 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
365 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.14.
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
385 can even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
411 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
415 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
416 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
417 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
418 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
419 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
420 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
421 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
422 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
423 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
424 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
425 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
429 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
430 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
431 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
435 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
436 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
437 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
438 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
439 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
440 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
441 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
442 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
443 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
444 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
445 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
446 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
447 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
448 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
449 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
450 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
451 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
455 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
456 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
457 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
461 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
462 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
463 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
464 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
465 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
469 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
470 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
471 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
472 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
476 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
477 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
478 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
479 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
480 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
481 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
482 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
483 * Threading:: How threads are made.
484 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
485 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
486 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
487 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
488 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
489 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
490 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
491 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
492 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
493 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
494 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
495 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
496 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
497 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
498 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
499 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
500 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
501 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
502 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
503 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
505 Summary Buffer Format
507 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
508 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
509 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
510 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
514 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
515 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
517 Reply, Followup and Post
519 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
520 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
521 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
522 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
526 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
527 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
528 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
532 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
533 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
534 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
538 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
539 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
541 Customizing Threading
543 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
544 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
545 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
546 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
550 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
551 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
552 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
553 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
554 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
555 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
559 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
560 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
561 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
565 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
566 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
567 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
568 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
569 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
570 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
571 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
572 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
574 Alternative Approaches
576 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
577 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
579 Various Summary Stuff
581 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
582 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
583 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
584 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
588 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
589 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
590 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
591 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
592 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
596 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
597 * Post:: Posting and following up.
598 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
599 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
600 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
601 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
602 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
603 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
607 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
608 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
609 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
610 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
611 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
612 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
613 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
617 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
618 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
619 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
620 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
621 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
622 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
623 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
627 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
628 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
632 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
633 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
634 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
635 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
636 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
637 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
638 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
639 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
640 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
641 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
642 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
643 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
644 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
648 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
649 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
650 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
652 Choosing a Mail Backend
654 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
655 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
656 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
657 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
658 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
659 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
663 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
664 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
665 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
666 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
670 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
671 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
672 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
673 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
674 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
675 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
679 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
683 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
684 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
685 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
689 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
690 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
691 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
695 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
696 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
700 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
701 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
702 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
703 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
704 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
705 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
706 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
707 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
708 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
712 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
713 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
714 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
718 * Group Agent Commands::
719 * Summary Agent Commands::
720 * Server Agent Commands::
724 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
725 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
726 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
727 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
728 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
729 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
730 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
731 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
732 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
733 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
734 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
735 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
736 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
737 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
738 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
739 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
743 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
744 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
745 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
746 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
750 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
751 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
752 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
756 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
757 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
758 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
759 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
760 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
761 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
762 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
763 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
764 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
765 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
766 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
767 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
768 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
769 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
770 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
771 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
772 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
773 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
777 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
778 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
779 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
780 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
781 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
785 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
786 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
787 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
788 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
792 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
793 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
794 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
795 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
796 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
800 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
801 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
802 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
803 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
804 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
805 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
806 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
807 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
811 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
812 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
813 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
814 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
815 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
816 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
817 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
818 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
819 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
820 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
824 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
825 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
826 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
827 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
831 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
832 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
833 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
834 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
838 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
839 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
840 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
841 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
842 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
843 * Group Info:: The group info format.
844 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
845 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
846 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
850 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
851 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
852 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
853 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
854 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
855 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
859 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
860 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
864 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
865 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
871 @chapter Starting gnus
876 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
877 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
880 @findex gnus-other-frame
881 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
882 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
883 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
885 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
886 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
887 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
889 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
890 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
893 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
894 * The First Time:: What does gnus do the first time you start it?
895 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
896 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one gnus active at a time.
897 * Fetching a Group:: Starting gnus just to read a group.
898 * New Groups:: What is gnus supposed to do with new groups?
899 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
900 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
901 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
902 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
903 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
907 @node Finding the News
908 @section Finding the News
911 @vindex gnus-select-method
913 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
914 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
915 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
916 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
919 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
920 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
923 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
926 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
929 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
932 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
933 certainly be much faster.
935 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
937 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
938 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
939 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
940 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
941 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
942 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
944 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
945 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
946 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
947 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
949 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
950 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
951 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
952 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
953 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
954 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
955 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
956 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
957 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
960 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
962 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
963 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
964 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
965 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
966 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
967 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
969 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
971 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
972 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
973 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
974 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
975 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
976 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
979 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
980 would typically set this variable to
983 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
988 @section The First Time
989 @cindex first time usage
991 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
992 be subscribed by default.
994 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
995 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
996 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
997 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1000 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1001 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1002 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1004 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1005 help you with most common problems.
1007 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1008 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1012 @node The Server is Down
1013 @section The Server is Down
1014 @cindex server errors
1016 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1017 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1018 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1020 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1021 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1022 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1023 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1024 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1025 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1026 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1028 @findex gnus-no-server
1029 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1031 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1032 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1033 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1034 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1035 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1036 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1041 @section Slave Gnusae
1044 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1045 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1046 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1047 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1049 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1050 @code{.newsrc} file.
1052 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1053 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1054 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1055 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1056 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1057 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1058 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1060 Anyways, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1061 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1062 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1063 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1064 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1065 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1066 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1067 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1069 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1070 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1073 @node Fetching a Group
1074 @section Fetching a Group
1075 @cindex fetching a group
1077 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1078 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1079 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1080 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1081 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1082 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1088 @cindex subscription
1090 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1091 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1092 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1093 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1094 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1095 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1096 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1097 @code{always}, then gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1098 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1101 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1102 * Subscription Methods:: What gnus should do with new groups.
1103 * Filtering New Groups:: Making gnus ignore certain new groups.
1107 @node Checking New Groups
1108 @subsection Checking New Groups
1110 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1111 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1112 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1113 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1114 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1115 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1116 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1117 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1118 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1119 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1121 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1122 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1123 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1124 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1125 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1126 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1127 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1128 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1129 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1130 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1131 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1133 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1134 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1135 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1136 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1137 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1138 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1141 @node Subscription Methods
1142 @subsection Subscription Methods
1144 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1145 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1146 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1148 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1149 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1151 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1155 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1156 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1157 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1158 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1159 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1161 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1162 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1163 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1164 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1166 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1167 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1168 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1170 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1171 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1172 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1173 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1174 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1175 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1176 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1177 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1178 up. Or something like that.
1180 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1181 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1182 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1183 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1184 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1186 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1187 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1188 Kill all new groups.
1190 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1191 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1192 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1193 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1194 topic parameter that looks like
1200 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1203 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1208 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1209 A closely related variable is
1210 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1211 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1212 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1213 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1216 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1217 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1218 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1219 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1222 @node Filtering New Groups
1223 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1225 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1226 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1227 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1230 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1234 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1235 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1236 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1237 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1238 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1239 subscribing these groups.
1240 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1241 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1243 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1244 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1245 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1246 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1247 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1248 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1249 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1250 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1252 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1253 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1254 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1255 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1256 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1257 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1258 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1259 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1260 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1261 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1263 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1264 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1267 @node Changing Servers
1268 @section Changing Servers
1269 @cindex changing servers
1271 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1272 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1273 very flaky and you want to use another.
1275 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1276 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1280 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1281 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1282 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1283 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1286 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1287 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1288 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1289 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1291 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1292 @findex gnus-change-server
1293 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1294 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1295 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1296 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1297 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1299 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1300 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1301 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1302 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1303 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1305 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1306 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1307 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1308 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1309 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1310 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1312 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1313 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1314 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1318 @section Startup Files
1319 @cindex startup files
1324 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1325 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1327 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1328 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1329 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1330 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1331 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1332 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1333 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1335 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1336 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1337 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1338 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1339 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1340 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1342 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1343 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1344 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1345 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1346 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1347 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1348 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1349 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1350 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1351 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1353 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1354 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1355 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1356 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1357 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1358 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1359 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1360 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1361 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1362 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1363 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1364 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1366 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1367 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1368 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1369 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1371 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1372 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1373 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1374 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1375 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1376 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1377 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1378 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1379 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1380 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1383 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1384 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1386 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1387 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1390 @vindex gnus-init-file
1391 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1392 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1393 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1394 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1395 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1396 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1397 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1398 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1399 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1405 @cindex dribble file
1408 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1409 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1410 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1411 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1412 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1415 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1416 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1419 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1420 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1421 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1423 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1424 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1425 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1426 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1427 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1428 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1430 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1431 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1432 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1435 @node The Active File
1436 @section The Active File
1438 @cindex ignored groups
1440 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1441 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1442 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1444 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1445 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1446 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1447 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1448 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1449 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1450 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1453 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1454 @c if you set it to anything else.
1456 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1458 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1459 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1460 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1462 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1463 you actually subscribe to.
1465 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1466 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1467 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1468 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1470 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1471 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1472 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1473 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1474 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1475 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1477 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1478 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1479 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1481 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1482 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1483 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1484 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1485 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1486 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1488 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1489 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1491 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1492 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1494 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1495 secondary select methods.
1498 @node Startup Variables
1499 @section Startup Variables
1503 @item gnus-load-hook
1504 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1505 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1506 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1507 times you start gnus.
1509 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1510 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1511 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1513 @item gnus-startup-hook
1514 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1515 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1517 @item gnus-started-hook
1518 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1519 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1522 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1523 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1524 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1525 generating the group buffer.
1527 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1528 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1529 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1530 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1531 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1532 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1533 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1534 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1536 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1537 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1538 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1539 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1540 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1541 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1543 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1544 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1545 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1547 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1548 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1549 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1551 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1552 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1553 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1554 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1559 @node The Group Buffer
1560 @chapter The Group Buffer
1561 @cindex group buffer
1563 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1564 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1565 long as gnus is active.
1569 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1570 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1571 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1572 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1573 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1574 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1575 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1576 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1582 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1583 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1584 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1585 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1586 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1587 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1588 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1589 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1590 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1591 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1592 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1593 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1594 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1595 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1596 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1597 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1598 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1602 @node Group Buffer Format
1603 @section Group Buffer Format
1606 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1607 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1608 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1612 @node Group Line Specification
1613 @subsection Group Line Specification
1614 @cindex group buffer format
1616 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1617 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1619 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1622 25: news.announce.newusers
1623 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1628 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1629 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1630 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1631 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1633 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1634 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1635 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1636 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1637 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1638 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1640 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1642 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1643 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1644 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1645 never examined by gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1648 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1649 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1650 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1652 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1657 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1660 Whether the group is subscribed.
1663 Level of subscribedness.
1666 Number of unread articles.
1669 Number of dormant articles.
1672 Number of ticked articles.
1675 Number of read articles.
1678 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1679 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1682 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1685 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1694 Newsgroup description.
1697 @samp{m} if moderated.
1700 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1709 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1713 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1716 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1717 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1718 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1719 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1720 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1723 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1725 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1729 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1733 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1734 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1735 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1736 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1737 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1738 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1743 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1744 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1745 group, or a bogus native group.
1748 @node Group Modeline Specification
1749 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1750 @cindex group modeline
1752 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1753 The mode line can be changed by setting
1754 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1755 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1759 The native news server.
1761 The native select method.
1765 @node Group Highlighting
1766 @subsection Group Highlighting
1767 @cindex highlighting
1768 @cindex group highlighting
1770 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1771 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1772 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1773 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1774 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1776 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1780 (cond (window-system
1781 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1782 (defface my-group-face-1
1783 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1784 (defface my-group-face-2
1785 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1786 (defface my-group-face-3
1787 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1788 (defface my-group-face-4
1789 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1790 (defface my-group-face-5
1791 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1793 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1794 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1795 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1796 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1797 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1798 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1801 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1803 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1810 The number of unread articles in the group.
1814 Whether the group is a mail group.
1816 The level of the group.
1818 The score of the group.
1820 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1822 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1823 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1825 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1826 topic being inserted.
1829 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1830 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1831 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1833 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1834 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1835 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1836 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1837 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1840 @node Group Maneuvering
1841 @section Group Maneuvering
1842 @cindex group movement
1844 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1845 expected, hopefully.
1851 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1852 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1853 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1859 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1860 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1861 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1865 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1866 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1870 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1871 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1875 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1876 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1877 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1881 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1882 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1883 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1886 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1892 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1893 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1894 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1899 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1900 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1901 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1905 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1906 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1907 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1910 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1911 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1912 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1913 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1917 @node Selecting a Group
1918 @section Selecting a Group
1919 @cindex group selection
1924 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1925 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1926 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1927 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1928 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1929 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1930 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1931 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1932 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1933 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1937 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1938 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1939 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1940 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1941 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1945 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1946 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1947 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1948 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1949 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1950 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1951 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1952 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1953 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1954 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1957 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1958 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1959 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1960 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1961 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1964 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1965 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1966 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1967 doing any processing of its contents
1968 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1969 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1970 manner will have no permanent effects.
1974 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1975 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
1976 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1977 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
1978 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1979 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1980 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1981 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1984 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1985 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1986 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1987 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1992 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1993 full summary buffer.
1996 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1999 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2004 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2005 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2006 Useful functions include:
2009 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2010 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2011 don't select the article.
2013 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2014 Select the first unread article.
2016 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2017 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2021 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2022 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2023 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2027 @node Subscription Commands
2028 @section Subscription Commands
2029 @cindex subscription
2037 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2038 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2039 Toggle subscription to the current group
2040 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2046 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2047 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2048 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2049 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2055 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2056 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2057 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2063 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2064 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2067 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2068 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2069 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2070 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2071 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2077 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2078 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2082 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2083 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2086 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2087 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2088 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2089 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2090 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2091 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2092 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2093 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2094 @file{.newsrc} file.
2098 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2108 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2109 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2110 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2111 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2112 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2113 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2118 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2119 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2120 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2124 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2125 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2126 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2128 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2129 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2130 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2131 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2132 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2133 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2140 @section Group Levels
2144 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2145 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2146 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2147 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2148 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2150 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2156 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2157 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2158 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2159 prompted for a level.
2162 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2163 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2164 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2165 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2166 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2167 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2168 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2169 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2170 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2171 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2172 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2173 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2174 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2175 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2176 reasons of efficiency.
2178 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2179 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2181 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2182 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2183 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2185 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2186 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2187 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2188 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2189 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2190 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2191 relevant valid ranges.
2193 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2194 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2195 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2196 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2197 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2198 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2201 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2202 one with the best level.
2204 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2205 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2206 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2209 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2210 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2211 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2212 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2215 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2216 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2217 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2218 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2220 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2221 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2222 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2223 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2224 to 5. The default is 6.
2228 @section Group Score
2233 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2234 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2235 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2238 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2239 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2240 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2241 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2242 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2243 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2244 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2245 least significant part.))
2247 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2248 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2249 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2250 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2251 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2252 action after each summary exit, you can add
2253 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2254 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2255 slow things down somewhat.
2258 @node Marking Groups
2259 @section Marking Groups
2260 @cindex marking groups
2262 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2263 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2264 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2265 bidding on those groups.
2267 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2268 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2269 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2277 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2278 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2284 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2285 Remove the mark from the current group
2286 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2290 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2291 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2295 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2296 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2300 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2301 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2305 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2306 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2307 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2310 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2312 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2313 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2314 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2315 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2316 the command to be executed.
2319 @node Foreign Groups
2320 @section Foreign Groups
2321 @cindex foreign groups
2323 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2324 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2325 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2326 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2333 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2334 @cindex making groups
2335 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2336 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2337 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2341 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2342 @cindex renaming groups
2343 Rename the current group to something else
2344 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2345 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2351 @findex gnus-group-customize
2352 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2356 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2357 @cindex renaming groups
2358 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2359 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2363 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2364 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2365 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2369 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2370 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2371 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2375 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2377 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2378 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2383 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2384 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2388 @cindex (ding) archive
2389 @cindex archive group
2390 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2391 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2392 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2393 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2394 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2395 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2396 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2400 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2402 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2403 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2404 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2405 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2409 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2411 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2412 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2413 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2417 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2418 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2420 Make a group based on some file or other
2421 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2422 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2423 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2424 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2425 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2426 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2427 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2431 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2432 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2433 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2434 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2438 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2443 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2444 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2445 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2446 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2447 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2448 @xref{Web Searches}.
2450 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2451 to a particular group by using a match string like
2452 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2455 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2456 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2457 This function will delete the current group
2458 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2459 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2460 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2461 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2462 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2466 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2467 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2468 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2472 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2473 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2474 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2477 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2480 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2481 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2482 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2483 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2484 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2485 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2489 @node Group Parameters
2490 @section Group Parameters
2491 @cindex group parameters
2493 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2494 Here's an example group parameter list:
2497 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2501 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2502 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2503 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2504 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2506 The following group parameters can be used:
2511 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2514 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2517 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2518 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2519 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2520 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2521 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2523 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2524 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2525 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2526 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2527 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2528 list address instead.
2532 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2535 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2538 It is totally ignored
2539 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2540 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2542 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2543 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2544 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2545 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2546 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2548 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2549 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2550 sending the message.
2554 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2555 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2556 of whether it has any unread articles.
2558 @item broken-reply-to
2559 @cindex broken-reply-to
2560 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2561 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2562 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2563 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2564 broken behavior. So there!
2568 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2569 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2573 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2574 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2575 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2580 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2581 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2582 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2583 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2584 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2585 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2586 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2590 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2591 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2592 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2595 @cindex total-expire
2596 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2597 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2598 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2599 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2604 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2605 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2606 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2607 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2608 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2609 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2612 @cindex score file group parameter
2613 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2614 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2615 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2618 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2619 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2620 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2621 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2624 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2625 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2626 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2627 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2630 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2631 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2635 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2638 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2643 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2644 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2645 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2649 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2650 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2651 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2653 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2654 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2655 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2656 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2657 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2658 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2659 @code{eval}ed there.
2661 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2662 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2663 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2664 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2665 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2668 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2669 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2670 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2671 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2672 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2674 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2675 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2676 like this in the group parameters:
2681 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2686 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2687 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2691 @node Listing Groups
2692 @section Listing Groups
2693 @cindex group listing
2695 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2703 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2704 List all groups that have unread articles
2705 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2706 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2707 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2708 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2715 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2716 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2717 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2718 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2719 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2720 unsubscribed groups).
2724 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2725 List all unread groups on a specific level
2726 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2727 with no unread articles.
2731 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2732 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2733 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2734 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2739 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2740 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2744 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2745 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2746 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2750 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2751 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2755 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2756 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2757 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2758 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2759 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2760 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2761 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2762 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2766 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2767 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2768 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2772 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2773 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2774 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2778 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2779 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2783 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2784 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2788 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2789 @cindex visible group parameter
2790 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2791 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2792 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2793 get the same effect.
2795 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2796 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2797 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2798 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2799 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2802 @node Sorting Groups
2803 @section Sorting Groups
2804 @cindex sorting groups
2806 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2807 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2808 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2809 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2810 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2811 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2816 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2817 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2818 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2820 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2821 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2822 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2824 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2825 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2826 Sort by group level.
2828 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2829 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2830 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2832 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2833 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2834 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2835 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2837 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2838 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2839 Sort by number of unread articles.
2841 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2842 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2843 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2848 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2849 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2853 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2854 some sorting criteria:
2858 @kindex G S a (Group)
2859 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2860 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2861 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2864 @kindex G S u (Group)
2865 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2866 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2867 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2870 @kindex G S l (Group)
2871 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2872 Sort the group buffer by group level
2873 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2876 @kindex G S v (Group)
2877 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2878 Sort the group buffer by group score
2879 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2882 @kindex G S r (Group)
2883 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2884 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2885 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2888 @kindex G S m (Group)
2889 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2890 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2891 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2895 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2896 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2898 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2899 commands will sort in reverse order.
2901 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2905 @kindex G P a (Group)
2906 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2907 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2908 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2911 @kindex G P u (Group)
2912 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2913 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2914 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2917 @kindex G P l (Group)
2918 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2919 Sort the groups by group level
2920 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2923 @kindex G P v (Group)
2924 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2925 Sort the groups by group score
2926 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2929 @kindex G P r (Group)
2930 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2931 Sort the groups by group rank
2932 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2935 @kindex G P m (Group)
2936 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2937 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2938 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2944 @node Group Maintenance
2945 @section Group Maintenance
2946 @cindex bogus groups
2951 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2952 Find bogus groups and delete them
2953 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2957 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2958 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2959 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2960 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2961 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2965 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2966 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2967 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2968 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2971 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2972 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2973 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2974 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2979 @node Browse Foreign Server
2980 @section Browse Foreign Server
2981 @cindex foreign servers
2982 @cindex browsing servers
2987 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2988 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2989 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2990 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2993 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2994 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2995 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2996 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2998 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3003 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3004 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3008 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3009 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3012 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3013 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3014 Enter the current group and display the first article
3015 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3018 @kindex RET (Browse)
3019 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3020 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3024 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3025 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3026 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3032 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3033 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3037 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3038 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3039 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3044 @section Exiting gnus
3045 @cindex exiting gnus
3047 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3052 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3053 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3054 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3055 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3059 @findex gnus-group-exit
3060 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3061 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3065 @findex gnus-group-quit
3066 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3067 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3070 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3071 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3072 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3073 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3074 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3079 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3080 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3081 trying to customize meta-variables.
3086 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3087 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3088 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3094 @section Group Topics
3097 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3098 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3099 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3100 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3101 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3102 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3106 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3107 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3118 2: alt.religion.emacs
3121 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3123 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3124 13: comp.sources.unix
3127 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3129 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3130 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3131 is a toggling command.)
3133 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3134 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3135 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3136 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3139 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3140 the hook for the group mode:
3143 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3147 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3148 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3149 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3150 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3151 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3155 @node Topic Variables
3156 @subsection Topic Variables
3157 @cindex topic variables
3159 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3160 really neat, I think.
3162 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3163 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3164 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3177 Number of groups in the topic.
3179 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3181 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3184 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3185 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3186 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3189 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3190 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3192 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3193 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3194 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3197 @node Topic Commands
3198 @subsection Topic Commands
3199 @cindex topic commands
3201 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3202 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3203 definitions slightly.
3209 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3210 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3211 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3215 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3216 Move the current group to some other topic
3217 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3218 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3222 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3223 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3227 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3228 Copy the current group to some other topic
3229 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3230 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3234 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3235 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3236 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3237 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3238 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3239 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3240 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3243 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3244 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3248 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3249 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3250 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3254 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3255 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3256 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3260 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3261 Toggle hiding empty topics
3262 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3266 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3267 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3268 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3271 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3272 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3273 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3274 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3278 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3280 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3281 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3282 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3283 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3286 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3287 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3288 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3289 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3293 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3295 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3296 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3297 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3298 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3299 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3300 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3303 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3304 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3305 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3306 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3310 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3311 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3312 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3316 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3317 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3318 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3323 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3324 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3327 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3328 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3329 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3333 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3334 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3335 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3339 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3340 @cindex group parameters
3341 @cindex topic parameters
3343 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3344 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3350 @subsection Topic Sorting
3351 @cindex topic sorting
3353 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3359 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3360 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3361 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3362 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3365 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3366 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3367 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3368 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3371 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3372 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3373 Sort the current topic by group level
3374 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3377 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3378 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3379 Sort the current topic by group score
3380 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3383 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3384 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3385 Sort the current topic by group rank
3386 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3389 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3390 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3391 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3392 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3396 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3399 @node Topic Topology
3400 @subsection Topic Topology
3401 @cindex topic topology
3404 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3410 2: alt.religion.emacs
3413 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3415 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3416 13: comp.sources.unix
3419 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3420 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3421 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3426 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3427 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3431 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3432 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3433 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3434 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3435 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3436 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3438 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3439 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3440 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3443 @node Topic Parameters
3444 @subsection Topic Parameters
3445 @cindex topic parameters
3447 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3448 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3449 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3451 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3456 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3457 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3458 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3463 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3464 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3465 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3466 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3472 2: alt.religion.emacs
3476 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3478 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3479 13: comp.sources.unix
3483 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3484 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3485 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3486 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3487 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3488 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3490 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3491 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3492 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3493 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3494 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3496 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3497 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3498 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3499 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3500 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3501 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3502 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3503 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3506 @node Misc Group Stuff
3507 @section Misc Group Stuff
3510 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3511 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and gnus.
3512 * Group Timestamp:: Making gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3513 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the gnus files.
3520 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3521 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3522 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3526 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3527 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3528 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3532 @findex gnus-group-mail
3533 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3537 Variables for the group buffer:
3541 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3542 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3543 is called after the group buffer has been
3546 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3547 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3548 is called after the group buffer is
3549 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3552 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3553 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3554 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3555 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3557 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3558 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3559 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3560 whether they are empty or not.
3562 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3563 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3564 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3565 non-ASCII group names.
3569 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3570 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3573 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3574 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3575 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3576 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3580 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3581 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3586 @node Scanning New Messages
3587 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3588 @cindex new messages
3589 @cindex scanning new news
3595 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3596 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3597 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3598 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3599 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3600 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3605 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3606 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3607 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3608 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3609 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3610 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3611 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3613 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3614 @cindex activating groups
3616 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3617 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3622 @findex gnus-group-restart
3623 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3624 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3625 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
3629 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3630 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3632 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3633 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3637 @node Group Information
3638 @subsection Group Information
3639 @cindex group information
3640 @cindex information on groups
3647 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3648 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3651 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3652 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3653 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3654 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3655 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3656 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3657 for fetching the file.
3659 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
3660 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3664 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3666 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3667 @cindex describing groups
3668 @cindex group description
3669 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3670 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3671 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3675 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3676 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3677 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3684 @findex gnus-version
3685 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3689 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3690 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3693 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3696 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3697 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3701 @node Group Timestamp
3702 @subsection Group Timestamp
3704 @cindex group timestamps
3706 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
3707 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3708 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3711 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3714 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3716 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3717 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3720 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3721 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3724 This will result in lines looking like:
3727 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3728 0: custom 19961002T012713
3731 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3732 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3736 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3737 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3742 @subsection File Commands
3743 @cindex file commands
3749 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3750 @vindex gnus-init-file
3751 @cindex reading init file
3752 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3753 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3757 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3758 @cindex saving .newsrc
3759 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3760 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3761 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3764 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3765 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3766 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3771 @node The Summary Buffer
3772 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3773 @cindex summary buffer
3775 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3776 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3778 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3779 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3781 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3784 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3785 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3786 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3787 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3788 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3789 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3790 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3791 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3792 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3793 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3794 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3795 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3796 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3797 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3798 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3799 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3800 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3801 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3802 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3803 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3804 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3805 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3806 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3807 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3808 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3809 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3810 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3811 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3815 @node Summary Buffer Format
3816 @section Summary Buffer Format
3817 @cindex summary buffer format
3821 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3822 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3823 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3829 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3830 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3831 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3832 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3835 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3836 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3837 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3838 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3839 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3840 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
3841 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3842 fast, and too simplistic solution;
3843 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
3844 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
3845 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
3846 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
3847 other function instead:
3850 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3851 'mail-extract-address-components)
3854 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3855 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3856 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3857 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3860 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3861 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3863 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3864 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3865 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3866 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3867 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3869 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3871 The following format specification characters are understood:
3877 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3878 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3880 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3881 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3882 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3884 Full @code{From} header.
3886 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3888 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3889 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3891 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3892 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3893 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3894 may be more thorough.
3896 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3899 Number of lines in the article.
3901 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3902 methods (like nnfolder).
3904 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3906 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3907 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3909 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3910 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3912 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3913 for adopted articles.
3915 One space for each thread level.
3917 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3922 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3923 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3927 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3929 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3930 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3931 default level. If the difference between
3932 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3933 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3941 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3943 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3949 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3950 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3952 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3953 article has any children.
3959 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3960 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3961 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3962 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3963 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3964 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3967 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3968 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
3969 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3970 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3971 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3972 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3974 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3975 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3977 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
3980 @node To From Newsgroups
3981 @subsection To From Newsgroups
3985 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
3986 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
3987 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
3988 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
3989 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
3993 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
3994 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
3995 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
3999 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4000 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4003 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4004 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4007 @findex gnus-extra-header
4008 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4009 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4010 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4013 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4017 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4018 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4019 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4020 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4021 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4022 headers are used instead.
4026 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4027 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4028 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4029 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4032 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4033 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4034 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4035 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4037 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4040 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4042 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4043 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4044 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4045 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4049 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4050 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4057 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4058 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4061 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4062 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4064 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4065 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4066 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4067 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4069 Here are the elements you can play with:
4075 Unprefixed group name.
4077 Current article number.
4079 Current article score.
4083 Number of unread articles in this group.
4085 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4088 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4089 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4090 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4091 and no unselected ones.
4093 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4094 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4096 Subject of the current article.
4098 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4100 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4102 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4104 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4106 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4108 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4112 @node Summary Highlighting
4113 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4117 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4118 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4119 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4120 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4121 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4123 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4124 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4125 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4126 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4128 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4129 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4130 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4131 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4133 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4134 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4135 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4136 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4137 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4138 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4141 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4142 ((> score default) . bold))
4144 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4145 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4149 @node Summary Maneuvering
4150 @section Summary Maneuvering
4151 @cindex summary movement
4153 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4154 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4156 None of these commands select articles.
4161 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4162 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4163 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4164 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4165 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4169 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4170 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4171 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4172 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4173 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4178 @kindex G j (Summary)
4179 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4180 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4181 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4184 @kindex G g (Summary)
4185 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4186 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4187 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4190 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4191 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4192 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4193 to the group buffer.
4195 Variables related to summary movement:
4199 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4200 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4201 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4202 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4203 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4204 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4205 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4206 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4207 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4208 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4209 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4210 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4211 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4212 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4214 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4215 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4216 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4217 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4218 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4219 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4220 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4222 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4224 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4225 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4226 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4227 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4228 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4230 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4231 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4232 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4233 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4234 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4235 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4236 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4237 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4240 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4241 the given number of lines from the top.
4246 @node Choosing Articles
4247 @section Choosing Articles
4248 @cindex selecting articles
4251 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4252 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4256 @node Choosing Commands
4257 @subsection Choosing Commands
4259 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4260 and they all select and display an article.
4264 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4265 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4266 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4267 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4272 @kindex G n (Summary)
4273 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4274 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4275 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4280 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4281 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4282 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4287 @kindex G N (Summary)
4288 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4289 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4294 @kindex G P (Summary)
4295 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4296 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4299 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4300 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4301 Go to the next article with the same subject
4302 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4305 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4306 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4307 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4308 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4312 @kindex G f (Summary)
4314 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4315 Go to the first unread article
4316 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4320 @kindex G b (Summary)
4322 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4323 Go to the article with the highest score
4324 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4329 @kindex G l (Summary)
4330 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4331 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4334 @kindex G o (Summary)
4335 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4337 @cindex article history
4338 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4339 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4340 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4341 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4342 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4343 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4347 @node Choosing Variables
4348 @subsection Choosing Variables
4350 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4353 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4354 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4355 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4356 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4357 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4358 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4360 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4361 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4362 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4363 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4365 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4366 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4367 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4368 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4369 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4370 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4371 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4372 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4373 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4374 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4375 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4376 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4377 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4378 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4383 @node Paging the Article
4384 @section Scrolling the Article
4385 @cindex article scrolling
4390 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4391 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4392 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4393 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4394 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4397 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4398 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4399 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4402 @kindex RET (Summary)
4403 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4404 Scroll the current article one line forward
4405 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4408 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4409 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4410 Scroll the current article one line backward
4411 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4415 @kindex A g (Summary)
4417 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4418 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4419 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4420 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4421 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4422 the way it came from the server.
4424 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4425 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4426 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4429 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4434 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4439 @kindex A < (Summary)
4440 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4441 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4442 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4447 @kindex A > (Summary)
4448 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4449 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4453 @kindex A s (Summary)
4455 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4456 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4457 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4461 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4462 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4467 @node Reply Followup and Post
4468 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4471 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4472 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4473 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4474 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4478 @node Summary Mail Commands
4479 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4481 @cindex composing mail
4483 Commands for composing a mail message:
4489 @kindex S r (Summary)
4491 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4492 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4493 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4494 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4495 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4500 @kindex S R (Summary)
4501 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4502 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4503 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4504 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4505 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4508 @kindex S w (Summary)
4509 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4510 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4511 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4512 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4513 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4516 @kindex S W (Summary)
4517 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4518 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4519 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4520 the process/prefix convention.
4524 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4525 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4526 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4527 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4528 Forward the current article to some other person
4529 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4530 headers of the forwarded article.
4535 @kindex S m (Summary)
4536 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4537 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4538 Send a mail to some other person
4539 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4542 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4543 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4544 @cindex bouncing mail
4545 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4546 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4547 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4548 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4549 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4550 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
4551 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4552 very well fail, though.
4555 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4556 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4557 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4558 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4559 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4560 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4561 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4562 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4563 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4564 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4566 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4567 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4568 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4569 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4570 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4572 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4573 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4576 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4578 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4579 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4580 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4583 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4584 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4585 @cindex crossposting
4586 @cindex excessive crossposting
4587 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4588 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4590 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4591 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4592 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4593 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4594 command understands the process/prefix convention
4595 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4599 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4602 @node Summary Post Commands
4603 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4605 @cindex composing news
4607 Commands for posting a news article:
4613 @kindex S p (Summary)
4614 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4615 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4616 Post an article to the current group
4617 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4622 @kindex S f (Summary)
4623 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4624 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4625 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4629 @kindex S F (Summary)
4631 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4632 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4633 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4634 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4635 process/prefix convention.
4638 @kindex S n (Summary)
4639 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4640 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4641 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4644 @kindex S N (Summary)
4645 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4646 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4647 message through mail and include the original message
4648 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4649 the process/prefix convention.
4652 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4653 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4654 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4655 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
4656 headers of the forwarded article.
4659 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4660 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4662 @cindex making digests
4663 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4664 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4665 process/prefix convention.
4668 @kindex S u (Summary)
4669 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4670 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4671 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4672 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4675 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4678 @node Summary Message Commands
4679 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4683 @kindex S y (Summary)
4684 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4685 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4686 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4687 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4688 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4693 @node Canceling and Superseding
4694 @subsection Canceling Articles
4695 @cindex canceling articles
4696 @cindex superseding articles
4698 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4699 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4701 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4703 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4705 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4706 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4707 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4708 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4709 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4710 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4712 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4713 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4716 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4717 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4718 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4720 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4721 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4722 your original article.
4724 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4726 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4727 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4728 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4731 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4732 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4733 have posted almost the same article twice.
4735 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4736 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4737 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4738 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4739 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4740 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4741 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4742 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4743 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4744 canceled/superseded.
4746 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4749 @node Marking Articles
4750 @section Marking Articles
4751 @cindex article marking
4752 @cindex article ticking
4755 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4757 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4758 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4759 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4761 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4764 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4765 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4766 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4770 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4774 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4775 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4776 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4780 @node Unread Articles
4781 @subsection Unread Articles
4783 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4788 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4789 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4791 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4792 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4793 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4794 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4795 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4799 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4800 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4802 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4803 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4804 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4807 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4808 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4810 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4815 @subsection Read Articles
4816 @cindex expirable mark
4818 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4823 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4824 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4825 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4828 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4829 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4832 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4833 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4834 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4837 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4838 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4841 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4842 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4845 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4846 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4849 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4850 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4853 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4854 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4857 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4858 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4861 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4862 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4866 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4867 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4868 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4872 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4873 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4875 One more special mark, though:
4879 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4880 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4882 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4883 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4884 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4885 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
4891 @subsection Other Marks
4892 @cindex process mark
4895 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4901 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4902 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4903 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4904 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4905 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4908 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4909 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4910 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4911 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4914 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4915 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4916 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4919 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4920 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4921 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4922 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4925 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4926 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4927 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4928 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4929 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4932 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4933 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4934 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4935 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4936 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4937 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4941 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4942 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4943 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4945 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4946 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4947 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4951 @subsection Setting Marks
4952 @cindex setting marks
4954 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4959 @kindex M c (Summary)
4960 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4961 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4962 @cindex mark as unread
4963 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4964 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4970 @kindex M t (Summary)
4971 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4972 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4973 @xref{Article Caching}.
4978 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4980 Mark the current article as dormant
4981 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4985 @kindex M d (Summary)
4987 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4988 Mark the current article as read
4989 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4993 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4994 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4995 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5000 @kindex M k (Summary)
5001 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5002 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5003 and then select the next unread article
5004 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5008 @kindex M K (Summary)
5009 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5010 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5011 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5012 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5015 @kindex M C (Summary)
5016 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5017 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5018 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5021 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5022 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5023 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5024 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5027 @kindex M H (Summary)
5028 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5029 Catchup the current group to point
5030 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5033 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5034 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5035 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5036 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5039 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5041 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5042 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5046 @kindex M e (Summary)
5048 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5049 Mark the current article as expirable
5050 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5053 @kindex M b (Summary)
5054 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5055 Set a bookmark in the current article
5056 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5059 @kindex M B (Summary)
5060 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5061 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5062 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5065 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5067 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5068 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5071 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5073 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5074 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5077 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5078 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5079 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5080 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5081 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5084 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5085 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5086 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5087 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5088 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5089 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5090 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5091 The default is @code{t}.
5094 @node Generic Marking Commands
5095 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5097 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5098 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5099 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5100 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5101 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5104 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5105 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5108 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5109 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5110 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5111 to list in this manual.
5113 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5114 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5115 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5116 article, you could say something like:
5119 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5120 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5121 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5127 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5128 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5132 @node Setting Process Marks
5133 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5134 @cindex setting process marks
5141 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5142 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5143 Mark the current article with the process mark
5144 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5145 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5149 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5150 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5151 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5152 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5155 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5156 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5157 Remove the process mark from all articles
5158 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5161 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5162 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5163 Invert the list of process marked articles
5164 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5167 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5168 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5169 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5170 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5173 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5175 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5176 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5179 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5180 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5181 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5184 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5185 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5186 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5187 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5190 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5192 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5193 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5196 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5198 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5199 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5202 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5204 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5207 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5209 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5210 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5213 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5215 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5218 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5220 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5221 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5224 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5225 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5226 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5227 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5230 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5231 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5232 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5233 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5236 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5238 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5239 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5243 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5244 set process marks based on article body contents.
5251 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5252 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5253 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5256 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5257 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5258 additional articles.
5264 @kindex / / (Summary)
5265 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5266 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5267 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5270 @kindex / a (Summary)
5271 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5272 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5273 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5276 @kindex / x (Summary)
5277 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5278 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5279 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5280 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5284 @kindex / u (Summary)
5286 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5287 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5288 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5289 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5290 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5293 @kindex / m (Summary)
5294 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5295 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5296 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5299 @kindex / t (Summary)
5300 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5301 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5302 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5303 articles younger than that number of days.
5306 @kindex / n (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5308 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5309 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5310 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5313 @kindex / w (Summary)
5314 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5315 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5316 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5320 @kindex / v (Summary)
5321 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5322 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5323 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5327 @kindex M S (Summary)
5328 @kindex / E (Summary)
5329 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5330 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5331 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5334 @kindex / D (Summary)
5335 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5336 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5337 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5340 @kindex / * (Summary)
5341 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5342 Include all cached articles in the limit
5343 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5346 @kindex / d (Summary)
5347 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5348 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5349 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5352 @kindex / M (Summary)
5353 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5354 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5357 @kindex / T (Summary)
5358 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5359 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5362 @kindex / c (Summary)
5363 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5364 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5365 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5368 @kindex / C (Summary)
5369 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5370 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5371 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5372 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5380 @cindex article threading
5382 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5383 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5384 hierarchical fashion.
5386 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5387 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5388 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5389 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5390 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5391 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5392 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5394 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5398 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5401 A tree-like article structure.
5404 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5407 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5408 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5409 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5410 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5411 called loose threads.
5413 @item thread gathering
5414 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5416 @item sparse threads
5417 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5418 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5424 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5425 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5429 @node Customizing Threading
5430 @subsection Customizing Threading
5431 @cindex customizing threading
5434 * Loose Threads:: How gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5435 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5436 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5437 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5442 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5445 @cindex loose threads
5448 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5449 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5450 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5451 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5452 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5453 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5455 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
5456 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
5457 There are four possible values:
5461 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5462 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5463 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5464 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5465 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5470 @cindex adopting articles
5475 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5476 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5477 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5478 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5481 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5482 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5483 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5484 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5485 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5486 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5487 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5490 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5491 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5492 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5496 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5497 display them after one another.
5500 Don't gather loose threads.
5503 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5504 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5505 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5506 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
5507 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5508 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5509 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5510 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5511 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5512 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
5513 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5515 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5516 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
5517 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5520 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5521 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5522 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5523 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5524 simplification is used.
5526 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5527 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5528 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5529 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5531 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5533 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5539 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5540 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5541 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5542 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5547 (mapconcat 'identity
5548 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5550 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5553 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5556 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5557 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5558 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5559 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5560 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5561 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5563 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5566 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5567 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5568 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5570 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5571 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5574 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5575 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5576 Remove excessive whitespace.
5579 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5582 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5583 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5584 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5585 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5586 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5587 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5588 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5589 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5591 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5592 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5593 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5594 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5595 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5596 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5597 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5598 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5599 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5603 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5604 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5605 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5606 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5608 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5609 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5610 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5613 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5617 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5618 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5624 @node Filling In Threads
5625 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5628 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5629 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5630 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5631 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5632 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5633 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5634 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5635 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5636 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5637 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5638 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5639 expired by the server, there's not much gnus can do about that.
5641 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5642 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5643 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5645 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5646 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5647 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5648 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5649 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5650 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5651 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
5652 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5653 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
5654 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
5655 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5656 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
5657 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5658 @code{nil} by default.
5663 @node More Threading
5664 @subsubsection More Threading
5667 @item gnus-show-threads
5668 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5669 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5670 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5671 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5672 slower and more awkward.
5674 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5675 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5676 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5679 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5680 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5681 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5682 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5683 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5684 threads are expunged.
5686 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5687 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5688 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5691 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5692 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5693 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5694 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5695 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5698 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5699 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5700 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5703 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5704 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5705 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5706 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5707 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5708 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5709 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5710 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5711 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5712 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5713 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5718 @node Low-Level Threading
5719 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5723 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5724 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5725 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
5726 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
5727 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
5728 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
5730 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5731 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5732 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5733 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5734 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5735 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5736 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5737 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5738 meaningful. Here's one example:
5741 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5743 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5744 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5746 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5748 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5755 @node Thread Commands
5756 @subsection Thread Commands
5757 @cindex thread commands
5763 @kindex T k (Summary)
5764 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5765 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5766 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5767 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5768 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5773 @kindex T l (Summary)
5774 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5775 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5776 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5777 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5780 @kindex T i (Summary)
5781 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5782 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5783 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5786 @kindex T # (Summary)
5787 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5788 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5789 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5792 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5793 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5794 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5795 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5798 @kindex T T (Summary)
5799 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5800 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5803 @kindex T s (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5805 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5806 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5809 @kindex T h (Summary)
5810 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5811 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5814 @kindex T S (Summary)
5815 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5816 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5819 @kindex T H (Summary)
5820 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5821 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5824 @kindex T t (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5826 Re-thread the current article's thread
5827 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5828 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5831 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5832 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5833 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5834 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5838 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5839 understand the numeric prefix.
5844 @kindex T n (Summary)
5846 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5848 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5849 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5850 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5853 @kindex T p (Summary)
5855 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5857 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5858 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5859 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5862 @kindex T d (Summary)
5863 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5864 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5867 @kindex T u (Summary)
5868 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5869 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5872 @kindex T o (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5874 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5877 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5878 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5879 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5880 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5881 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5882 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5883 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5884 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5885 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5886 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5887 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5888 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5895 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5896 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5897 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5898 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5899 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5900 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5901 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5902 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5903 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5904 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5905 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5907 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5908 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5909 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5910 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5911 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5913 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5914 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5915 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5917 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5918 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5919 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5920 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5921 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5922 ascending article order.
5924 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5925 by number, you could do something like:
5928 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5929 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5930 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5931 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
5934 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
5935 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
5936 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
5937 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
5938 which the articles arrived.
5940 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
5944 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5946 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
5947 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5950 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5951 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5952 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5953 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5956 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5957 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5958 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5959 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5960 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5961 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5962 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5963 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5964 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5965 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5966 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5967 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5968 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5970 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5974 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5975 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5976 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5981 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5982 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5983 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5984 @cindex article pre-fetch
5987 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5988 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5989 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5990 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5991 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5993 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5994 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
5996 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5997 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5998 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5999 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6000 connection is blocked.
6002 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6003 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6004 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6005 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6007 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6008 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6009 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6010 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6013 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6016 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6017 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6018 happen automatically.
6020 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6021 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6022 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6023 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6024 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6025 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6026 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6028 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6029 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6030 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6031 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6032 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6033 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6034 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6035 data structure as the only parameter.
6037 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6040 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6041 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6042 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6043 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6046 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6049 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6050 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6051 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6053 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6054 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6055 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6056 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6060 Remove articles when they are read.
6063 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6066 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6068 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6069 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6070 @c from the next group.
6073 @node Article Caching
6074 @section Article Caching
6075 @cindex article caching
6078 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6079 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6080 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6081 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6082 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6084 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6086 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6087 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6088 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6089 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6090 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6091 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6092 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6093 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6095 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6096 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6097 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6098 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6099 as dormant, and don't worry.
6101 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6103 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6104 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6105 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6106 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6107 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6108 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6109 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6110 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6111 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6112 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6114 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6115 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6116 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6117 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6118 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6119 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6120 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6121 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6122 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6123 not then be downloaded by this command.
6125 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6126 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6127 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6128 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6129 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6130 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6132 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6133 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6134 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6135 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6136 variables, the group is not cached.
6138 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6139 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6140 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6141 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6142 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6143 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6144 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6145 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6146 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6150 @node Persistent Articles
6151 @section Persistent Articles
6152 @cindex persistent articles
6154 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6155 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6156 useful in my opinion.
6158 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6159 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6160 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6161 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6162 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6163 the expiry going on at the news server.
6165 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6166 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6167 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6173 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6174 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6177 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6179 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6180 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6184 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6186 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6187 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6188 interested in persistent articles:
6191 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6195 @node Article Backlog
6196 @section Article Backlog
6198 @cindex article backlog
6200 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6201 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6202 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6203 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6204 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6205 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6206 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6207 increase memory usage some.
6209 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6210 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6211 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6212 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6213 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6214 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6215 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6217 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6220 @node Saving Articles
6221 @section Saving Articles
6222 @cindex saving articles
6224 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6225 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6226 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6227 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6228 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6230 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6231 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6232 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6234 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6235 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6236 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6237 deleted before saving.
6243 @kindex O o (Summary)
6245 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6246 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6247 Save the current article using the default article saver
6248 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6251 @kindex O m (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6253 Save the current article in mail format
6254 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6257 @kindex O r (Summary)
6258 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6259 Save the current article in rmail format
6260 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6263 @kindex O f (Summary)
6264 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6265 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6266 Save the current article in plain file format
6267 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6270 @kindex O F (Summary)
6271 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6272 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6273 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6276 @kindex O b (Summary)
6277 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6278 Save the current article body in plain file format
6279 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6282 @kindex O h (Summary)
6283 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6284 Save the current article in mh folder format
6285 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6288 @kindex O v (Summary)
6289 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6290 Save the current article in a VM folder
6291 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6294 @kindex O p (Summary)
6295 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6296 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6297 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6300 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6301 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6302 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6303 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6304 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6305 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6306 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6307 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6308 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6309 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6310 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6311 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6315 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6316 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6317 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6318 functions below, or you can create your own.
6322 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6323 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6324 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6325 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6326 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6327 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6328 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6330 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6331 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6332 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6333 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6334 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6335 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6337 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6338 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6339 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6340 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6341 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6342 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6343 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6345 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6346 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6347 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6348 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6349 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6351 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6352 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6353 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6354 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6355 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6358 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6359 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6360 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6361 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6362 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6364 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6365 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6366 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6367 reader to use this setting.
6370 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6371 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6372 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6373 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6376 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6377 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6378 available functions that generate names:
6382 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6383 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6384 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6386 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6387 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6388 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6390 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6391 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6392 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6394 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6395 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6396 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6399 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6400 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6401 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6402 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6403 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6407 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6408 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6409 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6410 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6413 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6414 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6415 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6416 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6417 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6418 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6419 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6420 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6421 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6423 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6424 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6425 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6426 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6428 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6429 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6430 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6433 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6434 lots of mail groups called things like
6435 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6436 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6437 following will do just that:
6440 (defun my-save-name (group)
6441 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6442 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6444 (setq gnus-split-methods
6445 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6450 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6451 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6452 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6453 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6454 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6455 all the files in the top level directory
6456 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6457 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6458 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6459 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6461 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6462 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6463 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6464 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6465 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6468 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6472 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6473 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6476 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6477 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6478 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6479 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6482 @node Decoding Articles
6483 @section Decoding Articles
6484 @cindex decoding articles
6486 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6487 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6490 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6491 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6492 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6493 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6494 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6495 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6499 @cindex article series
6500 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6501 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6502 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6503 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6504 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6506 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6507 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6508 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6510 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
6511 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6512 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6514 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6515 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6516 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6519 @node Uuencoded Articles
6520 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6522 @cindex uuencoded articles
6527 @kindex X u (Summary)
6528 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6529 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6530 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6533 @kindex X U (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6535 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6536 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6539 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6541 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6544 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6545 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6546 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6547 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6551 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6552 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6553 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6554 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6555 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6557 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6558 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6559 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6560 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6563 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6564 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6565 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6566 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6567 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6568 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6572 @node Shell Archives
6573 @subsection Shell Archives
6575 @cindex shell archives
6576 @cindex shared articles
6578 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6579 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6580 some commands to deal with these:
6585 @kindex X s (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6587 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6590 @kindex X S (Summary)
6591 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6592 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6595 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6597 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6600 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6601 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6602 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6603 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6607 @node PostScript Files
6608 @subsection PostScript Files
6614 @kindex X p (Summary)
6615 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6616 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6619 @kindex X P (Summary)
6620 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6621 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6622 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6625 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6626 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6627 View the current PostScript series
6628 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6631 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6632 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6633 View and save the current PostScript series
6634 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6639 @subsection Other Files
6643 @kindex X o (Summary)
6644 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6645 Save the current series
6646 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6649 @kindex X b (Summary)
6650 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6651 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6652 doesn't really work yet.
6656 @node Decoding Variables
6657 @subsection Decoding Variables
6659 Adjective, not verb.
6662 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6663 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6664 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6668 @node Rule Variables
6669 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6670 @cindex rule variables
6672 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6673 variables are of the form
6676 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6683 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6684 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6686 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6687 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6690 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6691 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6694 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6695 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6696 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6697 user and default view rules.
6699 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6700 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6701 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6706 @node Other Decode Variables
6707 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6710 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6712 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6713 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6714 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6715 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6716 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6720 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6721 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6724 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6725 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6726 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6729 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6730 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6731 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6732 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6733 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6736 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6737 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6738 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6740 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6741 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6742 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6743 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6744 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6747 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6748 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6749 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6751 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6752 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6753 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6754 looking for files to display.
6756 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6757 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6758 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6761 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6762 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6763 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6766 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6767 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6768 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6771 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6772 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6773 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6776 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6777 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6778 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6779 decoded articles as unread.
6781 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6782 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6783 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6784 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6786 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6787 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6788 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6790 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6791 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6793 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6794 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6795 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6796 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6798 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6799 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6800 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6801 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6802 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6803 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6804 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6805 simply dropped them.
6810 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6811 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6815 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6816 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6817 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6818 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6819 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6820 for you when you post the article.
6822 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6823 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6824 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6825 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6827 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6828 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6829 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6830 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6831 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6832 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6833 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6835 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6836 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6837 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6838 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6839 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6840 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6841 Default is @code{t}.
6847 @subsection Viewing Files
6848 @cindex viewing files
6849 @cindex pseudo-articles
6851 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
6852 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6853 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6854 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
6855 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6856 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6857 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6859 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6860 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6861 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6862 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6864 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6865 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6866 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6868 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6869 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6870 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6871 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6872 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6874 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6875 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6876 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6877 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6878 a list of parameters to that command.
6880 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6881 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6882 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6884 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6885 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6886 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6889 @node Article Treatment
6890 @section Article Treatment
6892 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6893 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6894 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6895 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6896 these articles easier.
6899 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6900 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6901 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6902 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6903 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6904 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6905 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6906 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6910 @node Article Highlighting
6911 @subsection Article Highlighting
6912 @cindex highlighting
6914 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6915 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6920 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6921 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6922 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6923 Do much highlighting of the current article
6924 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6925 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6928 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6930 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6931 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
6932 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
6933 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
6934 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
6935 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
6936 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
6937 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
6938 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
6939 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
6942 @kindex W H c (Summary)
6943 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
6944 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
6946 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
6949 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6951 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
6952 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
6953 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
6955 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6956 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
6957 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6959 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6960 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6961 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6963 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6964 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6965 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
6966 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
6967 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
6968 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
6970 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6971 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6972 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6974 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6975 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6976 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6978 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6979 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6980 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6981 that it's a citation.
6983 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6984 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6985 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6987 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6988 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6989 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6991 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6992 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6993 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6994 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7000 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7001 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7002 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7003 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7004 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7005 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7006 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7007 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7012 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7015 @node Article Fontisizing
7016 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7018 @cindex article emphasis
7020 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7021 @kindex W e (Summary)
7022 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7023 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7024 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7025 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7027 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7028 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7029 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7030 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7031 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7032 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7033 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7034 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7038 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7039 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7040 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7049 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7050 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7051 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7052 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7053 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7054 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7055 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7056 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7057 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7058 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7059 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7060 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7061 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7063 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7064 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7065 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7069 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7072 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7074 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7075 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7076 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7077 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7079 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7082 @node Article Hiding
7083 @subsection Article Hiding
7084 @cindex article hiding
7086 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7087 too much cruft in most articles.
7092 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7093 @findex gnus-article-hide
7094 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7095 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7096 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7099 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7100 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7101 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7105 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7106 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7107 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7108 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7111 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7112 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7113 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7117 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7118 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7119 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7120 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}.
7121 These are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of
7122 all @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any
7123 leading @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping.
7127 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7128 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7129 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7130 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7135 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7136 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7137 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7138 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7139 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7140 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7141 articles that have signatures in them do:
7143 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7145 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7147 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7148 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7150 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7153 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7158 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7159 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7160 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7161 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7164 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7165 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7168 @cindex stripping advertisments
7169 @cindex advertisments
7170 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7171 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7172 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7173 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7174 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7175 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7176 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7177 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7178 signature should be removed.
7181 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7182 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7183 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7184 customizing the hiding:
7188 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7189 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7190 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7191 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7192 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7193 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7194 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7199 Starting point of the hidden text.
7201 Ending point of the hidden text.
7203 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7205 Number of lines of hidden text.
7208 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7209 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7210 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7211 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7212 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7217 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7218 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7220 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7221 following two variables:
7224 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7225 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7226 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7227 50), hide the cited text.
7229 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7230 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7231 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7236 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7237 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7238 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7239 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7240 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7241 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7245 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7246 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7247 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7249 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7250 citation customization.
7252 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7256 @node Article Washing
7257 @subsection Article Washing
7259 @cindex article washing
7261 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7262 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7264 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7265 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7271 @kindex W l (Summary)
7272 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7273 Remove page breaks from the current article
7274 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7278 @kindex W r (Summary)
7279 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7280 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7281 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7282 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7283 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7284 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7286 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7287 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7288 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7289 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7293 @kindex W t (Summary)
7295 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7296 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7297 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
7300 @kindex W v (Summary)
7301 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7302 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7303 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7306 @kindex W m (Summary)
7307 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
7308 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
7309 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
7312 @kindex W o (Summary)
7313 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7314 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7317 @kindex W d (Summary)
7318 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7319 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7321 @cindex M******** sm*rtq**t*s
7323 Treat M******** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7324 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7325 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7326 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7330 @kindex W w (Summary)
7331 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7332 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7334 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7338 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7340 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7343 @kindex W C (Summary)
7344 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7345 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7346 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7349 @kindex W c (Summary)
7350 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7351 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7352 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7353 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7354 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7357 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7358 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7359 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7360 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7361 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7362 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7363 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7367 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7368 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7369 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7370 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7371 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7374 @kindex W h (Summary)
7375 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7376 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7377 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7378 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7382 @kindex W f (Summary)
7384 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7385 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7386 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7387 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7393 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7394 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7395 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7396 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7397 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7398 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7399 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7400 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7401 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7402 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7403 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7404 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7405 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7406 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7407 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7408 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7409 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7410 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7411 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7412 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7416 @kindex W b (Summary)
7417 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7418 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7419 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7422 @kindex W B (Summary)
7423 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7424 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7425 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7428 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7429 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7430 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7431 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7434 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7435 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7436 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7437 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7440 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7442 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7443 lines with a single empty line.
7444 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7447 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7448 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7449 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7450 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7453 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7454 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7455 Do all the three commands above
7456 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7459 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7460 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7461 Remove all blank lines
7462 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7465 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7467 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7468 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7471 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7473 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7474 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7478 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7481 @node Article Buttons
7482 @subsection Article Buttons
7485 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7486 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7487 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7488 button on these references.
7490 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7491 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7492 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7497 @item gnus-button-alist
7498 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7499 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7502 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7508 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7509 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7510 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7513 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7514 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7515 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7518 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7519 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7520 avoid false matches.
7523 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7526 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7527 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7531 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7534 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7537 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7538 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7539 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7540 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7541 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7544 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7547 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7549 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7550 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7551 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7552 default values of the variables above.
7554 @item gnus-article-button-face
7555 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7556 Face used on buttons.
7558 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7559 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7560 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7564 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7568 @subsection Article Date
7570 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7571 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7572 when the article was sent.
7577 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7578 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7579 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7580 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7583 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7584 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7586 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7587 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7590 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7591 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7592 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7595 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7596 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7597 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7598 @findex format-time-string
7599 Display the date using a user-defined format
7600 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7601 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7602 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7603 for a list of possible format specs.
7606 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7607 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7608 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7609 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7610 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7611 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7614 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7617 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7618 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7621 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7622 into wonderful absurdities.
7624 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7627 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7630 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7631 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7635 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7636 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7637 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7638 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7639 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7640 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7641 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7645 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7646 preferred format automatically.
7649 @node Article Signature
7650 @subsection Article Signature
7652 @cindex article signature
7654 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7655 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7656 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7657 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7658 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7659 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7660 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7661 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7662 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7665 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7666 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7667 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7668 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7669 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7670 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7671 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7672 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7675 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7678 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7679 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7680 signature when displaying articles.
7684 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7687 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7690 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7691 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7693 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7694 in question is not a signature.
7697 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7698 listed above. Here's an example:
7701 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7702 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7705 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7706 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7707 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7708 signature after all.
7711 @node Article Miscellania
7712 @subsection Article Miscellania
7716 @kindex A t (Summary)
7717 @findex gnus-article-babel
7718 Translate the article from one language to another
7719 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7725 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7726 @cindex MIME decoding
7728 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7729 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7735 @kindex K v (Summary)
7736 View the @sc{mime} part.
7739 @kindex K o (Summary)
7740 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7743 @kindex K c (Summary)
7744 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7747 @kindex K e (Summary)
7748 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7751 @kindex K i (Summary)
7752 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7755 @kindex K | (Summary)
7756 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7759 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7764 @kindex K b (Summary)
7765 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7766 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7770 @kindex K m (Summary)
7771 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7772 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7773 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7774 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7775 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7778 @kindex X m (Summary)
7779 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7780 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7781 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7782 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7785 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7786 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7787 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7788 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7791 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7792 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7793 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7796 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7797 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7798 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7800 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7801 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7802 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7803 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7804 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7805 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7808 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7809 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7810 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7817 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7818 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7819 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7820 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7823 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7826 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7830 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7831 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7832 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7833 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7834 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7836 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7837 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7838 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7839 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7840 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7841 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7842 save all jpegs into some directory).
7844 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7847 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7848 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7850 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7851 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7852 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7853 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7854 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7857 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7858 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7859 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7868 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7869 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7870 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7871 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7872 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7873 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7874 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7876 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7877 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7878 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7879 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7881 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7882 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7883 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7884 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7885 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7886 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7887 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7888 something some agents insist on having in there.
7890 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7891 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7892 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7893 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7894 quoted-printable header encoding.
7896 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7897 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7898 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7902 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7905 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7906 means encode all charsets),
7908 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7909 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7910 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7917 @cindex coding system aliases
7918 @cindex preferred charset
7920 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
7922 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
7923 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
7926 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
7927 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
7930 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
7931 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
7933 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
7936 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
7939 This will almost do the right thing.
7941 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
7945 (codepage-setup 1251)
7946 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
7950 @node Article Commands
7951 @section Article Commands
7958 @kindex A P (Summary)
7959 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
7960 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
7961 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
7962 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
7963 run just before printing the buffer.
7968 @node Summary Sorting
7969 @section Summary Sorting
7970 @cindex summary sorting
7972 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
7973 can't really see why you'd want that.
7978 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
7979 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
7980 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
7983 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
7984 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
7985 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
7988 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
7989 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
7990 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
7993 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
7994 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
7995 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
7998 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
7999 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8000 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8003 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8004 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8005 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8008 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8009 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8010 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8013 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8014 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8015 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8016 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8017 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8021 @node Finding the Parent
8022 @section Finding the Parent
8023 @cindex parent articles
8024 @cindex referring articles
8029 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8030 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8031 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8032 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8033 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8034 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8035 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8036 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8037 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8039 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8040 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8041 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8042 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8043 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8047 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8048 @kindex A R (Summary)
8049 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8050 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8053 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8054 @kindex A T (Summary)
8055 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8056 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8057 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8058 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8059 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8060 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8061 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8063 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8064 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8065 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8066 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8067 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8068 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8071 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8072 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8074 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8075 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8076 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8077 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8078 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8079 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8080 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8083 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8084 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8085 by giving this command a prefix.
8087 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8088 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8089 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8090 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8091 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8092 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8095 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8096 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8097 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8100 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8101 then ask Deja if that fails:
8104 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8106 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8109 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8110 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8111 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8112 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8113 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8114 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8117 @node Alternative Approaches
8118 @section Alternative Approaches
8120 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8121 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8124 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8125 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8130 @subsection Pick and Read
8131 @cindex pick and read
8133 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8134 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8135 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8136 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8138 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8139 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8140 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8141 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8142 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8143 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8145 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8150 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8151 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8152 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8153 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8154 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8155 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8156 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8157 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8160 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8161 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8162 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8163 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8167 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8168 Unpick the thread or article
8169 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8170 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8171 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8172 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8173 the thread or article at that line.
8177 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8178 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8179 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8180 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8181 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8182 will still be visible when you are reading.
8186 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8187 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8188 which is mapped to the same function
8189 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8191 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8194 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8197 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8198 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8200 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8201 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8202 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8204 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8205 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8206 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8207 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8208 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8209 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8210 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8214 @subsection Binary Groups
8215 @cindex binary groups
8217 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8218 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8219 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8220 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8221 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8222 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8223 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8226 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8227 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8228 command, when you have turned on this mode
8229 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8231 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8232 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8236 @section Tree Display
8239 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8240 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
8241 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8242 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8245 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8248 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8249 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8250 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8252 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8253 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8254 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8255 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8256 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8258 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8259 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8260 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8261 default is @code{modeline}.
8263 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8264 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8265 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8266 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8267 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8268 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8269 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8275 The name of the poster.
8277 The @code{From} header.
8279 The number of the article.
8281 The opening bracket.
8283 The closing bracket.
8288 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8290 Variables related to the display are:
8293 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8294 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8295 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8296 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8297 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8298 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8300 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8301 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8302 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8303 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8307 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8308 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8309 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
8310 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
8311 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8312 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8313 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8314 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8315 other windows displayed next to it.
8317 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8318 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8319 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8320 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8321 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8322 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8323 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8327 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8330 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8340 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8344 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8345 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8347 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8349 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8354 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8355 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8356 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8359 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8360 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8361 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8362 (gnus-add-configuration
8366 (summary 0.75 point)
8371 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8374 @node Mail Group Commands
8375 @section Mail Group Commands
8376 @cindex mail group commands
8378 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8379 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8381 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8382 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8387 @kindex B e (Summary)
8388 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8389 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8390 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8393 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8394 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8395 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8396 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8397 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8398 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8401 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8402 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8403 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8404 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8405 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8406 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8409 @kindex B m (Summary)
8411 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8412 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8413 Move the article from one mail group to another
8414 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8415 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8418 @kindex B c (Summary)
8420 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8421 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8422 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8423 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8424 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8427 @kindex B B (Summary)
8428 @cindex crosspost mail
8429 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8430 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8431 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8432 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8433 be properly updated.
8436 @kindex B i (Summary)
8437 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8438 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8439 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8440 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8443 @kindex B r (Summary)
8444 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8445 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8446 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8447 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8448 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8449 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8450 (which is the default).
8454 @kindex B w (Summary)
8456 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8457 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8458 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8459 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8460 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8461 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8464 @kindex B q (Summary)
8465 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8466 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8467 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8468 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8471 @kindex B t (Summary)
8472 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8473 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8474 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8477 @kindex B p (Summary)
8478 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8479 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8480 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8481 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8482 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8483 article from your news server (or rather, from
8484 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8485 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8486 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8487 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8488 just not have arrived yet.
8492 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8493 @cindex moving articles
8494 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
8495 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8496 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8497 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8498 suggestions you find reasonable.
8501 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8502 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8503 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8504 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8508 @node Various Summary Stuff
8509 @section Various Summary Stuff
8512 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8513 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8514 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8515 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8519 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8520 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8521 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8523 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8524 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8525 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8526 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8527 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8528 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8531 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8532 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8533 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8534 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8535 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8537 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8538 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8539 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8542 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8543 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8544 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8545 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8546 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8547 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8548 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
8549 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8550 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8551 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8553 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8554 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8555 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8556 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8557 list of articles to be selected.
8559 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8560 the list in one particular group:
8563 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8564 (if (string= group "some.group")
8565 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8572 @node Summary Group Information
8573 @subsection Summary Group Information
8578 @kindex H f (Summary)
8579 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8580 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8581 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8582 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8583 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8584 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8585 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8586 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8587 be used for fetching the file.
8590 @kindex H d (Summary)
8591 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8592 Give a brief description of the current group
8593 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8594 rereading the description from the server.
8597 @kindex H h (Summary)
8598 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8599 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8600 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8603 @kindex H i (Summary)
8604 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8605 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8609 @node Searching for Articles
8610 @subsection Searching for Articles
8615 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8616 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8617 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8618 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8621 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8622 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8623 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8624 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8628 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8629 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8630 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8631 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8632 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8633 search backward instead.
8635 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8636 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8639 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8641 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8642 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8645 @node Summary Generation Commands
8646 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8651 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8652 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8653 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8656 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8657 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8658 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8659 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8664 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8665 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8671 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8672 @kindex A D (Summary)
8673 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8674 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8675 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8676 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8677 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8678 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8679 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8680 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8684 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8686 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8687 several documents into one biiig group
8688 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8689 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8690 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8691 command understands the process/prefix convention
8692 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8695 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8696 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8697 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8698 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8699 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8700 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8704 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8705 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8706 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8709 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8710 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8711 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8712 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8715 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8716 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8717 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8718 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8723 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8724 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8725 @cindex summary exit
8726 @cindex exiting groups
8728 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8729 group and return you to the group buffer.
8735 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8737 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8738 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8739 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8740 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8741 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8742 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8743 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8744 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8745 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8746 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8747 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8751 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8753 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8754 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8755 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8759 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8761 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8762 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8763 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8764 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8767 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8768 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8769 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8770 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8773 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8774 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8775 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8776 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8779 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8780 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8781 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8782 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8783 all articles, both read and unread.
8787 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8788 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8789 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8790 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8791 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8792 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8793 articles, both read and unread.
8796 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8797 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8798 Exit the group and go to the next group
8799 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8802 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8803 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8804 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8805 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8808 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8809 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8810 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8811 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8812 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8813 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8816 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8817 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8818 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8819 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8821 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8822 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8823 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8824 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8825 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8826 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8827 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8828 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8829 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8830 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8831 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8832 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8834 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8836 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8837 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8838 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8839 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8840 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8841 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8842 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8843 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8844 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8847 @node Crosspost Handling
8848 @section Crosspost Handling
8852 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8853 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8854 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8855 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8856 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8857 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8860 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8861 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8862 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8863 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8864 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8866 @cindex cross-posting
8869 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8870 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8871 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8872 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8873 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8874 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8875 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8876 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8877 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8878 the cross reference mechanism.
8880 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8881 @cindex overview.fmt
8882 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8883 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8884 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8885 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8886 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8887 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8890 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8891 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8892 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8897 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8900 @node Duplicate Suppression
8901 @section Duplicate Suppression
8903 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8904 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8905 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8906 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8911 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8912 is evil and not very common.
8915 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8916 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
8919 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
8920 different @sc{nntp} servers.
8923 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
8926 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
8927 well, but these four are the most common situations.
8929 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
8930 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
8931 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
8932 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
8933 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
8934 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
8935 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
8938 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
8939 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
8940 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
8941 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
8942 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
8946 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
8947 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
8948 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
8950 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
8951 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
8952 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
8953 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
8954 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
8955 session are suppressed.
8957 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
8958 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
8959 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
8960 suppression list. The default is 10000.
8962 @item gnus-duplicate-file
8963 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
8964 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
8965 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
8968 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
8969 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
8970 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
8971 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
8972 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
8973 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
8974 to you to figure out, I think.
8977 @node The Article Buffer
8978 @chapter The Article Buffer
8979 @cindex article buffer
8981 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
8982 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
8983 tell gnus otherwise.
8986 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
8987 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
8988 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
8989 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
8990 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
8994 @node Hiding Headers
8995 @section Hiding Headers
8996 @cindex hiding headers
8997 @cindex deleting headers
8999 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9000 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9002 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9003 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9004 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9005 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9006 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9007 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9008 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9009 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9010 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9012 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9016 @item gnus-visible-headers
9017 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9018 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9019 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9020 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9022 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9023 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9026 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9029 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9032 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9033 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9034 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9035 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9036 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9037 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9039 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
9040 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
9043 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9046 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9049 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9050 variable will have no effect.
9054 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9055 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9056 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9057 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9058 the headers are to be displayed.
9060 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9061 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9064 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9067 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9068 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9070 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9071 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9072 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9073 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9074 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9075 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9076 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9079 These conditions are:
9082 Remove all empty headers.
9084 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9085 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9087 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9090 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9093 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9096 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9098 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9101 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9104 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9105 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9108 This is also the default value for this variable.
9112 @section Using @sc{mime}
9115 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9116 while people stand around yawning.
9118 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9119 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9121 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9122 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9123 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9125 @vindex gnus-show-mime
9126 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
9127 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
9128 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
9129 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
9130 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
9131 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
9132 calls the SEMI MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
9133 information on SEMI MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is not
9134 existed yet, sorry).
9136 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
9137 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
9138 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
9139 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
9140 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
9141 buffer. These can't be avoided.
9143 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
9144 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
9145 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
9146 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
9147 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
9148 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
9149 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
9150 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
9151 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
9154 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9156 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
9157 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
9158 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
9159 buffer when there are nobody else.
9161 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9164 @node Customizing Articles
9165 @section Customizing Articles
9166 @cindex article customization
9168 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9169 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9170 called automatically when you select the articles.
9172 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9173 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9174 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9175 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9177 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9178 for sensible values.
9182 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9185 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9188 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9191 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9194 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9198 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9199 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9200 regexps in the list.
9203 A list where the first element is not a string:
9205 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9206 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9207 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9211 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9215 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
9220 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9221 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9222 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9223 considered to contain just a single part.
9225 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9226 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9227 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9228 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9229 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9230 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9231 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9233 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9234 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9235 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9236 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9239 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9240 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9241 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9242 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9243 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9244 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9245 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9246 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9247 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9248 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9249 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9250 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9251 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9252 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9253 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9254 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9255 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9256 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9257 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9258 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9259 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9260 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9261 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9262 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9263 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9264 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9265 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9266 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9267 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9268 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9269 @item gnus-treat-translate
9270 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset
9273 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9274 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9275 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9276 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9277 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9281 @node Article Keymap
9282 @section Article Keymap
9284 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9285 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9286 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9287 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9290 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9295 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9296 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9297 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9300 @kindex DEL (Article)
9301 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9302 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9305 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9306 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9307 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9308 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9309 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9312 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9313 @findex gnus-article-mail
9314 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9315 given a prefix, include the mail.
9319 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9320 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9321 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9325 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9326 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9327 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9330 @kindex TAB (Article)
9331 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9332 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9333 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9336 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9337 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9338 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9344 @section Misc Article
9348 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9349 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9350 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9351 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9354 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9355 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9357 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9358 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9360 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9361 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9362 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9363 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9364 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9365 the contents of the article buffer.
9367 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9368 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9369 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9371 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9372 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9373 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9374 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9376 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9377 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9378 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9379 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9380 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9385 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9386 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9389 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9392 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9394 @item gnus-break-pages
9395 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9396 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9397 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9398 paging will not be done.
9400 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9401 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9402 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9407 @node Composing Messages
9408 @chapter Composing Messages
9409 @cindex composing messages
9412 @cindex sending mail
9417 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9418 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9419 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9420 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9421 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9422 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9425 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9426 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9427 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9428 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9429 * Archived Messages:: Where gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9430 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9431 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9432 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9435 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9436 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9442 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9445 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9446 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9447 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9448 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9450 @item gnus-add-to-list
9451 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9452 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9453 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9455 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
9456 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
9457 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial.
9458 The lower bound of message size in characters, beyond which the message
9459 should be sent in several parts. If it is nil, the size is unlimited.
9467 Variables for composing news articles:
9470 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9471 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9472 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9473 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9474 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9475 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9476 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9477 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9478 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want gnus to keep a history
9481 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9482 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9483 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9484 file. It is 1000 by default.
9489 @node Posting Server
9490 @section Posting Server
9492 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9493 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9495 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9497 @vindex gnus-post-method
9499 It can be quite complicated. Normally, gnus will use the same native
9500 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9501 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9502 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9503 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9506 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9509 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9510 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9511 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9512 the ``current'' server for posting.
9514 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9515 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9517 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9518 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9521 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9522 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9523 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9528 @section Mail and Post
9530 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9534 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9535 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9536 @cindex mailing lists
9538 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9539 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9540 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9541 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9542 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9543 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9544 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9545 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9546 still a pain, though.
9550 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9551 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9552 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9555 @findex ispell-message
9557 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9560 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9561 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9564 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9567 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9568 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9570 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9573 Modify to suit your needs.
9576 @node Archived Messages
9577 @section Archived Messages
9578 @cindex archived messages
9579 @cindex sent messages
9581 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9582 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9583 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9584 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9587 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9588 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
9589 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9593 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9594 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9595 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9596 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9599 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9600 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9601 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9602 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9605 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9606 '(nnfolder "archive"
9607 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9608 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9609 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9612 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9614 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9615 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9616 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9618 This variable can be used to do the following:
9622 Messages will be saved in that group.
9623 @item a list of strings
9624 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9625 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9626 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9628 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9633 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9635 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9638 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9640 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9643 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9645 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9646 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9647 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9648 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9653 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9654 '((if (message-news-p)
9659 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9660 messages in one file per month:
9663 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9664 '((if (message-news-p)
9666 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9669 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9670 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9672 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9673 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9674 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9675 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9676 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9677 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9678 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9679 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9680 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9681 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9683 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9684 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9685 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9686 this will disable archiving.
9689 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9690 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9691 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9692 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9693 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9696 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9697 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9698 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9701 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9702 but the latter is the preferred method.
9706 @node Posting Styles
9707 @section Posting Styles
9708 @cindex posting styles
9711 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9713 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9714 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9715 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9718 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9719 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9720 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9721 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9722 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9727 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9728 (organization "What me?"))
9730 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9731 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9732 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9735 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9736 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9737 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9738 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9739 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9740 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9741 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9742 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9744 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9745 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9746 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9747 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9748 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9749 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9750 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9751 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9754 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9755 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9756 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9757 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9758 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9759 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9760 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9761 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9762 result is thrown away.
9764 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9765 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9766 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9767 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9768 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9769 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9771 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9772 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9773 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9775 @findex message-mail-p
9776 @findex message-news-p
9778 So here's a new example:
9781 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9783 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9785 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9786 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9788 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9789 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9790 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9792 (signature my-news-signature))
9793 (header "From.*To" "larsi.*org"
9794 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9795 ((posting-from-work-p)
9796 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9797 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9798 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9799 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9801 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9809 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9810 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9811 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9812 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9813 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9815 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9816 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9817 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9818 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9819 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9823 @vindex nndraft-directory
9824 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9825 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9826 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9827 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9828 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9829 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9831 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9832 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9835 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9836 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9837 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9838 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9839 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9840 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9841 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
9842 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
9843 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
9844 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
9845 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
9846 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
9847 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
9848 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
9850 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
9851 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
9852 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
9854 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
9856 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
9857 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
9858 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
9860 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
9863 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
9864 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
9865 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
9866 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
9867 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
9868 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
9869 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
9872 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
9873 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
9874 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
9877 @node Rejected Articles
9878 @section Rejected Articles
9879 @cindex rejected articles
9881 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
9882 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
9883 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
9884 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
9886 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
9887 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
9888 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
9889 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
9890 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
9892 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
9893 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
9894 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
9897 @node Select Methods
9898 @chapter Select Methods
9899 @cindex foreign groups
9900 @cindex select methods
9902 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
9903 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
9904 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
9905 personal mail group.
9907 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
9908 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
9909 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
9910 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
9911 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
9912 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
9914 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
9915 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
9917 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
9920 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
9921 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
9922 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
9923 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
9924 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
9926 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
9929 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
9930 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
9931 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
9932 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
9933 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
9934 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
9935 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
9939 @node The Server Buffer
9940 @section The Server Buffer
9942 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
9943 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
9944 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
9945 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
9946 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
9947 backend represents a virtual server.
9949 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
9950 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
9951 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
9952 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
9954 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
9955 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
9956 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
9957 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
9958 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
9959 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
9960 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
9962 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
9963 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
9966 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
9967 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
9968 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
9969 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
9970 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
9971 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
9972 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
9975 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
9976 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
9979 @node Server Buffer Format
9980 @subsection Server Buffer Format
9981 @cindex server buffer format
9983 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
9984 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
9985 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
9986 variable, with some simple extensions:
9991 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
9994 The name of this server.
9997 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10000 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10003 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10004 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10005 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10006 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10016 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10019 @node Server Commands
10020 @subsection Server Commands
10021 @cindex server commands
10027 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10028 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10032 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10033 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10036 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10037 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10038 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10042 @findex gnus-server-exit
10043 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10047 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10048 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10052 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10053 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10057 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10058 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10062 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10063 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10067 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10068 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10069 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10074 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10075 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10076 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10077 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
10082 @node Example Methods
10083 @subsection Example Methods
10085 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10088 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10091 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10097 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10098 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10101 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10102 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10104 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10105 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10109 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10112 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10113 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10115 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10116 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10117 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10121 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10124 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10127 Here's the method for a public spool:
10131 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10132 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10138 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10139 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10140 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10141 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10142 should probably look something like this:
10146 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10147 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10148 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10149 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10150 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10153 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10154 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10155 server that would look something like this:
10159 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10160 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10161 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10162 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10163 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10164 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10167 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10168 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10169 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10170 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10173 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10174 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10176 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10177 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10179 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10180 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10181 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10183 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10185 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10186 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10187 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10188 will contain the following:
10198 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10199 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10200 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10203 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10204 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10205 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10208 @node Server Variables
10209 @subsection Server Variables
10211 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10212 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10213 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10214 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10215 won't change the "derived" variables.
10217 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10218 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10219 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10220 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10221 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10222 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10223 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10224 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10225 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10229 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10230 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10231 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10235 @node Servers and Methods
10236 @subsection Servers and Methods
10238 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10239 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10240 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10241 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10245 @node Unavailable Servers
10246 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10248 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10249 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10250 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10251 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10252 actually the case or not.
10254 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10255 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10256 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10257 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10258 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10259 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10260 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10261 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10263 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10264 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10266 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10267 with the following commands:
10273 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10274 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10275 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10279 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10280 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10281 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10285 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10286 Mark the current server as unreachable
10287 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10290 @kindex M-o (Server)
10291 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10292 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10293 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10296 @kindex M-c (Server)
10297 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10298 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10299 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10303 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10304 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10305 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10311 @section Getting News
10312 @cindex reading news
10313 @cindex news backends
10315 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10316 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10317 or it can read from a local spool.
10320 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10321 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10326 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10329 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10330 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10331 server as the, uhm, address.
10333 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10334 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10335 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10336 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10338 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10339 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10340 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10342 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10347 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10348 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10349 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10351 @cindex authentification
10352 @cindex nntp authentification
10353 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10354 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10355 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10356 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10357 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10358 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10359 present in this hook.
10361 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10362 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10363 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10364 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10365 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10366 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10367 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10368 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10369 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10370 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10371 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10372 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10376 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10379 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs. The
10380 valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10381 @samp{default}, @samp{port} and @samp{force}. (The latter is not a
10382 valid @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} token, which is almost the only way the
10383 @file{.authinfo} file format deviates from the @file{.netrc} file
10388 Here's an example file:
10391 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10392 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10395 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10396 have to be first, for instance.
10398 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10399 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10400 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10401 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10402 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10403 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10404 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10406 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10407 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10413 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10414 previously mentioned.
10416 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10418 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10419 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10420 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10421 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10422 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10425 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10426 '(("innd" (ding))))
10429 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10431 The default value is
10434 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10435 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10438 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10439 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10441 @item nntp-maximum-request
10442 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10443 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10444 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10445 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10446 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10447 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10448 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10450 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10451 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10452 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10453 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10454 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10455 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10456 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10457 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10458 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10459 no timeouts are done.
10461 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10462 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10463 @c @cindex PPP connections
10464 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10465 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10466 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10467 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10468 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10469 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10470 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10471 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10472 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10473 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10475 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10476 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10477 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10478 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10479 @c described above.
10481 @item nntp-server-hook
10482 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10483 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10486 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10487 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10488 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10489 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10490 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10491 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10492 functions are supplied:
10495 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10496 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10499 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10500 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10501 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10504 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10508 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10509 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10510 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10511 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10513 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10514 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10515 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10517 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10518 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10519 User name on the remote system.
10523 @item nntp-open-telnet
10524 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10525 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10527 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10530 @item nntp-telnet-command
10531 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10532 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10534 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10535 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10536 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10538 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10539 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10540 User name for log in on the remote system.
10542 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10543 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10544 Password to use when logging in.
10546 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10547 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10548 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10551 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10552 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10553 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10554 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10556 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10557 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10558 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10559 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10560 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10564 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10565 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10566 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10567 you must have SSLay installed
10568 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10569 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10570 define a server as follows:
10573 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10575 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10577 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10578 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10579 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10580 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10585 @item nntp-end-of-line
10586 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10587 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10588 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10589 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10591 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10592 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10593 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10597 @vindex nntp-address
10598 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10600 @item nntp-port-number
10601 @vindex nntp-port-number
10602 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10605 @item nntp-buggy-select
10606 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10607 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10609 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10610 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10611 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10612 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10615 @item nntp-xover-commands
10616 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10619 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10620 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10624 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10625 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10626 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10627 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10628 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10629 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10630 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10631 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10632 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10633 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10634 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10636 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10637 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10638 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10640 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10641 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10642 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10643 server closes connection.
10645 @item nntp-record-commands
10646 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10647 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10648 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10649 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10650 that doesn't seem to work.
10656 @subsection News Spool
10660 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10661 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10662 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10665 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10666 anything else) as the address.
10668 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10669 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10670 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10671 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10675 @item nnspool-inews-program
10676 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10677 Program used to post an article.
10679 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10680 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10681 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10683 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10684 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10685 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10686 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10688 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10689 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10690 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10691 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10693 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10694 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10695 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10697 @item nnspool-active-file
10698 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10699 The path to the active file.
10701 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10702 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10703 The path to the group descriptions file.
10705 @item nnspool-history-file
10706 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10707 The path to the news history file.
10709 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10710 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10711 The path to the active date file.
10713 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10714 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10715 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10718 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10719 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10721 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10722 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10723 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10729 @section Getting Mail
10730 @cindex reading mail
10733 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10737 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10738 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10739 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10740 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10741 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10742 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10743 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10744 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10745 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10746 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10747 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10748 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10749 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10753 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10754 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10756 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10757 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10758 of a culture shock.
10760 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10761 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10763 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10764 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10765 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10766 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10768 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10770 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10771 deleted? How awful!
10773 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10774 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10775 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10776 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10779 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10780 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10781 they want to treat a message.
10783 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10784 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10785 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10786 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10787 archived somewhere else.
10789 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10790 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10791 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10792 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10793 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10795 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10796 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10797 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
10799 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
10800 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
10803 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
10804 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
10805 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
10806 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
10807 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
10809 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
10810 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
10811 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
10812 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
10813 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
10814 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
10818 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
10819 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
10821 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
10822 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
10823 and things will happen automatically.
10825 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
10826 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
10829 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
10830 '((nnml "private")))
10833 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
10834 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
10835 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
10836 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
10837 like any other group.
10839 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
10842 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10843 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10844 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10848 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
10849 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
10850 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
10853 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
10854 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
10855 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
10858 @node Splitting Mail
10859 @subsection Splitting Mail
10860 @cindex splitting mail
10861 @cindex mail splitting
10863 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
10864 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
10865 to be split into groups.
10868 (setq nnmail-split-methods
10869 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
10870 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
10871 ("mail.other" "")))
10874 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
10875 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
10876 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
10877 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
10878 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
10879 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
10880 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
10883 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
10886 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
10887 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
10888 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
10889 mail belongs in that group.
10891 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
10892 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
10893 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
10894 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
10895 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
10896 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
10898 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
10899 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
10900 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
10901 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
10902 thinks should carry this mail message.
10904 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
10905 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
10906 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
10907 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
10909 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
10910 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
10911 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
10912 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
10913 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
10915 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
10918 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
10919 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
10920 links. If that's the case for you, set
10921 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
10922 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
10924 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
10925 @kindex nnmail-split-history
10926 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
10927 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
10928 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
10929 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
10932 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
10933 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
10934 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
10935 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
10936 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
10937 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
10938 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
10939 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
10940 month's rent money.
10944 @subsection Mail Sources
10946 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
10947 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
10951 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
10952 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
10953 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
10957 @node Mail Source Specifiers
10958 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
10960 @cindex mail server
10963 @cindex mail source
10965 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
10966 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
10971 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
10974 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
10975 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
10976 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
10979 The following mail source types are available:
10983 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
10989 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
10990 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
10993 An example file mail source:
10996 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
10999 Or using the default path:
11005 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11006 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11007 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11010 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11014 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11017 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11021 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11024 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11026 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11029 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11033 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11034 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11035 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11036 scan the mail source only once.
11042 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11046 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11050 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11051 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11052 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11053 predicate are considered.
11057 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11061 An example directory mail source:
11064 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11069 Get mail from a POP server.
11075 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11076 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11079 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11080 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11081 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11082 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}.
11085 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11089 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11093 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11094 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11097 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11100 The valid format specifier characters are:
11104 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11105 included in this string.
11108 The name of the server.
11111 The port number of the server.
11114 The user name to use.
11117 The password to use.
11120 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11121 corresponding keywords.
11124 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11125 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11128 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11129 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11132 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11133 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11136 @item :authentication
11137 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11138 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11143 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11144 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11146 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11147 default user name, and default fetcher:
11153 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11156 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11157 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11160 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11163 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11167 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11168 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11169 contains exactly one mail.
11175 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11176 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11179 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11180 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11182 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11183 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11184 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11187 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11188 from locking problems).
11192 Two example maildir mail sources:
11195 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11199 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11203 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11204 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11205 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11206 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11212 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11213 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11216 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11217 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11220 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11224 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11228 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11229 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11230 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11232 @item :authentication
11233 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11234 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11235 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11239 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11240 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11243 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11244 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11245 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11246 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11247 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11248 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11251 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{Deleted}
11252 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{Seen} which
11253 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11254 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11257 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11258 after finishing the fetch.
11262 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11265 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11269 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11270 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11272 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11275 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11276 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11278 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11284 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11285 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11288 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11292 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11296 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11297 folder after finishing the fetch.
11301 An example webmail source:
11304 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11309 @item Common Keywords
11310 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11316 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11317 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11321 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11326 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11327 useful when you use local mail and news.
11332 @node Mail Source Customization
11333 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11335 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11336 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11340 @item mail-source-crash-box
11341 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11342 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11343 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11345 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11346 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11347 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11349 @item mail-source-directory
11350 @vindex mail-source-directory
11351 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11352 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11353 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11356 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11357 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11358 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11363 @node Fetching Mail
11364 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11366 @vindex mail-sources
11367 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11368 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11369 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11370 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11372 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11373 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11376 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11377 mail server, you'd say something like:
11382 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11383 :password "secret")))
11386 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11390 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11391 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11394 :password "secret")))
11398 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11399 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11400 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11401 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11402 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11403 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11407 @node Mail Backend Variables
11408 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11410 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11414 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11415 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11416 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11417 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11419 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11420 @item nnmail-split-hook
11421 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11422 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11423 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11424 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11425 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11426 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11427 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11428 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11429 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11432 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11433 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11434 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11435 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11436 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11437 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11438 starting to handle the new mail) and
11439 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11440 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11441 default file modes the new mail files get:
11444 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11445 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11447 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11448 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11451 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11452 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11453 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11454 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11455 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11456 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11457 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11459 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11460 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11461 @findex delete-file
11462 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11464 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11465 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11466 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11467 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11468 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11473 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11474 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11475 @cindex mail splitting
11476 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11478 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11479 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11480 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11481 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11482 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11483 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11485 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11488 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11489 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11490 ;; from real errors.
11491 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11493 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11494 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11495 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11496 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11497 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11498 ;; Other mailing lists...
11499 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11500 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11501 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11502 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11503 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11504 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11505 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11506 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11508 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11509 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11513 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11514 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11515 the five possible split syntaxes:
11520 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11521 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11525 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11526 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11527 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11528 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11529 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11530 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11531 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11532 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11535 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11536 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11537 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11538 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11541 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11542 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11545 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11546 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11549 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11550 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11551 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11552 function should return a @var{split}.
11555 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11556 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11557 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11561 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11565 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11566 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11567 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11568 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11569 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11571 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11572 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11573 are expanded as specified by the variable
11574 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11575 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11578 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11579 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11580 when all this splitting is performed.
11582 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11583 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11584 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11587 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11590 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11591 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11593 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11594 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11595 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11596 groupings 1 through 9.
11599 @node Group Mail Splitting
11600 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11601 @cindex mail splitting
11602 @cindex group mail splitting
11604 @findex gnus-group-split
11605 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11606 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11607 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11608 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11609 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11610 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11611 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11612 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11614 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11615 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11616 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11617 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11619 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11620 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11621 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11622 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11623 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11624 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11625 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11627 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11628 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11629 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11630 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11631 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11632 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11633 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11635 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11636 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11637 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11638 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11639 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11640 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11641 that group is used as the catch-all group. Note that, in this case,
11642 there's no cross-posting, as a @code{|} fancy split encloses the
11643 @code{&} split and the catch-all group.
11645 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11650 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11651 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11653 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11654 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11655 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11656 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11658 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11661 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11662 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11663 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11666 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11667 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11668 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11672 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11673 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11674 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11678 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11681 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11682 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11683 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11684 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} may be the name
11685 of a group to be used as the default catch-all group. If
11686 @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11687 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11688 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11689 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11691 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11692 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11693 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11694 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11695 used to select @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11696 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11697 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11698 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11699 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11701 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11702 However, if you change group parameters, you have to update
11703 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11704 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11705 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11706 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11709 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11712 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11713 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11714 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11715 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional),
11716 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
11719 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
11720 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
11721 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
11722 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
11724 @node Incorporating Old Mail
11725 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
11727 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
11728 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
11729 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
11732 Doing so can be quite easy.
11734 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
11735 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
11736 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
11737 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
11738 your @code{nnml} groups.
11744 Go to the group buffer.
11747 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
11748 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11751 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
11754 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
11755 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11758 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
11759 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
11762 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
11763 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
11764 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
11765 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
11766 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
11768 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
11769 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
11770 using the new mail backend.
11773 @node Expiring Mail
11774 @subsection Expiring Mail
11775 @cindex article expiry
11777 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
11778 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
11779 different approach to mail reading.
11781 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
11782 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
11783 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
11784 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
11785 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
11786 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
11789 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
11790 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
11791 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
11792 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
11793 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
11794 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
11795 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
11796 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
11798 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11799 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
11800 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
11801 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
11802 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
11803 column in the summary buffer.
11805 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
11806 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
11807 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
11808 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
11811 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
11813 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
11814 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
11815 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
11818 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
11819 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
11820 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
11821 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
11822 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
11824 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
11825 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
11828 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
11829 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
11832 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
11833 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
11835 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
11836 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
11837 don't really mix very well.
11839 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
11840 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
11841 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
11842 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
11845 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
11846 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
11847 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
11848 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
11851 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11853 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
11855 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
11857 ((string= group "mail.junk")
11859 ((string= group "important")
11865 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
11866 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
11868 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
11869 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
11870 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
11873 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
11874 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
11876 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
11877 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
11878 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
11879 other groups instead of deleting them. The @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
11880 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
11881 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
11882 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
11883 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
11884 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
11885 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
11888 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
11889 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
11890 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
11891 easier for procmail users.
11893 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
11894 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
11895 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
11896 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
11897 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
11898 caution. Even more dangerous is the
11899 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
11900 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
11901 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
11902 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
11903 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
11904 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
11905 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
11908 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
11910 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
11911 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
11912 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
11913 auto-expire turned on.
11917 @subsection Washing Mail
11918 @cindex mail washing
11919 @cindex list server brain damage
11920 @cindex incoming mail treatment
11922 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
11923 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
11924 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
11925 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
11926 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
11927 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
11929 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
11930 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
11931 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
11934 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
11935 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
11936 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
11937 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
11940 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11941 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
11942 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
11943 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
11944 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
11947 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11948 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
11949 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
11950 Emacs running on MS machines.
11954 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11955 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
11956 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
11957 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
11960 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11961 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
11962 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
11963 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
11965 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11966 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
11967 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
11968 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
11969 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
11970 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
11971 also be a list of regexp.
11973 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
11974 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
11977 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
11978 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
11981 This can also be done non-destructively with
11982 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
11984 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
11985 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
11986 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
11988 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11989 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
11991 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
11992 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
11993 @code{References} headers.
11997 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11998 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
11999 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12003 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12004 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12005 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12012 @subsection Duplicates
12014 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12015 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12016 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12017 @cindex duplicate mails
12018 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12019 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12020 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12021 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12022 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12023 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12024 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12025 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12026 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12027 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12028 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12029 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12030 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12032 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12033 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12034 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12035 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12037 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12040 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12041 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12045 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12046 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12047 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12048 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12049 (any mail "mail.misc")
12056 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12057 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12062 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12063 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12064 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12065 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12066 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12069 @node Not Reading Mail
12070 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12072 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12073 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12074 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12076 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12077 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12078 mail, which should help.
12080 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12081 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12082 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12083 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12084 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12085 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12086 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12087 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12088 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12089 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12090 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12092 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12093 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12097 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12098 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12100 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12101 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12102 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12104 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12105 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12106 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12107 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12110 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12111 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12112 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12113 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12114 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12115 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12119 @node Unix Mail Box
12120 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12122 @cindex unix mail box
12124 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12125 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12126 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12127 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12128 which group it belongs in.
12130 Virtual server settings:
12133 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12134 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12135 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12137 @item nnmbox-active-file
12138 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12139 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12141 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12142 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12143 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12149 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12153 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12154 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12155 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12156 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12157 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12159 Virtual server settings:
12162 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12163 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12164 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12166 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12167 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12168 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12170 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12171 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12172 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12177 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12179 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12181 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12182 format. It should be used with some caution.
12184 @vindex nnml-directory
12185 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12186 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12187 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12188 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12190 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12193 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12194 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12195 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12196 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12197 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12198 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12199 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12200 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12202 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12203 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12204 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12205 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12207 Virtual server settings:
12210 @item nnml-directory
12211 @vindex nnml-directory
12212 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12214 @item nnml-active-file
12215 @vindex nnml-active-file
12216 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12218 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12219 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12220 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12223 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12224 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12225 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12227 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12228 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12229 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12231 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12232 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12233 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12235 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12236 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12237 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12241 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12242 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12243 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12244 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12245 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12246 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12247 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12252 @subsubsection MH Spool
12254 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12256 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12257 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12258 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12259 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12261 Virtual server settings:
12264 @item nnmh-directory
12265 @vindex nnmh-directory
12266 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12268 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12269 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12270 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12273 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12274 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12275 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12276 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12277 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12278 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12279 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12284 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12286 @cindex mbox folders
12287 @cindex mail folders
12289 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12290 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12291 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12294 Virtual server settings:
12297 @item nnfolder-directory
12298 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12299 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12301 @item nnfolder-active-file
12302 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12303 The name of the active file.
12305 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12306 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12307 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12309 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12310 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12311 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12313 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12314 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12315 @cindex backup files
12316 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12317 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12318 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12319 your @file{.emacs} file:
12322 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12323 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12325 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12328 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12329 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12330 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12331 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12332 extract some information from it before removing it.
12337 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12338 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12339 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12340 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12341 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12342 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12345 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12346 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12348 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12349 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12350 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12351 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12352 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12354 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12355 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12356 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12357 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12358 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12359 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12360 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12361 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12364 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12365 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12366 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12367 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12372 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12373 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12374 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12375 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12376 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12377 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12378 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12379 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12380 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12381 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12382 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12383 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12384 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12389 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12390 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12391 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12392 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12393 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12394 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12395 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12396 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12397 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12398 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12399 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12400 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12401 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12402 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12404 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12405 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12410 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12411 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12412 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12413 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12414 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12415 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12416 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12417 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12418 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12419 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12420 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12421 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12422 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12423 provided by the active file and overviews.
12425 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12426 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12427 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12428 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12429 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12432 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12433 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12438 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12439 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12440 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12441 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12442 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12443 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12444 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12448 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12449 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12450 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12451 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12452 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12453 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12454 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12455 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12456 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12458 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12459 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12460 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12461 friendly mail backend all over.
12466 @node Browsing the Web
12467 @section Browsing the Web
12469 @cindex browsing the web
12473 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12474 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12475 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12476 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12477 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12478 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12479 even know what a news group is.
12481 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12482 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12483 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12484 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12485 you mad in the end.
12487 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12490 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12491 interfaces to these sources.
12494 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12495 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12496 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12497 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12498 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12501 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12503 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12504 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12505 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12506 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12507 though, you should be ok.
12509 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12510 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12511 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12512 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12513 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12517 @subsection Web Searches
12521 @cindex InReference
12522 @cindex Usenet searches
12523 @cindex searching the Usenet
12525 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12526 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12527 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12528 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12529 searches without having to use a browser.
12531 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12532 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12533 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12534 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12535 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12537 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12538 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12539 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12540 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12541 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12542 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12543 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12544 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12545 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12546 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12549 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12550 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12551 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12552 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12553 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12554 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12556 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12557 to use @code{nnweb}.
12559 Virtual server variables:
12564 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12565 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12569 @vindex nnweb-search
12570 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12572 @item nnweb-max-hits
12573 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12574 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12577 @item nnweb-type-definition
12578 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12579 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12580 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12585 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12589 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12592 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12595 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12599 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12606 @subsection Slashdot
12610 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12611 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12612 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12614 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12615 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12618 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12619 '((nnslashdot "")))
12622 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12623 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12624 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12625 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12626 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12629 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12630 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12632 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12633 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12634 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12635 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12636 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12637 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12640 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12643 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12644 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12645 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12646 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12647 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12648 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12649 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12651 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12652 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12653 The login name to use when posting.
12655 @item nnslashdot-password
12656 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12657 The password to use when posting.
12659 @item nnslashdot-directory
12660 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12661 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12662 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12664 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12665 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12666 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12667 news articles and comments. The default is
12668 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12670 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12671 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12672 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12674 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12676 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12677 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12678 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12680 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12682 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12683 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12684 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12686 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12687 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12688 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12689 updated. The default is 0.
12696 @subsection Ultimate
12698 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12700 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12701 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12702 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12703 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
12705 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
12706 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
12707 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
12708 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
12709 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
12710 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
12711 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
12713 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
12716 @item nnultimate-directory
12717 @vindex nnultimate-directory
12718 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
12719 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
12724 @subsection Web Archive
12726 @cindex Web Archive
12728 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
12729 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
12730 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
12731 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
12734 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
12735 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
12736 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
12737 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
12738 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
12739 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
12740 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
12742 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
12745 @item nnwarchive-directory
12746 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
12747 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
12748 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
12750 @item nnwarchive-login
12751 @vindex nnwarchive-login
12752 The account name on the web server.
12754 @item nnwarchive-passwd
12755 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
12756 The password for your account on the web server.
12760 @node Customizing w3
12761 @subsection Customizing w3
12767 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
12768 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
12769 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
12771 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
12772 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
12773 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
12776 (eval-after-load "w3"
12778 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
12779 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
12780 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
12781 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
12783 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
12786 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
12787 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
12791 @node Other Sources
12792 @section Other Sources
12794 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
12795 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
12799 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
12800 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
12801 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
12802 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
12803 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
12804 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
12808 @node Directory Groups
12809 @subsection Directory Groups
12811 @cindex directory groups
12813 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
12814 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
12817 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
12818 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
12819 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
12820 backend to read directories. Big deal.
12822 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
12823 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
12824 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
12825 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
12826 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
12828 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
12830 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
12831 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
12832 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
12833 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
12836 @node Anything Groups
12837 @subsection Anything Groups
12840 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
12841 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
12842 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
12845 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
12846 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
12847 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
12848 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
12849 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
12850 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
12851 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
12852 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
12853 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
12854 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
12857 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
12858 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
12859 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
12860 in the article buffer, just as usual.
12862 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
12863 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
12864 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
12865 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
12867 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
12868 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
12869 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
12870 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
12871 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
12872 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
12873 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
12874 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
12879 @item nneething-map-file-directory
12880 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
12881 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
12882 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
12884 @item nneething-exclude-files
12885 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
12886 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
12887 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
12889 @item nneething-include-files
12890 @vindex nneething-include-files
12891 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
12892 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
12894 @item nneething-map-file
12895 @vindex nneething-map-file
12896 Name of the map files.
12900 @node Document Groups
12901 @subsection Document Groups
12903 @cindex documentation group
12906 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
12907 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
12914 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
12919 The standard Unix mbox file.
12921 @cindex MMDF mail box
12923 The MMDF mail box format.
12926 Several news articles appended into a file.
12929 @cindex rnews batch files
12930 The rnews batch transport format.
12931 @cindex forwarded messages
12934 Forwarded articles.
12937 Netscape mail boxes.
12940 MIME multipart messages.
12942 @item standard-digest
12943 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
12946 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
12949 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
12950 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
12951 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
12954 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
12955 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
12956 group. And that's it.
12958 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
12959 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
12960 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
12961 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
12962 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
12963 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
12964 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
12965 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
12966 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
12967 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
12969 Virtual server variables:
12972 @item nndoc-article-type
12973 @vindex nndoc-article-type
12974 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
12975 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
12976 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
12977 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
12979 @item nndoc-post-type
12980 @vindex nndoc-post-type
12981 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
12982 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
12987 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
12991 @node Document Server Internals
12992 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
12994 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
12995 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
12996 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
12997 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
12999 First, here's an example document type definition:
13003 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13004 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13007 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13008 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13009 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13010 types can be defined with very few settings:
13013 @item first-article
13014 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13015 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13018 @item article-begin
13019 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13020 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13022 @item head-begin-function
13023 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13026 @item nndoc-head-begin
13027 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13030 @item nndoc-head-end
13031 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13032 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13034 @item body-begin-function
13035 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13039 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13042 @item body-end-function
13043 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13047 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13050 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13051 regexp will be totally ignored.
13055 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13056 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13057 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13058 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13059 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13062 @item prepare-body-function
13063 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13064 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13065 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13067 @item article-transform-function
13068 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13069 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13070 body of the article.
13072 @item generate-head-function
13073 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13074 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13075 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13076 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13080 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13085 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13086 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13087 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13088 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13089 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13090 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13091 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13092 (subtype digest guess))
13095 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13096 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13097 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13098 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13099 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13101 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13102 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13103 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13104 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13105 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
13106 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13107 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13108 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13109 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13110 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13118 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13119 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13120 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13122 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13123 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13124 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13127 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13128 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13129 that interested in doing things properly.
13131 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13132 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13135 First some terminology:
13140 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13141 get news and/or mail from.
13144 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13145 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13148 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13152 @item message packets
13153 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13154 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13155 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13157 @item response packets
13158 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13159 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13160 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13170 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13171 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13172 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13173 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13176 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13179 You put the packet in your home directory.
13182 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13183 the native or secondary server.
13186 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13187 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13190 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13194 You transfer this packet to the server.
13197 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13200 You then repeat until you die.
13204 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13205 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13208 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13209 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13210 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13214 @node SOUP Commands
13215 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13217 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13221 @kindex G s b (Group)
13222 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13223 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13224 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13225 process/prefix convention.
13228 @kindex G s w (Group)
13229 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13230 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13233 @kindex G s s (Group)
13234 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13235 Send all replies from the replies packet
13236 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13239 @kindex G s p (Group)
13240 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13241 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13244 @kindex G s r (Group)
13245 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13246 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13249 @kindex O s (Summary)
13250 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13251 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13252 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13253 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13258 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13263 @item gnus-soup-directory
13264 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13265 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13266 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13268 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13269 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13270 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13271 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13273 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13274 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13275 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13276 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13278 @item gnus-soup-packer
13279 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13280 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13281 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13283 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13284 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13285 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13286 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13288 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13289 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13290 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13292 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13293 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13294 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13295 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13301 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13304 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13305 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13306 you can read them at leisure.
13308 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13312 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13313 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13314 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13315 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13317 @item nnsoup-directory
13318 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13319 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13320 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13322 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13323 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13324 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13325 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13327 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13328 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13329 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13330 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13331 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13333 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13334 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13335 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13336 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13338 @item nnsoup-active-file
13339 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13340 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13341 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13342 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13343 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13345 @item nnsoup-packer
13346 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13347 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13348 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13350 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13351 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13352 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13353 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13355 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13356 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13357 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13360 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13361 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13362 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13365 @item nnsoup-always-save
13366 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13367 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13373 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13375 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13376 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13377 more for that to happen.
13379 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13380 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13381 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13384 In specific, this is what it does:
13387 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13388 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13391 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13392 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13393 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13396 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13397 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13398 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13401 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13402 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13403 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13405 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13411 @item nngateway-address
13412 @vindex nngateway-address
13413 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13415 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13416 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13417 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13418 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13419 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13420 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13421 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13424 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13425 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13426 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13429 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13432 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13435 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13438 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13440 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13443 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13444 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13445 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13447 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13449 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13450 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13451 @code{nngateway-address}.
13456 (setq gnus-post-method
13457 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13458 (nngateway-header-transformation
13459 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13467 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13470 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13476 @subsection @sc{imap}
13480 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13481 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13482 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13483 network address of the server.
13485 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13490 @item nnimap-address
13491 @vindex nnimap-address
13493 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13494 server name if not specified.
13496 @item nnimap-server-port
13497 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13498 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13500 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13501 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13502 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13503 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13504 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13505 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13506 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13508 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13509 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13510 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13516 ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*" ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))
13519 @item nnimap-stream
13520 @vindex nnimap-stream
13521 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13522 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13523 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13524 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13528 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13529 @samp{imtest} program.
13531 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13533 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13534 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13537 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13538 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13540 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start IMAP connection.
13542 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13545 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13546 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13547 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13548 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13551 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13552 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13553 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13554 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
13555 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13556 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13557 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13560 @vindex imap-shell-program
13561 @vindex imap-shell-host
13562 For IMAP connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13563 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13565 @item nnimap-authenticator
13566 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13568 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13569 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13573 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13574 external program @code{imtest}.
13576 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13579 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13580 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13582 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13584 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13586 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13589 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13591 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13592 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13593 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13594 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13595 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13596 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13599 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13600 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13601 running in circles yet?
13603 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13604 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13607 The possible options are:
13612 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13615 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13616 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13617 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13618 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13620 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13623 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
13624 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
13626 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
13627 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
13628 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
13635 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13636 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13637 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13642 @node Splitting in IMAP
13643 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13644 @cindex splitting imap mail
13646 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
13647 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
13648 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
13649 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
13650 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
13654 Here are the variables of interest:
13658 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
13659 @cindex splitting, crosspost
13661 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
13663 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
13664 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
13666 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
13668 @item nnimap-split-inbox
13669 @cindex splitting, inbox
13671 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
13673 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
13674 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
13678 (setq nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
13681 No nnmail equivalent.
13683 @item nnimap-split-rule
13684 @cindex Splitting, rules
13685 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
13687 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
13690 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
13691 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
13692 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
13693 Neither did I, we need examples.
13696 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13697 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
13698 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
13699 ("INBOX.private" "")))
13702 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
13703 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
13704 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
13706 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
13707 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
13711 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
13714 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13715 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
13716 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
13717 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
13719 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
13720 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
13721 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
13722 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
13723 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
13724 them every time you fetch new mail.)
13726 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
13727 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
13728 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
13730 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
13731 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
13732 thinks the article should be splitted to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13734 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
13736 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
13737 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
13738 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
13741 (setq nnimap-split-rule
13742 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
13743 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
13744 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
13745 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
13746 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
13749 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
13750 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
13751 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
13752 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
13753 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
13754 group/function elements.
13756 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
13758 @item nnimap-split-predicate
13760 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
13762 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
13763 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
13765 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
13766 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
13767 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
13770 @item nnimap-split-fancy
13771 @cindex splitting, fancy
13772 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
13773 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
13775 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13776 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
13777 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13779 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
13780 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
13781 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
13782 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
13787 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
13788 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
13791 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
13795 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
13796 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13797 @cindex editing imap acls
13798 @cindex Access Control Lists
13799 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
13801 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
13803 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
13804 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
13805 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
13808 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
13809 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
13810 editing window with detailed instructions.
13812 Some possible uses:
13816 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
13817 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
13818 follow the list without subscribing to it.
13820 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
13821 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
13822 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
13826 @node Expunging mailboxes
13827 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
13831 @cindex Manual expunging
13833 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
13835 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
13836 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
13837 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
13839 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
13844 @node Combined Groups
13845 @section Combined Groups
13847 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
13851 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
13852 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
13856 @node Virtual Groups
13857 @subsection Virtual Groups
13859 @cindex virtual groups
13860 @cindex merging groups
13862 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
13865 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
13866 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
13867 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
13869 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
13870 regexp to match component groups.
13872 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
13873 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
13874 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
13875 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
13876 the virtual group.)
13878 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
13879 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
13882 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
13885 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
13886 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
13888 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
13889 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
13890 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
13891 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
13894 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
13897 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
13898 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
13899 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
13901 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
13902 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
13903 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
13904 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
13905 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
13907 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
13908 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
13909 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
13911 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
13912 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
13913 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
13914 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13915 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
13916 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
13917 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
13918 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
13919 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
13920 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
13921 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
13923 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
13924 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
13925 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
13926 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
13927 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
13928 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
13929 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
13931 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
13932 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
13936 @node Kibozed Groups
13937 @subsection Kibozed Groups
13941 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
13942 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
13943 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
13944 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
13946 @kindex G k (Group)
13947 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
13950 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
13951 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
13952 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
13953 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
13955 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
13956 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
13957 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
13959 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
13960 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
13961 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
13962 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
13963 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
13964 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
13965 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
13966 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
13968 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
13969 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
13970 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
13971 Stranger things have happened.
13973 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
13974 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
13976 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
13977 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
13978 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
13979 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
13980 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
13981 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
13983 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
13984 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
13987 @node Gnus Unplugged
13988 @section Gnus Unplugged
13993 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
13995 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
13996 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
13997 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
13998 read news. Believe it or not.
14000 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14001 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14002 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14003 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14004 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14006 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14007 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14008 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14009 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14010 reading news on a machine.
14012 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14016 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14017 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14021 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14022 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14029 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14031 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14034 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14035 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14036 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14037 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14038 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14039 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14040 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14041 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14042 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14047 @subsection Agent Basics
14049 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14051 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14052 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14053 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14054 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14056 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14057 connected to the net continuously.
14059 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14060 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14062 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14067 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14068 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14069 already fetched while in this mode.
14072 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14073 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14074 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14078 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14079 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
14080 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14081 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14084 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14085 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14086 then you read the news offline.
14089 And then you go to step 2.
14092 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14098 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14099 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14100 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14101 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14102 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14103 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14106 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14113 @node Agent Categories
14114 @subsection Agent Categories
14116 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14117 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14118 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14119 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14120 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14121 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14122 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14124 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14125 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14126 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14127 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14128 managing categories.
14131 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14132 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14133 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14137 @node Category Syntax
14138 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14140 A category consists of two things.
14144 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14145 are eligible for downloading; and
14148 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14149 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14150 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14153 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14154 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14155 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14156 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14158 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14159 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14160 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as descibed below.
14162 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14163 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14164 operators sprinkled in between.
14166 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14168 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14169 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14175 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14176 short (for some value of ``short'').
14178 Here's a more complex predicate:
14187 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14188 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14191 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14192 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14193 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14195 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14196 you want to do, you can write your own.
14200 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14201 lines; default 100.
14204 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14205 lines; default 200.
14208 True iff the article has a download score less than
14209 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14212 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14213 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14216 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14217 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14218 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14227 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14228 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14229 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14232 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14233 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14234 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14235 something along the lines of the following:
14238 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14239 "Say whether an article is old."
14240 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14241 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14244 with the predicate then defined as:
14247 (not my-article-old-p)
14250 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14251 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14252 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14253 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14256 (defvar gnus-category-predicate-alist
14257 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14258 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14261 and simply specify your predicate as:
14267 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14268 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14269 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14270 just don't give a damm.
14272 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14273 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14274 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14275 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14276 parameters like so:
14279 (agent-predicate . short)
14282 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14283 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14284 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14286 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14289 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14292 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14293 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14294 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14297 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14298 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14299 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14300 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14301 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14302 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14304 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14305 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14306 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14307 if it's to be specific to that group.
14309 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14316 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14317 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14323 Category specification
14327 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14333 Group Parameter specification
14336 (agent-score ("from"
14337 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14342 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14348 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14355 Category specification
14358 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14364 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14368 Group Parameter specification
14371 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14374 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14379 Use @code{normal} score files
14381 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14382 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14383 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14384 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14386 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14387 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14388 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14389 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14393 Category Specification
14400 Group Parameter specification
14403 (agent-score . file)
14408 @node The Category Buffer
14409 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14411 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14412 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14413 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14415 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14419 @kindex q (Category)
14420 @findex gnus-category-exit
14421 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14424 @kindex k (Category)
14425 @findex gnus-category-kill
14426 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14429 @kindex c (Category)
14430 @findex gnus-category-copy
14431 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14434 @kindex a (Category)
14435 @findex gnus-category-add
14436 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14439 @kindex p (Category)
14440 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14441 Edit the predicate of the current category
14442 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14445 @kindex g (Category)
14446 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14447 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14448 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14451 @kindex s (Category)
14452 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14453 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14454 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14457 @kindex l (Category)
14458 @findex gnus-category-list
14459 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14463 @node Category Variables
14464 @subsubsection Category Variables
14467 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14468 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14469 Hook run in category buffers.
14471 @item gnus-category-line-format
14472 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14473 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14474 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14478 The name of the category.
14481 The number of groups in the category.
14484 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14485 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14486 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14488 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14489 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14490 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14492 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14493 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14494 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14496 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14497 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14498 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14501 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14502 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14503 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14509 @node Agent Commands
14510 @subsection Agent Commands
14512 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14513 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14514 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14518 * Group Agent Commands::
14519 * Summary Agent Commands::
14520 * Server Agent Commands::
14523 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14524 following incantation:
14526 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14528 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14533 @node Group Agent Commands
14534 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14538 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14539 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14540 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14541 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14544 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14545 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14546 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14549 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14550 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14551 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14552 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14555 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14556 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14557 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14558 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14561 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14562 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14563 Add the current group to an Agent category
14564 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14565 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14568 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14569 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14570 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14571 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14572 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14577 @node Summary Agent Commands
14578 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14582 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14583 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14584 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14587 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14588 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14589 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14590 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14593 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14594 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14595 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14598 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14599 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14600 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14605 @node Server Agent Commands
14606 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14610 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14611 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14612 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14613 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14616 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14617 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14618 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14619 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14625 @subsection Agent Expiry
14627 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14628 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14629 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14630 @cindex Agent expiry
14631 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14634 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14635 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
14636 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
14637 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
14638 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
14639 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
14641 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
14642 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
14643 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
14644 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
14645 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
14648 @node Outgoing Messages
14649 @subsection Outgoing Messages
14651 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
14652 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
14653 after posting, and edit them at will.
14655 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
14656 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
14657 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
14658 messages in the draft group.
14662 @node Agent Variables
14663 @subsection Agent Variables
14666 @item gnus-agent-directory
14667 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
14668 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
14669 @file{~/News/agent/}.
14671 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
14672 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
14673 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
14674 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
14675 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
14678 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14679 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
14680 Hook run when connecting to the network.
14682 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14683 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
14684 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
14689 @node Example Setup
14690 @subsection Example Setup
14692 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
14693 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
14694 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
14697 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
14698 ;;; from your ISP's server.
14699 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
14701 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
14702 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
14703 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
14705 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
14706 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14708 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
14712 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
14713 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
14716 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
14717 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
14718 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
14719 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
14720 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
14723 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
14724 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
14725 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
14726 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
14727 back all the killed groups.)
14729 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
14730 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
14731 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
14734 @node Batching Agents
14735 @subsection Batching Agents
14737 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
14738 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
14739 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
14743 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
14747 @node Agent Caveats
14748 @subsection Agent Caveats
14750 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
14751 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
14755 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
14760 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
14761 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
14767 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
14768 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
14775 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
14776 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
14777 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
14780 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
14781 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
14782 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
14783 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
14784 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
14786 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
14787 before generating the summary buffer.
14789 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
14790 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
14791 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
14793 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
14794 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
14795 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
14796 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
14799 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
14800 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
14801 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
14802 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
14803 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
14804 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
14805 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
14806 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
14807 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
14808 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
14809 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
14810 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
14811 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
14812 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
14813 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
14814 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
14818 @node Summary Score Commands
14819 @section Summary Score Commands
14820 @cindex score commands
14822 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
14823 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
14824 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
14825 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
14826 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
14828 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
14829 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
14830 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
14831 score file the current one.
14833 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
14838 @kindex V s (Summary)
14839 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
14840 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
14843 @kindex V S (Summary)
14844 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
14845 Display the score of the current article
14846 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
14849 @kindex V t (Summary)
14850 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
14851 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
14852 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
14855 @kindex V R (Summary)
14856 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
14857 Run the current summary through the scoring process
14858 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
14859 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
14860 effect you're having.
14863 @kindex V c (Summary)
14864 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
14865 Make a different score file the current
14866 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
14869 @kindex V e (Summary)
14870 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
14871 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
14872 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
14876 @kindex V f (Summary)
14877 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
14878 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
14879 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
14882 @kindex V F (Summary)
14883 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
14884 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
14885 after editing score files.
14888 @kindex V C (Summary)
14889 @findex gnus-score-customize
14890 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
14891 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
14895 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
14900 @kindex V m (Summary)
14901 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
14902 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
14903 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
14906 @kindex V x (Summary)
14907 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
14908 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
14909 expunge all articles below this score
14910 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
14913 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
14914 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
14917 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
14918 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
14922 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
14923 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
14925 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
14926 keys are available:
14930 Score on the author name.
14933 Score on the subject line.
14936 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
14939 Score on the @code{References} line.
14945 Score on the number of lines.
14948 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
14951 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
14952 the followups to this author.
14966 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
14967 what headers you are scoring on.
14979 Substring matching.
14982 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15011 Greater than number.
15016 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15017 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15018 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15022 Temporary score entry.
15025 Permanent score entry.
15028 Immediately scoring.
15033 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15034 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15035 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15036 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15038 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15039 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15040 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15041 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15042 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15044 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15045 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15046 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15047 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15048 current score file.
15050 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15051 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15052 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15055 @node Group Score Commands
15056 @section Group Score Commands
15057 @cindex group score commands
15059 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15064 @kindex W f (Group)
15065 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15066 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15067 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15068 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15072 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15074 @findex gnus-batch-score
15075 @cindex batch scoring
15077 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15081 @node Score Variables
15082 @section Score Variables
15083 @cindex score variables
15087 @item gnus-use-scoring
15088 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15089 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15090 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15092 @item gnus-kill-killed
15093 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15094 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15095 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15096 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15097 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15098 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15099 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15101 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15102 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15103 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15104 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15105 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15107 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15108 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15109 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15110 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15112 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15113 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15114 @cindex score cache
15115 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15116 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15117 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
15118 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15119 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15120 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15123 @item gnus-save-score
15124 @vindex gnus-save-score
15125 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15126 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15127 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15129 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15130 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15131 across group visits.
15133 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15134 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15135 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15136 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15137 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15138 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15139 manually entered data.
15141 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15142 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15143 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15145 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15146 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15147 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15148 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15149 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15150 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15152 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15153 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15154 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15155 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15157 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15158 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15159 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15160 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15162 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15163 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15164 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15165 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15167 Predefined functions available are:
15170 @item gnus-score-find-single
15171 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15172 Only apply the group's own score file.
15174 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15175 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15176 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15177 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15178 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15179 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15180 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15181 then a regexp match is done.
15183 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15184 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15186 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15187 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15188 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15189 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15191 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15192 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15193 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15194 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15195 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
15198 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15199 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
15200 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
15201 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
15202 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
15203 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
15206 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15207 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15208 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15209 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15210 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15212 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15213 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15214 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15215 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15216 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15217 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15218 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15221 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15222 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15223 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15225 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15226 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15227 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15228 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15229 threading---according to the current value of
15230 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15231 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15232 simplified in this manner.
15237 @node Score File Format
15238 @section Score File Format
15239 @cindex score file format
15241 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15242 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15243 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15245 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15249 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15251 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15253 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15255 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15260 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15264 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15265 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15266 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15267 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15271 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15272 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15274 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15275 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15276 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15278 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15283 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15284 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15285 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15286 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15287 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15288 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15289 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15290 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15291 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15292 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15293 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15294 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15295 to articles that matches these score entries.
15297 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15298 score entry has one to four elements.
15302 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15303 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15307 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15308 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15309 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15310 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15311 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15312 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15315 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15316 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15317 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15318 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15319 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15322 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15323 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15324 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15325 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15328 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15329 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15330 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15331 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15332 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15333 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15334 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15335 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15336 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15337 instead, if you feel like.
15340 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15341 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15343 These predicates are true if
15346 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15349 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15350 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15357 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15358 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15359 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15360 it's not. I think.)
15362 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15363 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15364 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15365 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15368 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15369 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15370 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15371 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15372 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15373 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15374 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15378 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15379 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15380 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15381 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15382 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15383 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15384 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15385 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15388 @item Head, Body, All
15389 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15393 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15394 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15395 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15396 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15397 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15398 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15399 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15403 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15404 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15405 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15406 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15407 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15408 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15409 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15410 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15411 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15412 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15413 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15417 @cindex Score File Atoms
15419 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15420 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15423 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15424 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15426 @item mark-and-expunge
15427 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15428 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15431 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15432 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15433 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15434 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15435 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15438 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15439 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15442 @item exclude-files
15443 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15444 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15448 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15449 ignored when handling global score files.
15452 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15453 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15454 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15455 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15458 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15459 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15460 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15461 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15463 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15467 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15470 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15471 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15472 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15473 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15474 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15476 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15477 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15478 ordinary scoring rules.
15481 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15482 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15483 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15484 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15485 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15486 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15487 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15488 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15489 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15490 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15491 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15495 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15496 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15497 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15498 file for a number of groups.
15501 @cindex local variables
15502 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15503 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15504 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15505 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15506 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15510 @node Score File Editing
15511 @section Score File Editing
15513 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15514 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15515 with a mode for that.
15517 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15518 additional commands:
15523 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15524 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15525 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15526 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15529 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15530 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15531 Insert the current date in numerical format
15532 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15533 you were wondering.
15536 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15537 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15538 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15539 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15540 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15545 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15547 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15548 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15550 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15551 e} to begin editing score files.
15554 @node Adaptive Scoring
15555 @section Adaptive Scoring
15556 @cindex adaptive scoring
15558 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15559 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15560 stupidity, to be precise.
15562 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15563 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15564 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15565 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15566 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15567 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15568 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15569 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15570 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15572 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15573 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15574 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
15575 might look something like this:
15578 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15579 '((gnus-unread-mark)
15580 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
15581 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
15582 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
15583 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
15584 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
15585 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
15586 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
15587 (gnus-ancient-mark)
15588 (gnus-low-score-mark)
15589 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
15592 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
15593 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
15594 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
15595 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
15596 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
15597 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
15600 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
15601 will be applied to each article.
15603 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
15604 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
15605 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
15606 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
15608 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
15609 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
15610 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
15611 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
15613 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
15614 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
15615 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
15616 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
15618 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
15619 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
15620 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
15621 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
15622 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
15623 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
15625 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
15626 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
15627 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
15628 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
15629 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
15630 aspirins afterwards.)
15632 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
15633 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
15634 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
15636 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
15637 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
15638 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
15640 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
15641 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
15642 let you use different rules in different groups.
15644 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
15645 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
15646 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
15649 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
15650 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
15651 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
15652 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
15653 the length of the match is less than
15654 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
15655 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
15658 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15659 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
15660 headers. If you adapt on words, the
15661 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
15662 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
15665 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
15666 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
15667 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
15668 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
15669 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
15672 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
15673 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
15674 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
15675 score with 30 points.
15677 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
15678 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
15679 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
15680 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
15681 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
15683 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
15684 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
15685 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
15686 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
15688 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
15689 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
15690 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
15691 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
15693 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
15694 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
15695 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
15696 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
15697 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
15699 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
15700 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
15701 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
15703 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
15704 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
15705 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
15706 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
15709 @node Home Score File
15710 @section Home Score File
15712 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
15713 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
15714 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
15715 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
15717 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
15718 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
15719 could perhaps use the same home score file.
15721 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
15722 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
15727 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
15731 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
15732 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
15736 A list. The elements in this list can be:
15740 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
15741 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
15744 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
15745 the home score file.
15748 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
15751 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
15756 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
15759 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15760 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
15763 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
15764 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
15766 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
15768 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15769 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
15772 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
15773 Other functions include
15776 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
15777 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
15778 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
15779 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
15783 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
15784 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
15785 their own home score files:
15788 (setq gnus-home-score-file
15789 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
15790 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
15791 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
15792 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
15795 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
15796 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
15797 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
15798 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
15799 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
15801 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
15802 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
15803 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
15804 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
15805 precedence over this variable.
15808 @node Followups To Yourself
15809 @section Followups To Yourself
15811 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
15812 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
15813 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
15814 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
15815 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
15816 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
15820 @item gnus-score-followup-article
15821 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
15822 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
15825 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
15826 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
15827 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
15831 @vindex message-sent-hook
15832 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
15833 @code{message-sent-hook}.
15835 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
15836 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
15840 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15841 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
15844 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
15845 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
15850 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
15854 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
15855 is system-dependent.
15859 @section Scoring Tips
15860 @cindex scoring tips
15866 @cindex scoring crossposts
15867 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
15868 the @code{Xref} header.
15870 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
15873 @item Multiple crossposts
15874 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
15875 more than, say, 3 groups:
15877 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
15880 @item Matching on the body
15881 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
15882 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
15883 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
15884 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
15885 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
15886 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
15887 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
15890 @item Marking as read
15891 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
15892 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
15893 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
15897 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
15899 @item Negated character classes
15900 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
15901 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
15902 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
15906 @node Reverse Scoring
15907 @section Reverse Scoring
15908 @cindex reverse scoring
15910 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
15911 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
15912 like this in your score file:
15916 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
15921 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
15922 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
15925 @node Global Score Files
15926 @section Global Score Files
15927 @cindex global score files
15929 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
15930 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
15931 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
15933 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
15934 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
15935 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
15937 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
15938 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
15939 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
15940 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
15941 files are applicable to which group.
15943 Say you want to use the score file
15944 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
15945 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
15948 (setq gnus-global-score-files
15949 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
15950 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
15953 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
15954 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
15955 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
15956 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
15957 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
15959 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
15960 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
15962 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
15963 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
15964 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
15965 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
15966 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
15967 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
15969 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
15975 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
15977 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
15979 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
15981 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
15982 lowered out of existence.
15984 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
15985 articles completely.
15988 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
15989 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
15990 old articles for a long time.
15993 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
15994 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
15995 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
15996 holding our breath yet?
16000 @section Kill Files
16003 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16004 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16005 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16007 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16008 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16009 files into score files.
16011 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16012 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16013 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16014 that isn't a very good idea.
16016 Normal kill files look like this:
16019 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16020 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16024 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16025 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16027 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16028 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16031 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16036 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16037 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16038 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16041 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16042 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16043 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16046 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16051 @kindex M-k (Group)
16052 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16053 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16056 @kindex M-K (Group)
16057 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16058 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16061 Kill file variables:
16064 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16065 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16066 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16067 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16068 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16069 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16070 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16072 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16073 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16074 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16075 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16078 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16079 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16080 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16081 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16082 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16083 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16084 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16085 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16086 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16088 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16089 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16090 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16095 @node Converting Kill Files
16096 @section Converting Kill Files
16098 @cindex converting kill files
16100 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16101 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16102 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16105 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16106 You can fetch it from
16107 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
16109 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16110 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16111 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16119 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16120 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16121 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16123 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16124 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16125 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16126 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16127 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16128 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16129 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16130 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16134 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16135 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16136 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16137 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16141 @node Using GroupLens
16142 @subsection Using GroupLens
16144 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16146 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16147 better bit in town at the moment.
16149 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16153 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16154 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16155 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16156 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16158 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16159 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16160 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16161 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16163 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16164 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16165 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16169 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16170 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16171 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16172 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16173 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16174 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16177 @node Rating Articles
16178 @subsection Rating Articles
16180 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16181 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16182 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16183 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16186 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16191 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16192 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16193 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16196 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16197 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16198 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16199 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16200 threads in rec.humor.
16204 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16205 the score of the article you're reading.
16210 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16211 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16212 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16215 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16216 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16217 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16221 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16222 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16225 @node Displaying Predictions
16226 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16228 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16229 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16230 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16231 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16232 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16234 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16235 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16236 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16237 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16238 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16239 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16240 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16241 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16242 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16243 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16244 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16245 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16246 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16248 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16249 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16250 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16251 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16253 The following are valid values for that variable.
16256 @item prediction-spot
16257 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16260 @item confidence-interval
16261 A numeric confidence interval.
16263 @item prediction-bar
16264 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16266 @item confidence-bar
16267 Numerical confidence.
16269 @item confidence-spot
16270 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16272 @item prediction-num
16273 Plain-old numeric value.
16275 @item confidence-plus-minus
16276 Prediction +/- confidence.
16281 @node GroupLens Variables
16282 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16286 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16287 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16288 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16289 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16292 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16293 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16296 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16297 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16299 @item grouplens-score-offset
16300 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16301 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16304 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16305 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16306 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16311 @node Advanced Scoring
16312 @section Advanced Scoring
16314 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16315 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16316 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16317 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16318 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16320 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16324 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16325 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16326 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16330 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16331 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16333 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16334 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16335 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16336 non-@code{nil} value.
16338 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16339 operator, and various match operators.
16346 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16347 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16348 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16353 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16354 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16355 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16360 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16361 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16365 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16366 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16367 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16368 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16369 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16370 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16371 the ancestry you want to go.
16373 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16374 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16375 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16376 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16377 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16380 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16381 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16383 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16384 when he's talking about Gnus:
16388 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16389 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16395 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16399 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16406 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16407 really don't want to read what he's written:
16411 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16412 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16416 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16417 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16418 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16425 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16426 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16427 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16428 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16432 The possibilities are endless.
16435 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16436 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16438 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16439 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16440 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16441 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16442 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16443 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16444 @samp{subject}) first.
16446 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16447 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16458 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16459 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16465 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16472 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16473 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16478 @section Score Decays
16479 @cindex score decays
16482 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16483 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16484 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16485 use them in any sensible way.
16487 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16488 @findex gnus-decay-score
16489 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16490 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16491 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16492 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16493 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16494 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16495 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16496 definition of that function:
16499 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16501 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16502 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16505 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16507 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16509 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16512 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16513 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16514 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16515 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16519 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16522 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16525 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16529 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16530 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16531 the new score, which should be an integer.
16533 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16534 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16541 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16542 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16543 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16544 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16545 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16546 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16547 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16548 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16549 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16550 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16551 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16552 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16553 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16554 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16555 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16556 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16557 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16558 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16562 @node Process/Prefix
16563 @section Process/Prefix
16564 @cindex process/prefix convention
16566 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16567 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16569 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16570 command to be performed on.
16574 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
16575 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
16576 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
16577 with the current one.
16579 @vindex transient-mark-mode
16580 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
16581 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
16583 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
16584 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
16587 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
16588 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
16590 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
16593 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
16594 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
16595 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
16596 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
16598 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
16599 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
16600 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
16601 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
16602 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
16603 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
16604 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
16605 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
16607 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
16608 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
16609 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
16610 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
16611 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
16615 @section Interactive
16616 @cindex interaction
16620 @item gnus-novice-user
16621 @vindex gnus-novice-user
16622 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
16623 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
16624 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
16625 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
16628 @item gnus-expert-user
16629 @vindex gnus-expert-user
16630 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
16631 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
16632 matter how strange.
16634 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
16635 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
16636 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
16637 is @code{t} by default.
16639 @item gnus-interactive-exit
16640 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
16641 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
16646 @node Symbolic Prefixes
16647 @section Symbolic Prefixes
16648 @cindex symbolic prefixes
16650 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
16651 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
16652 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
16653 rule of 900 to the current article.
16655 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
16656 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
16657 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
16658 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
16659 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
16660 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
16661 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
16663 @kindex M-i (Summary)
16664 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
16665 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
16666 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
16667 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
16668 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
16669 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
16670 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
16671 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
16673 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
16674 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
16675 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
16677 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
16681 @node Formatting Variables
16682 @section Formatting Variables
16683 @cindex formatting variables
16685 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
16686 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
16687 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
16688 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
16689 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
16692 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
16693 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
16694 lots of percentages everywhere.
16697 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
16698 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
16699 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
16700 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
16701 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
16704 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
16705 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
16706 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
16707 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
16708 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
16709 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
16710 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
16711 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
16713 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
16714 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
16716 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
16717 @findex gnus-update-format
16718 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
16719 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
16720 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
16721 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
16725 @node Formatting Basics
16726 @subsection Formatting Basics
16728 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
16729 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
16730 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
16732 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
16733 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
16734 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
16735 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
16736 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
16739 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
16740 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
16741 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
16742 less than 4 characters wide.
16745 @node Mode Line Formatting
16746 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
16748 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
16749 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
16750 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
16751 with the following two differences:
16756 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
16759 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
16760 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
16761 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
16762 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
16763 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
16764 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
16765 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
16770 @node Advanced Formatting
16771 @subsection Advanced Formatting
16773 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
16774 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
16775 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
16776 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
16778 These are the valid modifiers:
16783 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
16787 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
16792 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
16795 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
16800 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
16803 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
16806 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
16809 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
16813 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
16814 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
16815 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
16816 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
16817 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
16818 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
16819 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
16821 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
16822 last operation, padding.
16824 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
16825 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
16826 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
16827 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
16828 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
16829 the look of your lines.
16830 @xref{Compilation}.
16833 @node User-Defined Specs
16834 @subsection User-Defined Specs
16836 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
16837 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
16838 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
16839 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
16840 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
16841 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
16842 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
16843 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
16844 should protect against that.
16846 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
16847 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
16848 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
16849 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
16853 @node Formatting Fonts
16854 @subsection Formatting Fonts
16856 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
16857 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
16858 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
16859 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
16862 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
16863 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
16864 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
16865 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
16866 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
16867 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
16869 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
16870 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
16871 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
16872 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
16873 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
16874 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
16875 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
16876 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
16878 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
16881 ;; Create three face types.
16882 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
16883 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
16885 ;; We want the article count to be in
16886 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
16887 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
16888 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
16890 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
16891 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
16893 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
16894 (setq gnus-group-line-format
16895 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
16898 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
16899 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
16901 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
16902 mode-line variables.
16905 @node Windows Configuration
16906 @section Windows Configuration
16907 @cindex windows configuration
16909 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
16911 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
16912 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
16913 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
16914 @code{t} by default.
16916 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
16917 glitches. Use at your own peril.
16919 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
16920 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
16921 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
16924 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
16925 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
16926 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16930 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
16931 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
16932 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
16933 possible names is listed below.
16935 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
16936 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
16939 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
16943 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
16944 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
16945 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
16946 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
16947 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
16948 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
16949 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
16950 size spec per split.
16952 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
16953 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
16954 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
16955 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
16956 present) gets focus.
16958 Here's a more complicated example:
16961 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
16962 (summary 0.25 point)
16963 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
16967 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
16968 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
16969 occupy, not a percentage.
16971 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
16972 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
16973 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
16974 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
16975 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
16978 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
16981 (article (horizontal 1.0
16986 (summary 0.25 point)
16991 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
16992 @code{horizontal} thingie?
16994 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
16995 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
16996 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
16997 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
16998 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17000 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17001 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17002 lines from the splits.
17004 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17008 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17009 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17010 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17011 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17012 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17013 size = number | frame-params
17014 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17017 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17018 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17019 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17020 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17022 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17023 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17024 @cindex window height
17025 @cindex window width
17026 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17027 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17028 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17029 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17030 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17031 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17033 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17034 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17035 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17036 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17038 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17039 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17040 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17041 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17042 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17043 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17044 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17045 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17046 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17047 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17048 configuration list.
17051 (gnus-configure-frame
17055 (article 0.3 point))
17063 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17064 @code{frame} split:
17067 (gnus-configure-frame
17070 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17072 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17073 (user-position . t)
17074 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17079 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17080 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17081 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17082 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17083 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17084 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17085 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17086 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17088 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17089 be found in its default value.
17091 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17092 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17093 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17097 (message (horizontal 1.0
17098 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17100 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17105 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17106 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17107 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17110 (message (frame 1.0
17111 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17112 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17113 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17114 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17115 (name . "Message"))
17116 (message 1.0 point))))
17119 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17120 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17121 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17122 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17123 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17126 (gnus-add-configuration
17127 '(article (vertical 1.0
17129 (summary .25 point)
17133 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17134 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17135 Gnus has been loaded.
17137 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17138 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17139 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17140 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17141 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17143 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17144 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17145 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17149 @node Faces and Fonts
17150 @section Faces and Fonts
17155 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17156 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17157 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17162 @section Compilation
17163 @cindex compilation
17164 @cindex byte-compilation
17166 @findex gnus-compile
17168 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17169 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17170 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
17171 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
17172 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
17173 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17174 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17175 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17178 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17179 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17180 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17181 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
17182 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17185 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
17186 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
17187 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
17188 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
17189 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
17194 @section Mode Lines
17197 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17198 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17199 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17200 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17201 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17202 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17203 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17206 @cindex display-time
17208 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17209 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17210 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17211 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17212 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17213 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17214 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17215 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17218 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17220 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17221 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17223 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17224 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17225 (length display-time-string)))))
17228 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17229 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17230 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17231 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17232 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17235 @node Highlighting and Menus
17236 @section Highlighting and Menus
17238 @cindex highlighting
17241 @vindex gnus-visual
17242 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17243 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17244 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17247 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17248 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17251 @item group-highlight
17252 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17253 @item summary-highlight
17254 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17255 @item article-highlight
17256 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17258 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17260 Create menus in the group buffer.
17262 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17264 Create menus in the article buffer.
17266 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17268 Create menus in the server buffer.
17270 Create menus in the score buffers.
17272 Create menus in all buffers.
17275 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17276 buffers, you could say something like:
17279 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17282 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17285 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17288 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17289 in all Gnus buffers.
17291 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17294 @item gnus-mouse-face
17295 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17296 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17297 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17301 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17305 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17306 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17307 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17309 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17310 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17311 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17313 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17314 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17315 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17317 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17318 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17319 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17321 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17322 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17323 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17325 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17326 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17327 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17338 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17339 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17340 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17341 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17342 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17346 @vindex gnus-carpal
17347 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17348 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17349 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17354 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17355 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17356 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17358 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17359 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17360 Face used on buttons.
17362 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17363 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17364 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17366 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17367 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17368 Buttons in the group buffer.
17370 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17371 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17372 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17374 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17375 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17376 Buttons in the server buffer.
17378 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17379 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17380 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17383 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17384 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17385 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17393 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17394 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17395 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17396 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17397 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17399 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17400 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17401 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17403 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17404 been idle for thirty minutes:
17407 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17410 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17414 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17417 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17418 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17419 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17421 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17422 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17423 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17424 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17426 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17427 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17428 @var{idle} minutes.
17430 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17431 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17434 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17435 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17436 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17438 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17439 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17440 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17441 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17443 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17444 your @file{.gnus} file:
17446 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17448 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17451 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17452 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17453 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17454 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17455 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17456 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17457 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17458 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17459 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17460 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17461 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17463 @findex gnus-demon-init
17464 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17465 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17466 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17467 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17468 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17470 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17471 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17472 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17481 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17482 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17484 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17485 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17486 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17487 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17490 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17491 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17492 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17493 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17495 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17496 this will make spam disappear.
17498 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17501 @item gnus-use-nocem
17502 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17503 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17506 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17507 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17508 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17509 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17510 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17512 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17513 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17514 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17515 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17516 "rbraver@@ohww.norman.ok.us" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
17517 "jem@@xpat.com" "snowhare@@xmission.com" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
17518 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17520 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
17523 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
17524 @cindex Chris Lewis
17525 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
17526 usenet abuse than anybody else.
17529 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
17530 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
17531 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
17533 @item jem@@xpat.com;
17535 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
17538 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
17539 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
17540 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
17543 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17544 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17545 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17546 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17547 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17548 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17549 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17550 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17551 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17552 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17554 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17555 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17558 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17561 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17562 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17565 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17568 The specs are applied left-to-right.
17571 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
17572 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
17574 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
17575 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
17576 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
17577 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
17579 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
17580 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
17583 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
17585 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
17593 This might be dangerous, though.
17595 @item gnus-nocem-directory
17596 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
17597 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
17598 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
17600 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17601 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
17602 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
17603 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
17604 might then see old spam.
17608 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
17609 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
17610 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
17611 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
17618 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
17619 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
17620 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
17622 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
17623 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
17624 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
17625 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
17626 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
17627 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
17628 @code{undo} function.
17630 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
17631 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
17632 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
17633 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
17634 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
17635 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
17636 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
17637 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
17638 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
17639 never be totally undoable.
17641 @findex gnus-undo-mode
17642 @vindex gnus-use-undo
17644 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
17645 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
17646 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
17647 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
17652 @section Moderation
17655 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
17656 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
17657 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
17660 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
17664 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
17667 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17669 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
17674 You split your incoming mail by matching on
17675 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
17676 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
17679 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
17680 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
17683 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
17684 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
17688 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
17691 (setq gnus-moderated-list
17692 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
17696 @node XEmacs Enhancements
17697 @section XEmacs Enhancements
17700 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
17704 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
17705 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
17706 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
17707 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
17720 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
17721 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
17722 over your shoulder as you read news.
17725 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
17726 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
17727 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
17728 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
17729 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
17734 @subsubsection Picon Basics
17736 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
17745 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
17746 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
17747 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
17748 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
17749 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
17750 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
17751 @code{GIF} formats.
17754 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17755 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
17756 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
17757 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
17758 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
17760 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17761 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
17762 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
17763 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
17764 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
17765 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17768 @node Picon Requirements
17769 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
17771 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
17772 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
17775 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
17776 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
17777 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
17779 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17780 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
17781 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
17782 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
17783 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
17787 @subsubsection Easy Picons
17789 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
17790 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
17793 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
17794 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
17797 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
17798 containing the Picons databases.
17800 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
17803 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17804 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
17809 @subsubsection Hard Picons
17817 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
17818 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
17819 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
17820 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
17821 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
17826 @item gnus-picons-database
17827 @vindex gnus-picons-database
17828 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
17829 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
17830 subdirectories. This is only useful if
17831 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
17832 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
17834 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17835 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
17836 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
17837 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
17838 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
17839 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
17840 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
17842 @item gnus-picons-display-where
17843 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17844 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
17845 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
17846 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
17847 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
17848 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
17849 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
17851 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17852 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
17853 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
17858 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
17859 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
17861 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
17862 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
17865 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
17867 @item gnus-article-display-picons
17868 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17869 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
17870 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
17872 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
17873 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
17874 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
17880 @node Picon Useless Configuration
17881 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
17889 The following variables offer further control over how things are
17890 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
17891 don't need to worry about.
17895 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
17896 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
17897 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17898 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
17900 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
17901 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
17902 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
17903 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
17905 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
17906 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
17907 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
17908 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
17909 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
17911 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17912 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
17913 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
17914 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
17915 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
17916 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
17917 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
17919 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17920 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
17921 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
17922 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
17924 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17925 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
17926 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
17927 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
17928 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
17929 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
17930 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
17932 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17933 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
17934 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
17935 Defaults to @code{nil}.
17937 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
17938 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
17939 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
17940 Defaults to @code{t}.
17942 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17943 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
17944 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
17945 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
17947 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
17948 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
17949 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
17951 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17952 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
17953 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
17954 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
17956 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
17957 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
17959 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17960 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
17961 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
17962 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
17963 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
17964 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
17965 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
17966 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
17977 @subsection Smileys
17982 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
17987 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
17988 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
17990 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
17991 @file{.gnus.el} file:
17994 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
17997 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
17998 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
17999 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18000 text and maps that to file names.
18002 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18003 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18004 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18005 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18006 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18007 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18009 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18010 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18012 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18013 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18014 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18016 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18017 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18021 @item smiley-data-directory
18022 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18023 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18025 @item smiley-flesh-color
18026 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18027 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18029 @item smiley-features-color
18030 @vindex smiley-features-color
18031 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18033 @item smiley-tongue-color
18034 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18035 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18037 @item smiley-circle-color
18038 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18039 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18041 @item smiley-mouse-face
18042 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18043 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18049 @subsection Toolbar
18059 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18060 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18061 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18062 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18063 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18065 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18066 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18067 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18069 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18070 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18071 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18073 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18074 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18075 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18081 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18084 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18085 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18086 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18087 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18088 unusual directory structure.
18090 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18091 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18092 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18093 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18095 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18096 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18097 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18098 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18099 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18100 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18102 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18103 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18104 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18118 @node Fuzzy Matching
18119 @section Fuzzy Matching
18120 @cindex fuzzy matching
18122 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18123 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18125 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18126 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18127 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18129 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18130 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18131 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18132 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18133 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18136 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18137 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18141 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18143 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18144 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18145 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18146 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18147 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18148 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18149 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18150 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18153 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18154 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18155 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18156 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18157 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18158 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18162 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18163 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18165 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18166 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18167 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18168 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18169 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18170 part of the mail address.)
18173 (setq message-default-news-headers
18174 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18177 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18178 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18183 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18184 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18185 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18191 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18192 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18193 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18194 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18196 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18197 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18198 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18199 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18200 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18201 your fancy split rule in this way:
18206 (to "larsi" "misc")
18210 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18211 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18212 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18213 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18214 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18216 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18217 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18218 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18219 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18220 cosmic balance somewhat.
18222 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18223 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18224 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18225 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18228 @node Various Various
18229 @section Various Various
18235 @item gnus-home-directory
18236 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18237 defaults to @file{~/}.
18239 @item gnus-directory
18240 @vindex gnus-directory
18241 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18242 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18243 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18245 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18246 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18247 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18248 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18250 @item gnus-default-directory
18251 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18252 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18253 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18254 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18255 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18256 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18257 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18260 @vindex gnus-verbose
18261 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18262 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18263 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18264 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18265 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18267 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18268 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18269 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18270 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18272 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18273 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18274 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18275 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18276 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18277 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18278 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18279 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18280 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18281 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18283 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18284 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18285 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18286 read when doing the operation described above.
18288 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18289 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18291 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18292 @cindex characters in file names
18293 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18294 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18295 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18298 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18302 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18303 Windows (phooey) systems.
18305 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18306 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18307 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18308 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18309 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18311 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18312 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18313 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18314 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18315 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18317 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18318 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18319 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18321 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18322 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18324 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
18325 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
18326 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
18327 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
18330 IMAP users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
18339 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18340 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18342 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18344 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18350 Not because of victories @*
18353 but for the common sunshine,@*
18355 the largess of the spring.
18359 but for the day's work done@*
18360 as well as I was able;@*
18361 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18362 but at the common table.@*
18367 @chapter Appendices
18370 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18371 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18372 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18373 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18374 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18375 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18376 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18377 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18385 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18386 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18388 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18389 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18390 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18391 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18392 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18394 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18395 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18396 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18397 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18398 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18399 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18401 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18402 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18403 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18404 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18407 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18408 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18409 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18410 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18411 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18412 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18413 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18414 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18415 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18416 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18420 @node Gnus Versions
18421 @subsection Gnus Versions
18422 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18424 @cindex September Gnus
18425 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18427 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18428 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18429 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18431 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18432 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18434 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18435 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18437 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18438 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18440 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18441 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18444 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18445 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18446 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18447 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18448 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18452 @node Other Gnus Versions
18453 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18456 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18457 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18458 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18459 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18461 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18462 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18463 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18464 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18471 What's the point of Gnus?
18473 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18474 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18475 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18476 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18477 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18478 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18479 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18480 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18481 keep track of millions of people who post?
18483 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18484 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18485 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18486 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18487 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18488 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18489 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18490 every one of you to explore and invent.
18492 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18493 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18496 @node Compatibility
18497 @subsection Compatibility
18499 @cindex compatibility
18500 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18501 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18502 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18507 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18511 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18514 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18517 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18518 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18519 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18520 important variables have their values copied into their global
18521 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18522 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18524 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18525 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18526 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18527 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18528 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18532 @cindex highlighting
18533 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18534 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18535 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18536 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18537 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18538 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18541 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18542 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18543 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18544 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18546 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18547 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18548 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18549 to stop doing it the old way.
18551 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18553 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18555 @cindex reporting bugs
18557 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
18558 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
18559 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
18561 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
18562 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
18563 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
18564 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
18569 @subsection Conformity
18571 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
18572 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
18579 There are no known breaches of this standard.
18583 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
18585 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
18586 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
18587 We do have some breaches to this one.
18593 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
18594 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
18595 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
18596 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
18597 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
18602 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
18603 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
18604 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
18605 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
18609 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
18610 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
18615 @subsection Emacsen
18621 Gnus should work on :
18629 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
18633 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
18634 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
18635 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
18636 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
18637 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
18639 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
18640 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
18641 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
18645 @node Gnus Development
18646 @subsection Gnus Development
18648 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
18649 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
18650 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
18651 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
18652 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
18653 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
18654 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
18655 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
18657 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
18658 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
18659 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
18660 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
18661 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
18664 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
18665 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
18666 In particular, @code{nnmail-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
18667 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
18668 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
18670 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
18671 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
18672 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
18673 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
18674 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
18675 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
18676 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
18677 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
18678 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
18679 can't be assumed to do so.
18684 @subsection Contributors
18685 @cindex contributors
18687 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
18688 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
18689 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
18690 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
18691 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
18692 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
18693 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
18694 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
18695 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
18696 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
18698 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
18704 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
18707 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
18708 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
18709 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
18710 functionality and stuff.
18713 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
18714 well as numerous other things).
18717 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
18720 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
18723 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
18726 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
18727 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
18730 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
18733 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
18734 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
18737 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
18740 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
18743 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
18746 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
18749 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
18750 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
18753 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
18756 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
18759 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
18762 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
18766 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
18769 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
18772 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
18775 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
18776 well as autoconf support.
18780 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
18781 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
18783 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
18792 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
18796 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
18806 Alexei V. Barantsev,
18821 Massimo Campostrini,
18826 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
18827 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
18831 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
18834 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
18840 Michael Welsh Duggan,
18845 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
18849 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
18857 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
18859 Michelangelo Grigni,
18863 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
18865 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
18867 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
18874 François Felix Ingrand,
18875 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
18876 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
18878 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
18889 Peter Skov Knudsen,
18890 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
18892 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
18893 Thor Kristoffersen,
18896 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
18914 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
18915 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
18922 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
18927 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
18931 John McClary Prevost,
18937 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
18942 Christian von Roques,
18945 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
18952 Philippe Schnoebelen,
18954 Randal L. Schwartz,
18968 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
18973 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
18989 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
18994 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
18995 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
18996 (550kB and counting).
18998 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19001 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19002 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19006 @subsection New Features
19007 @cindex new features
19010 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19011 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
19012 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19013 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19016 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19017 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19018 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19022 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19024 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19029 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19030 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19033 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19034 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19037 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19040 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19041 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19042 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19045 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19046 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19047 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19048 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19051 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19052 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19055 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19056 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19057 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19060 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19061 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19064 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19065 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19066 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19069 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19070 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19071 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19074 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19075 the @file{.emacs} file.
19078 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19079 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19082 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19083 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19086 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19087 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19090 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19091 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19094 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19095 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19098 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19101 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19102 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19105 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19106 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19109 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19110 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19113 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19116 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19117 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19120 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19124 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19128 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19129 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19132 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19138 @node September Gnus
19139 @subsubsection September Gnus
19143 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19147 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19152 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19153 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19157 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19158 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19162 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19166 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19167 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19170 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19174 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19177 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19180 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19183 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19187 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19188 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19191 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19195 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19199 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19203 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19207 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19210 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19211 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19214 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19218 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19219 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19222 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19225 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19226 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19227 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19230 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19234 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19237 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19241 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19242 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19245 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19246 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19249 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19250 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19253 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19254 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19255 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19258 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19259 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19262 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19265 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19268 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19271 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19274 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19275 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19278 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19282 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19285 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19290 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19293 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19297 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19300 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19304 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19307 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19310 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19311 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19314 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19315 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19319 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19320 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19323 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19327 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19328 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19331 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19334 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19338 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19342 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19343 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19346 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19350 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19351 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19354 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19355 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19358 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19362 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19365 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19368 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19374 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19376 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19380 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19387 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19390 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19391 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19394 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19395 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19399 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19400 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19403 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19406 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19407 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19410 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19414 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19415 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19419 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19420 Server Internals}).
19423 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19427 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19430 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19431 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19434 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19435 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19436 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19439 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19440 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19443 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19444 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19447 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19451 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19452 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19455 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19456 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19459 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19463 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19466 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19470 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19471 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19474 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19475 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19478 A new command for reading collections of documents
19479 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19480 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19483 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19487 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19488 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19491 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19492 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19493 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19496 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19497 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19501 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19505 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19509 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19514 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19518 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19522 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19523 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19526 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19532 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19534 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19539 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19540 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19541 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19544 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19545 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19546 group, which is created automatically.
19549 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19553 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19556 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19557 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
19560 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
19564 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
19567 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
19568 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
19571 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
19574 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
19575 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
19578 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
19579 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
19582 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
19583 control over simplification.
19586 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
19589 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
19593 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
19596 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
19599 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
19600 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
19601 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
19604 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
19605 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
19608 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
19612 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
19613 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
19616 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
19617 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
19620 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
19624 A history of where mails have been split is available.
19627 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
19630 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
19631 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
19634 A new function for citing in Message has been
19635 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
19638 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
19641 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
19645 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
19646 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
19649 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
19650 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
19653 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
19656 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
19661 @node Newest Features
19662 @subsection Newest Features
19665 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
19668 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
19670 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
19671 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
19674 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
19679 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
19680 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
19683 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
19686 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
19689 facep is not declared.
19692 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
19693 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
19696 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
19701 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
19702 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
19703 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
19704 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
19705 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
19706 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
19707 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
19712 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
19715 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
19718 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
19720 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
19721 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
19723 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
19725 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
19727 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
19728 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
19730 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
19732 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
19733 be marked as unread.
19735 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
19737 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
19739 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
19740 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
19742 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
19744 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
19746 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
19747 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
19749 topics that contain just groups with ticked
19750 articles aren't displayed.
19752 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
19754 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
19755 make the mail groups killed.
19757 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
19759 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
19760 and articles have to be removed.
19762 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
19765 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
19767 finding short score file names takes forever.
19769 canceling articles in foreign groups.
19771 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
19773 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
19775 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
19777 nnweb doesn't work properly.
19779 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
19781 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
19782 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
19786 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
19788 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
19789 bar and the Gnus bar.
19792 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
19793 `(canonize-message-id id)'
19794 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
19795 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
19796 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
19797 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
19802 nnml .overview directory with splits.
19806 postponed commands.
19808 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
19810 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
19813 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
19814 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
19816 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
19817 inherit copy prompts and save files.
19819 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
19821 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
19822 for backends that support that.
19824 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
19826 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
19827 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
19829 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
19830 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
19832 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
19834 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
19836 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
19838 server mode command: close/open all connections
19840 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
19841 has been changed before using it.
19843 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
19845 hide (sub)threads with low score.
19847 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
19849 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
19851 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
19852 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
19854 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
19855 contain groups that match a regexp.
19857 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
19860 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
19863 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
19864 from subject lines.
19866 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
19868 nntp-ping-before-connect
19870 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
19872 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
19873 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
19875 message annotations.
19877 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
19879 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
19880 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
19882 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
19887 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
19889 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
19891 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
19893 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
19894 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
19896 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
19898 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
19900 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
19901 finds and generate proper active ranges.
19903 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
19904 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
19906 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
19908 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
19910 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
19911 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
19913 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
19915 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
19917 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
19918 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
19921 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
19923 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
19925 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
19926 `C-c C-c' when posting.
19928 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
19931 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
19932 should be marker as expirable.
19934 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
19936 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
19937 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
19939 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
19940 Also consult Date headers.
19942 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
19944 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
19946 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
19947 Message-ID, delete the "original".
19949 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
19950 into a See-Also header.
19952 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
19954 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
19956 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
19957 should be listed as such and not as "K".
19959 generate font names dynamically.
19961 score file mode auto-alist.
19963 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
19964 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
19966 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
19967 absolutely all headers there is.
19969 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
19970 and pipe them to the process.
19972 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
19973 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
19974 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
19976 function for starting to edit a file to put into
19977 the current mail group.
19979 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
19981 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
19982 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
19984 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
19985 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
19987 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
19989 when replying to several process-marked articles,
19990 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
19992 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
19993 groups it has been mailed to.
19995 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
19997 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
19999 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
20001 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
20002 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
20004 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
20005 newlines) should be ignored.
20007 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
20008 groups in subtopics as well.
20010 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
20012 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
20015 add edit and forward secondary marks.
20017 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
20019 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
20021 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
20023 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
20025 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
20027 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
20028 or the formatted article.
20030 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
20032 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
20033 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
20035 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
20037 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
20039 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
20041 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
20042 even unread articles.
20044 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
20046 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
20048 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
20050 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
20052 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20054 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
20057 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
20058 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
20060 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
20061 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
20063 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
20065 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
20067 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
20068 from a particular server? Hm.
20070 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
20071 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
20073 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
20075 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
20076 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
20078 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
20079 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
20081 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
20082 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
20083 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
20086 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
20087 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
20089 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
20091 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
20093 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
20095 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
20098 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
20101 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
20102 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
20104 command to show and edit group scores
20106 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
20109 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
20111 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
20113 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
20114 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
20117 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
20118 that are of that length.
20120 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
20122 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
20124 asynchronous posting under nntp.
20126 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
20128 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
20130 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
20132 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
20133 a score lower than this number.
20135 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
20137 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
20139 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
20140 so that each copy can be edited separately.
20142 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
20144 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
20145 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
20147 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
20150 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
20151 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
20152 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
20153 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
20155 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
20158 command to remove all topic stuff.
20160 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
20161 and splitting the resulting digests.
20163 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
20165 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20167 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20168 matches an alist -- before saving.
20170 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20172 variable to activate each group before entering them
20173 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20175 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20176 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20178 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20179 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20181 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20183 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20184 of several groups at once.
20186 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20187 matches some regexp(s).
20189 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20191 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20193 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20195 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20197 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20199 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20201 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20203 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20204 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20205 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20206 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20208 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20209 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20211 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20213 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20214 recently cited text.
20216 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20218 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20221 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20222 server and just read the articles in the server
20224 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20225 value of nnoo variables.
20227 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20229 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20230 listed in each group info.
20232 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20235 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20236 should only be applied to some groups.
20238 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20239 mail-copies-to: never.
20241 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20242 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20244 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20246 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20249 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20252 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20254 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20257 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20261 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20263 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20264 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20265 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20266 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20267 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20269 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20270 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20277 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20278 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20280 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20281 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20283 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20284 "Return the date the group was last read."
20285 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20290 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20291 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20292 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20293 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20297 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20298 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20300 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20303 They could be used like this:
20307 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20308 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20309 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20311 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20313 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20316 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20319 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20320 affect the summary line format.
20324 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20326 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20327 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20329 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20332 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20334 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20336 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20338 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20340 - For other files, just find them normally.
20342 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20343 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20346 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20347 tell him what you are doing.
20350 Currently, I get prompted:
20354 decend into sci.something ?
20358 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20359 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20360 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20361 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20364 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20365 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20366 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20367 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20370 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20371 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20377 more than n blank lines
20379 more than m identical lines
20380 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20382 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20386 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20387 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20388 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20389 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20392 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20393 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20394 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20395 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20398 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20401 soup - bowl of soup
20402 score below - dim light bulb
20403 score over - bright light bulb
20406 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20411 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20412 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20413 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20414 if (articles-selected)
20415 start-reading-selected-articles;
20416 junk-unread-articles;
20421 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20422 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20423 select-thread-under-cursor;
20425 select-article-under-cursor;
20429 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20430 if (more-pages-in-article)
20432 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20439 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20440 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20441 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20444 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20445 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20446 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20447 the wildcard expression).
20450 It would be nice if it also handled
20452 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20454 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20459 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20460 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20461 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20462 article versions) variable.
20464 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20466 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20467 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20471 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20474 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20475 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20476 (message-sent-hook).
20478 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20481 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20485 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20486 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20489 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20490 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20491 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20494 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20495 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20499 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20502 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20506 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20507 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20510 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20511 value of the signature file.
20514 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20515 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20518 (setq message-tab-alist
20519 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20520 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20522 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20526 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20529 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20532 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20535 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20536 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20539 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20542 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20543 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20544 do more gathering by subject.
20547 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20548 article numerical order.
20551 (gnus-thread-total-score
20552 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20556 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
20559 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
20560 in the summary buffer.
20563 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
20564 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
20567 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
20568 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
20569 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
20570 and/or newsgroup name.
20573 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
20576 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
20579 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
20582 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
20583 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
20584 will automatically get the process mark.
20587 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
20588 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
20589 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
20592 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
20596 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
20597 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
20600 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
20601 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
20605 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
20606 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
20609 be able to post via DejaNews.
20612 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
20615 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
20616 allow them to be displayed separately.
20619 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
20620 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
20623 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
20624 articles that match a certain From header.
20627 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
20628 saving living summary buffers.
20631 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
20632 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
20635 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
20636 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
20639 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
20640 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
20643 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
20644 (goto-char (point-min))
20645 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
20646 (replace-match "`" t t))
20647 (goto-char (point-min))
20648 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
20649 (replace-match "'" t t))
20650 (goto-char (point-min))
20651 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
20652 (replace-match "\"" t t))
20653 (goto-char (point-min))
20654 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
20655 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
20660 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
20662 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
20663 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
20664 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
20665 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
20669 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
20672 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
20673 numbers and match on the age of the article.
20677 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
20678 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
20679 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
20681 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
20682 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
20684 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
20685 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
20690 all commands that react to the process mark should push
20691 the current process mark set onto the stack.
20694 gnus-article-hide-pgp
20695 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
20697 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
20699 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
20700 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
20703 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
20704 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
20707 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
20711 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
20712 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
20715 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
20718 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
20721 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
20724 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
20728 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
20734 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
20737 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
20741 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
20742 X characters in the body.
20745 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
20748 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
20751 format spec to "tab" to a position.
20754 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
20757 command to display all dormant articles.
20760 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
20763 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
20764 to something someone else has said.
20767 Read Netscape discussion groups:
20768 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
20771 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
20772 the displayed version.
20775 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
20779 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
20782 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
20783 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
20784 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
20788 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
20789 in the head or body.
20792 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
20795 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
20798 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
20799 in a special, unique buffer.
20802 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
20805 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
20806 is less than a certain number of days old.
20809 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
20812 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
20815 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
20816 file, for instance.
20819 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
20820 in any other dummy thread will make gnus highlight the
20821 dummy root instead of the first article.
20824 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
20825 topics for displaying.
20828 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
20829 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
20832 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
20835 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
20836 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
20837 summary buffer for each article.
20840 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
20843 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
20847 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
20850 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
20854 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
20857 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
20860 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
20861 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
20864 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
20865 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
20868 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
20869 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
20872 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
20873 timeout for all commands.
20876 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
20877 It should go somewhere else.
20880 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
20881 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
20882 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
20884 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
20885 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
20887 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
20888 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
20895 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
20896 --text follows this line--
20897 Sorry I killfiled you...
20899 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20901 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
20906 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
20910 - Edit article's summary line.
20912 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
20914 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
20920 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
20924 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
20925 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
20929 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
20932 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
20935 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
20936 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
20937 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
20938 turn into a [-] button.)
20941 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
20942 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
20943 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
20944 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
20947 Handle external-body parts.
20950 When renaming a group name, nnmail-split-history does not get the group
20954 Allow mail splitting on bodies when using advanced mail splitting.
20957 (body "whatever.text")
20961 Solve the halting problem.
20970 @section The Manual
20974 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20975 either @code{texi2dvi}
20977 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20978 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20980 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20982 The following conventions have been used:
20987 This is a @samp{string}
20990 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20993 This is a @file{file}
20996 This is a @code{symbol}
21000 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21004 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21007 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21010 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21013 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21014 ever get them confused.
21018 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21019 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21020 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21021 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21022 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21023 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21024 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21030 @node On Writing Manuals
21031 @section On Writing Manuals
21033 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21034 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21035 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21036 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21037 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21038 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21041 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21042 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21043 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21046 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21047 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21052 @section Terminology
21054 @cindex terminology
21059 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21060 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21061 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21062 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21063 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21067 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21068 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21069 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21070 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21074 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21078 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21083 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21084 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21085 is all done by the backends.
21089 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21090 default, way of getting news.
21094 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21095 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21100 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21101 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21105 A message that has been posted as news.
21108 @cindex mail message
21109 A message that has been mailed.
21113 A mail message or news article
21117 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21122 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21127 A line from the head of an article.
21131 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21132 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21136 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21137 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21138 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21139 normal @sc{head} format.
21143 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21144 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21145 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21146 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21147 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21148 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21150 @item killed groups
21151 @cindex killed groups
21152 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21153 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21155 @item zombie groups
21156 @cindex zombie groups
21157 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21160 @cindex active file
21161 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21162 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21163 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21166 @cindex bogus groups
21167 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21168 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21169 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21172 @cindex activating groups
21173 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21174 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21175 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21179 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21181 @item select method
21182 @cindex select method
21183 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21186 @item virtual server
21187 @cindex virtual server
21188 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21189 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21190 whole is a virtual server.
21194 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21195 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21198 @item ephemeral groups
21199 @cindex ephemeral groups
21200 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21201 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21202 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21205 @cindex solid groups
21206 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21207 group buffer are solid groups.
21209 @item sparse articles
21210 @cindex sparse articles
21211 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21212 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21216 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21217 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21221 @cindex thread root
21222 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21223 articles in the thread.
21227 An article that has responses.
21231 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21235 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21236 specified by RFC 1153.
21242 @node Customization
21243 @section Customization
21244 @cindex general customization
21246 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21247 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21248 for some quite common situations.
21251 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21252 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21253 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21254 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21258 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21259 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21261 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21262 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21263 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21267 @item gnus-read-active-file
21268 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21269 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21270 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21271 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21272 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21274 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21275 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21276 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21277 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21281 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21282 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21284 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21285 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21286 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21290 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21291 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21292 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21293 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21294 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21296 @item gnus-visible-headers
21297 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21298 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21299 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21300 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21302 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21304 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21305 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21306 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21309 @item gnus-use-full-window
21310 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21311 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21312 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21313 want to read them anyway.
21315 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21316 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21319 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21320 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21321 lines, which might save some time.
21325 @node Little Disk Space
21326 @subsection Little Disk Space
21329 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21330 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21334 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21335 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21336 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21337 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21340 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21341 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21342 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21343 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21346 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21347 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21348 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21349 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21350 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21356 @subsection Slow Machine
21357 @cindex slow machine
21359 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21360 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21362 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21363 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21365 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21366 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21367 summary buffer faster.
21371 @node Troubleshooting
21372 @section Troubleshooting
21373 @cindex troubleshooting
21375 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21383 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21386 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21387 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21391 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21392 like @samp{T-gnus 6.14.* (based on Pterodactyl Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*,
21393 FLIM 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you
21394 get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some
21395 old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21398 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21402 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21403 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21404 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21405 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21406 something like that.
21409 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21412 @cindex reporting bugs
21414 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21416 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21417 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21418 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21419 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21421 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21422 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21423 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21424 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21427 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21428 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21429 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21430 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21431 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21432 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21434 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21435 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21436 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21439 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21440 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21442 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21443 @cindex ding mailing list
21444 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21445 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21449 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21450 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21452 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21453 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21454 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21455 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21458 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21459 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21460 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21461 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21462 and general methods of operation.
21465 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21466 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21467 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21468 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21469 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21470 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21471 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21472 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21473 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21477 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21478 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21479 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21480 @cindex utility functions
21482 @cindex internal variables
21484 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21485 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21486 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21490 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21491 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21492 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21494 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21495 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21496 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21498 @item gnus-group-real-name
21499 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21500 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21503 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21504 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21505 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21506 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21508 @item gnus-get-info
21509 @findex gnus-get-info
21510 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21512 @item gnus-group-unread
21513 @findex gnus-group-unread
21514 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21518 @findex gnus-active
21519 The active entry for @var{group}.
21521 @item gnus-set-active
21522 @findex gnus-set-active
21523 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21525 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21526 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21527 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21530 @item gnus-continuum-version
21531 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21532 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21533 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21536 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21537 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21538 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21540 @item gnus-news-group-p
21541 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21542 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21544 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21545 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21546 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21548 @item gnus-server-to-method
21549 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21550 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21552 @item gnus-server-equal
21553 @findex gnus-server-equal
21554 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21556 @item gnus-group-native-p
21557 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21558 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21560 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21561 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21562 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21564 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21565 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21566 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21568 @item group-group-find-parameter
21569 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21570 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21571 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21573 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21574 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21575 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21577 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21578 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21579 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21581 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21582 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21583 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21584 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21587 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21591 @item gnus-read-method
21592 @findex gnus-read-method
21593 Prompts the user for a select method.
21598 @node Backend Interface
21599 @subsection Backend Interface
21601 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21602 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21603 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21604 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21605 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21606 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21608 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21609 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21610 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21611 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21612 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21613 been opened, the function should fail.
21615 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21616 name. Take this example:
21620 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21621 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21624 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21625 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21627 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21628 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21629 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21631 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21632 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21633 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21635 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21636 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21637 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21638 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21639 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21640 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21643 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21644 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21645 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21646 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21649 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21652 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21655 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21656 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21657 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21658 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21659 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21660 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21664 @node Required Backend Functions
21665 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21669 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21671 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21672 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21673 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21674 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21676 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21677 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21678 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21679 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21681 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21682 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21683 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21684 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21685 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21686 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21687 number, do maximum fetches.
21689 Here's an example HEAD:
21692 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21693 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21694 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21695 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21696 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21697 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21698 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21700 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21701 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21702 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21706 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21707 these in the data buffer.
21709 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21713 head = error / valid-head
21714 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21715 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21716 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21717 header = <text> eol
21720 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21721 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21725 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21726 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21727 field = <text except TAB>
21730 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21734 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21736 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21737 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21739 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21740 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21741 server. In fact, it should do so.
21743 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21744 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21747 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21749 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21750 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21753 There should be no data returned.
21756 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21758 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21759 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21760 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21761 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21763 There should be no data returned.
21766 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21768 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21769 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21770 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21771 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21773 There should be no data returned.
21776 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21778 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21780 There should be no data returned.
21783 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21785 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21786 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21787 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21788 it would be nice if that were possible.
21790 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21791 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21792 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21793 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21794 into its article buffer.
21796 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21797 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21798 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21799 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21800 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21801 on successful article retrieval.
21804 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21806 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21807 making @var{group} the current group.
21809 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21812 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21815 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21818 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21819 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21820 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21821 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21822 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21823 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21824 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21825 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21828 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21829 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21830 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21834 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21836 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21837 a no-op on most backends.
21839 There should be no data returned.
21842 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21844 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21847 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21850 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21851 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21854 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21855 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21858 active-file = *active-line
21859 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21861 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21864 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21865 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21866 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21869 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21871 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21872 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21873 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21874 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21875 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21876 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21878 There should be no result data from this function.
21883 @node Optional Backend Functions
21884 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21888 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21890 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21891 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21892 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21894 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21895 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21896 former is in the same format as the data from
21897 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21898 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21901 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21905 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21907 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21908 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21909 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21910 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21911 should return the (altered) group info.
21913 There should be no result data from this function.
21916 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21918 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21919 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21920 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21921 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21922 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21923 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21924 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21925 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21927 There should be no result data from this function.
21930 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21932 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21933 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21934 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21935 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21936 propagate the mark information to the server.
21938 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21941 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21944 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21945 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21946 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21947 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21948 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21949 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21950 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21951 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21952 not limit itself to these.
21954 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21955 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21956 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21957 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21959 An example action list:
21962 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21963 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21964 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21967 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21968 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21970 There should be no result data from this function.
21972 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21974 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21975 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21976 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21977 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21978 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21980 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21981 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21982 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21985 There should be no result data from this function.
21988 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21990 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21991 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21992 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21993 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21994 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21995 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21996 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21998 There should be no result data from this function.
22001 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22003 The result data from this function should be a description of
22007 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22009 description = <text>
22012 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22014 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22015 groups available on the server.
22018 description-buffer = *description-line
22022 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22024 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22025 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
22026 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
22029 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22031 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22033 There should be no return data.
22036 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22038 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22039 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22040 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22041 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22042 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22045 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22048 There should be no result data returned.
22051 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22054 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22055 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22057 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22058 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22059 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22060 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22061 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22062 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22064 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22065 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22068 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22069 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22071 There should be no data returned.
22074 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22076 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22077 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22078 this function in short order.
22080 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22081 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22083 There should be no data returned.
22086 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22088 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22089 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22091 There should be no data returned.
22094 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22096 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22097 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22098 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22100 There should be no data returned.
22103 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22105 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22106 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22108 There should be no data returned.
22113 @node Error Messaging
22114 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22116 @findex nnheader-report
22117 @findex nnheader-get-report
22118 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22119 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22120 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22121 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22122 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22123 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22126 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22128 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22131 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22132 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22133 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22134 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22136 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22137 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22138 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22141 @node Writing New Backends
22142 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22144 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22145 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22146 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22147 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22148 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22151 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22152 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22153 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22155 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22156 package called @code{nnoo}.
22158 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22159 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22165 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22166 parameters. For instance:
22169 (nnoo-declare nndir
22173 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22174 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22177 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22178 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22179 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22181 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22182 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22183 a function in those backends.
22186 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22187 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22188 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22191 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22192 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22193 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22195 @item nnoo-define-basics
22196 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22200 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22204 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22205 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22206 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22208 @item nnoo-map-functions
22209 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22210 functions from the parent backends.
22213 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22214 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22215 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22218 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22219 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22220 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22221 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22224 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22225 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22226 haven't already been defined.
22232 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22236 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22237 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22238 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22243 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22246 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22247 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22251 (require 'nnheader)
22255 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22257 (nnoo-declare nndir
22260 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22261 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22262 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22264 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22265 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22268 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22269 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22270 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22272 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22273 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22275 ;;; Interface functions.
22277 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22279 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22280 (setq nndir-directory
22281 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22283 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22284 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22285 (push `(nndir-current-group
22286 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22288 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22289 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22291 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22293 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22294 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22295 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22296 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22297 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22301 nnmh-status-message
22303 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22309 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22310 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22312 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22313 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22314 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22315 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22317 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22318 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22323 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22326 The abilities can be:
22330 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22332 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22334 This backend supports both mail and news.
22336 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22339 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22340 articles and groups.
22342 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22343 true for almost all backends.
22344 @item prompt-address
22345 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22346 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22347 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22351 @node Mail-like Backends
22352 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22354 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22355 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22356 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22357 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22360 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22361 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22362 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22365 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22366 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22369 This function takes four parameters.
22373 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22376 @item exit-function
22377 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22379 @item temp-directory
22380 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22383 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22384 performed for one group only.
22387 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22388 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22389 find the article number assigned to this article.
22391 The function also uses the following variables:
22392 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22393 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22394 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22395 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22399 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22400 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22404 @node Score File Syntax
22405 @subsection Score File Syntax
22407 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22408 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22409 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22411 Here's a typical score file:
22415 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22422 BNF definition of a score file:
22425 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22426 element = rule / atom
22427 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22428 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22429 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22430 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22432 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22433 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22434 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22435 date-header = "date"
22436 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22437 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22438 score = "nil" / <integer>
22439 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22440 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22441 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22442 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22443 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22444 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22445 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22446 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22447 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22448 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22449 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22450 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22451 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22452 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22453 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22454 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22455 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22456 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22457 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22458 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22459 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22460 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22461 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22462 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22463 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22464 eval = "eval" space <form>
22465 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22468 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22471 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22472 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22473 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22474 one looong line, then that's ok.
22476 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22477 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22481 @subsection Headers
22483 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22484 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22485 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22486 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22488 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22489 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22490 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22491 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22492 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22493 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22494 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22496 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22497 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22498 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22499 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22500 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22502 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22503 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22509 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22510 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22512 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22513 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22514 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22515 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22517 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22521 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22524 is transformed into
22527 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22530 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22531 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22534 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22537 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22538 is slightly tricky:
22541 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22547 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22550 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22556 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22563 and is equal to the previous range.
22565 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22566 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22567 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22571 range = simple-range / normal-range
22572 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22573 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22574 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22575 number *[ " " contents ]
22578 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22579 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22580 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22581 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22582 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22587 @subsection Group Info
22589 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22590 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22591 describes the group.
22593 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22594 second is a more complex one:
22597 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22599 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22600 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22602 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22605 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22606 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22607 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22608 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22609 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22610 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22611 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22612 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22613 this section is about.
22615 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22616 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22617 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22619 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22622 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22623 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22624 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22625 group = quote <string> quote
22626 ralevel = rank / level
22627 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22628 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22629 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22631 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22632 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22633 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22634 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22637 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22638 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22641 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22642 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22645 @item gnus-info-group
22646 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22647 @findex gnus-info-group
22648 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22649 Get/set the group name.
22651 @item gnus-info-rank
22652 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22653 @findex gnus-info-rank
22654 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22655 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22657 @item gnus-info-level
22658 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22659 @findex gnus-info-level
22660 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22661 Get/set the group level.
22663 @item gnus-info-score
22664 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22665 @findex gnus-info-score
22666 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22667 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22669 @item gnus-info-read
22670 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22671 @findex gnus-info-read
22672 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22673 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22675 @item gnus-info-marks
22676 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22677 @findex gnus-info-marks
22678 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22679 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22681 @item gnus-info-method
22682 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22683 @findex gnus-info-method
22684 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22685 Get/set the group select method.
22687 @item gnus-info-params
22688 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22689 @findex gnus-info-params
22690 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22691 Get/set the group parameters.
22694 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22695 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22697 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22698 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22699 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22700 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22703 @node Extended Interactive
22704 @subsection Extended Interactive
22705 @cindex interactive
22706 @findex gnus-interactive
22708 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22709 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22710 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22713 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22714 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22719 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22720 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22721 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22722 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22723 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22724 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22725 @code{interactive}.
22727 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22732 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22733 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22737 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22738 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22739 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22742 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22746 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22750 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22756 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22757 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22761 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22762 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22763 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22765 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22766 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22767 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22768 Gnus, that's very useful.
22770 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22771 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22772 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22773 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22774 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22775 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22776 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22777 following function:
22780 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22784 (,function ,@@args))
22788 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22789 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22790 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22793 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22794 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22795 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22797 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22798 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22799 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22802 @node Various File Formats
22803 @subsection Various File Formats
22806 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22807 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22811 @node Active File Format
22812 @subsubsection Active File Format
22814 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22815 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22818 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22821 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22822 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22823 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22824 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22825 no.general 1000 900 y
22828 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22831 active = *group-line
22832 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22833 group = <non-white-space string>
22835 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22836 low-number = <positive integer>
22837 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22840 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22841 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22844 @node Newsgroups File Format
22845 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22847 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22848 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22849 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22852 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22853 Here's the definition:
22857 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22858 group = <non-white-space string>
22860 description = <string>
22865 @node Emacs for Heathens
22866 @section Emacs for Heathens
22868 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22869 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22870 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22871 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22872 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22873 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22874 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22878 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22879 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22884 @subsection Keystrokes
22888 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22891 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22894 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22895 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22896 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22897 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22898 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22899 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22901 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22902 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22903 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22904 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22905 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22906 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22907 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22909 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22910 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22911 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22912 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22913 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22914 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22915 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22917 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22918 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22919 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22920 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22921 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22927 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22929 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22930 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22931 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22932 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22934 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22935 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22936 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22937 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22938 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22939 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22940 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22943 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22944 write the following:
22947 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22950 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22951 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22952 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22955 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22956 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22957 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22958 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22959 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22961 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22962 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22963 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22967 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22971 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22974 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22975 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22978 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22981 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22982 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22985 @include gnus-faq.texi