4 @settitle T-gnus 6.15 Manual
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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281 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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290 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
291 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
294 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
295 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
296 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
297 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
298 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
299 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
300 License'' in the Emacs manual.
302 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
303 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
304 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
306 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
307 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
308 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
309 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
317 This file documents gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
319 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
320 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
322 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
323 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
324 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
325 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
326 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
327 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
328 License'' in the Emacs manual.
330 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
331 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
332 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
334 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
335 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
336 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
337 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
343 @title T-gnus 6.15 Manual
345 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
349 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
350 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
352 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
353 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
354 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
355 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
356 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
357 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
358 License'' in the Emacs manual.
360 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
361 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
362 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
364 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
365 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
366 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
367 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
376 @top The gnus Newsreader
380 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using gnus. The news
381 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
382 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
385 T-gnus provides @sc{mime} features based on @sc{semi} API. So T-gnus
386 supports your right to read strange messages including big images or
387 other various kinds of formats. T-gnus also supports
388 internationalization/localization and multiscript features based on MULE
389 API. So T-gnus does not discriminate various language communities.
390 Oh, if you are a Klingon, please wait Unicode Next Generation.
392 This manual corresponds to T-gnus 6.15.
403 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
404 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
406 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
407 being accused of plagiarism:
409 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
410 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
411 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
412 can even read news with it!
414 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
415 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
416 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend gnus to make it behave
417 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
418 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
424 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
425 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
426 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
427 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
428 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
429 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
430 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
431 * Various:: General purpose settings.
432 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
433 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
434 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
435 * Key Index:: Key Index.
438 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
442 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
443 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
444 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
445 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
446 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
447 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
448 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
449 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
450 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
451 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
452 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
456 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
457 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
458 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
462 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
463 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
464 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
465 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
466 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
467 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
468 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
469 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
470 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
471 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
472 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
473 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
474 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
475 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
476 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
477 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
478 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
482 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
483 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
484 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
488 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
489 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
490 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
491 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
492 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
496 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
497 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
498 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
499 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
500 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
504 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
505 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
506 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
507 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
508 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
510 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
511 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
512 * Threading:: How threads are made.
513 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
514 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
515 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
516 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
517 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
518 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
519 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
520 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
521 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
522 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
523 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
524 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
525 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
526 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
527 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
528 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
529 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
530 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
531 or reselecting the current group.
532 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
533 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
534 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
535 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
537 Summary Buffer Format
539 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
540 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
541 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
542 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
546 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
547 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
549 Reply, Followup and Post
551 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
552 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
553 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
554 * Canceling and Superseding::
558 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
559 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
560 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
562 * Generic Marking Commands::
563 * Setting Process Marks::
567 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
568 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
569 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
573 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
574 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
576 Customizing Threading
578 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
579 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
580 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
581 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
585 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
586 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
587 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
588 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
589 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
590 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
594 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
595 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
596 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
600 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
601 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
602 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
603 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
604 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
605 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
606 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
607 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
608 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
609 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
611 Alternative Approaches
613 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
614 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
616 Various Summary Stuff
618 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
619 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
620 * Summary Generation Commands::
621 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
625 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
626 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
627 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
628 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
629 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
633 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
634 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
635 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
636 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
637 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
638 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
639 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
640 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
644 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
645 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
646 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
647 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
648 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
649 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
650 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
651 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
655 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
656 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
657 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
658 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
659 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
660 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
661 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
665 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
666 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
670 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
671 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
672 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
676 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
677 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
678 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
679 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
680 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
681 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
682 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
683 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
684 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
685 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
686 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
687 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
688 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
692 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
693 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
694 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
696 Choosing a Mail Back End
698 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
699 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
700 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
701 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
702 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
703 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
708 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
709 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
710 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
711 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
712 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
713 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
717 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
718 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
719 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
723 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
724 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
725 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
726 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
727 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
731 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
735 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
736 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
737 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
741 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
742 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
750 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
751 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
752 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
753 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
754 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
755 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
759 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
760 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
761 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
765 * Group Agent Commands::
766 * Summary Agent Commands::
767 * Server Agent Commands::
771 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
772 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
773 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
774 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
775 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
776 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
777 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
778 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
779 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
780 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
781 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
782 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
783 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
784 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
785 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
786 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
787 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
791 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
792 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
793 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
794 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
798 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
799 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
800 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
804 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
805 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
806 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
807 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
808 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
809 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
810 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
811 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
812 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
813 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
814 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
815 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
816 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
817 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
818 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
819 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
820 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
821 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
822 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
826 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
827 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
828 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
829 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
830 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
831 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
832 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
833 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
837 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
838 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
839 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
840 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
841 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
845 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
846 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
847 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
848 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
849 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
853 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
854 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
855 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
856 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
857 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
858 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
859 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
860 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
861 * Frequently Asked Questions::
865 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
866 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
867 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
868 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
869 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
870 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
871 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
872 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
873 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
877 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
878 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
879 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
880 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
881 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
885 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
886 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
887 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
888 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
892 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
893 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
894 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
895 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
896 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
897 * Group Info:: The group info format.
898 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
899 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
900 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
904 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
905 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
906 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
907 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
908 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
909 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
913 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
914 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
918 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
919 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
925 @chapter Starting gnus
930 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting gnus
931 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
934 @findex gnus-other-frame
935 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
936 If you want to start gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
937 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
939 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
940 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
941 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
943 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
944 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
947 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
948 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
949 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
950 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
951 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
952 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
953 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
954 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
955 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
956 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
957 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
961 @node Finding the News
962 @section Finding the News
965 @vindex gnus-select-method
967 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where gnus should look for
968 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
969 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
970 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
973 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
974 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
977 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
980 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
983 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
986 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
987 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
988 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
990 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
992 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
993 If this variable is not set, gnus will take a look at the
994 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
995 gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
996 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
997 that fails as well, gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
999 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1000 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1001 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1002 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1004 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 You can also make gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1007 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1008 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), gnus will let you choose between the servers
1009 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1010 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1011 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1012 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1015 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1017 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1018 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1019 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1020 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1021 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1022 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1024 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1026 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1027 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1028 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1029 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1030 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1031 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1034 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1035 you would typically set this variable to
1038 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1042 @node The First Time
1043 @section The First Time
1044 @cindex first time usage
1046 If no startup files exist, gnus will try to determine what groups should
1047 be subscribed by default.
1049 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1050 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, gnus
1051 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1052 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1055 Since she hasn't, gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1056 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1057 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1059 You'll also be subscribed to the gnus documentation group, which should
1060 help you with most common problems.
1062 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, gnus will just
1063 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1067 @node The Server is Down
1068 @section The Server is Down
1069 @cindex server errors
1071 If the default server is down, gnus will understandably have some
1072 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1073 the news groups, you may want to start gnus anyway.
1075 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1076 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1077 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1078 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1079 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1080 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1081 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1083 @findex gnus-no-server
1084 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1086 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1087 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1088 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start gnus. That might come in handy
1089 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1090 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1091 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1092 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1096 @section Slave Gnusae
1099 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one gnus at the
1100 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1101 are using the two different gnusae to read from two different servers),
1102 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1104 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1105 @code{.newsrc} file.
1107 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the gnus
1108 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1109 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1110 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1111 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1112 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1113 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1115 Anyway, you start one gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1116 however you do it). Each subsequent slave gnusae should be started with
1117 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1118 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1119 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master gnus
1120 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1121 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1122 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1124 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1125 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1127 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1128 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1129 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1130 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1131 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1133 @node Fetching a Group
1134 @section Fetching a Group
1135 @cindex fetching a group
1137 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1138 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1139 group and I don't care whether gnus has been started or not''. This is
1140 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1141 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1142 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1148 @cindex subscription
1150 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1151 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1152 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1153 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1154 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1155 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1156 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1157 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1158 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1161 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1162 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1163 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1167 @node Checking New Groups
1168 @subsection Checking New Groups
1170 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1171 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1172 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1173 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, gnus will ask the
1174 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1175 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1176 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1177 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1178 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1179 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1181 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1182 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1183 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1184 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1185 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1186 work. I could write a function to make gnus guess whether the server
1187 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1188 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1189 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1190 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1191 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1193 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, gnus will
1194 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1195 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1196 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1197 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1198 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1201 @node Subscription Methods
1202 @subsection Subscription Methods
1204 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1205 What gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1206 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1208 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1209 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1211 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1215 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1216 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1217 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1218 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1219 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1223 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1224 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1226 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1227 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1228 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1230 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1231 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1232 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1233 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1234 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1235 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1236 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1237 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1238 up. Or something like that.
1240 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1241 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1242 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that gnus will ask
1243 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1244 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1246 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1248 Kill all new groups.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1252 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1253 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1254 topic parameter that looks like
1260 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1263 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1268 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1269 A closely related variable is
1270 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1271 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will ask you in a
1272 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1273 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1276 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1277 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1278 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1279 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1282 @node Filtering New Groups
1283 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1285 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1286 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1287 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1290 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1293 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1294 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1295 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1296 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1297 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1298 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1299 subscribing these groups.
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1301 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1303 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1304 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1305 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1306 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1307 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1308 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1309 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1310 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1312 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1313 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1314 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1315 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1316 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1317 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1318 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1319 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1320 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1321 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1324 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1325 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1328 @node Changing Servers
1329 @section Changing Servers
1330 @cindex changing servers
1332 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1333 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1334 very flaky and you want to use another.
1336 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1337 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1341 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1342 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1343 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1344 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1347 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1348 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1349 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1350 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1352 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1353 @findex gnus-change-server
1354 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1355 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1356 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1357 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1358 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1360 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1361 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1362 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1363 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1364 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1367 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1368 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1369 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1370 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1371 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1373 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1374 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1375 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1376 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1378 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1379 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1380 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1381 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1382 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1383 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1384 cache for all groups).
1388 @section Startup Files
1389 @cindex startup files
1394 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1395 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1397 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1398 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1399 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1400 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1401 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1402 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1403 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1405 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1406 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1407 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1408 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1409 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1410 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1412 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1413 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1414 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1415 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1416 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from gnus faster.
1417 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1418 gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1419 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes gnus ignore the
1420 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1421 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1423 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1424 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1425 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1426 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1427 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1428 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1429 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1430 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1431 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1432 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1433 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1434 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1436 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1437 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1438 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1439 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1441 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1442 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1443 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1444 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1445 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1446 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1447 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1448 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1449 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1450 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1453 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1454 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1456 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1457 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1460 @vindex gnus-init-file
1461 When gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1462 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1463 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1464 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1465 @file{site-init} files with gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1466 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1467 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1468 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1469 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1475 @cindex dribble file
1478 Whenever you do something that changes the gnus data (reading articles,
1479 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1480 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1481 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1482 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1485 If gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1486 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1489 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1490 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, gnus won't create and
1491 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1493 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1494 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1495 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, gnus will dribble
1496 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1497 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1498 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1500 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1501 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1502 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1505 @node The Active File
1506 @section The Active File
1508 @cindex ignored groups
1510 When gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1511 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1512 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1514 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1515 Before examining the active file, gnus deletes all lines that match the
1516 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1517 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make gnus
1518 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1519 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1520 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1523 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1524 @c if you set it to anything else.
1526 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1528 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1529 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent gnus from
1530 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1532 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1533 you actually subscribe to.
1535 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1536 variable to @code{nil} will probably make gnus slower, not faster. At
1537 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow gnus down
1538 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1540 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1541 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1542 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1543 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1544 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1545 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1547 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1548 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1549 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1552 If this variable is @code{nil}, gnus will ask for group info in total
1553 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1554 @sc{nntp} server, gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1555 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1556 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1557 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1559 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1560 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1562 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1563 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1565 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1566 secondary select methods.
1569 @node Startup Variables
1570 @section Startup Variables
1574 @item gnus-load-hook
1575 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1576 A hook run while gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1577 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1578 times you start gnus.
1580 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1581 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1582 A hook run after starting up gnus successfully.
1584 @item gnus-startup-hook
1585 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1586 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1588 @item gnus-started-hook
1589 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1590 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up gnus
1593 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1594 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1595 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1596 generating the group buffer.
1598 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1599 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1600 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1601 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1602 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1603 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1604 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1605 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1607 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1608 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1609 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1610 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1611 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1612 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1614 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1615 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1616 Message displayed by gnus when no groups are available.
1618 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1619 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1620 If non-@code{nil}, play the gnus jingle at startup.
1622 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1623 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1624 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1625 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1631 @chapter Group Buffer
1632 @cindex group buffer
1634 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1636 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1637 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1638 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1639 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1640 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1641 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1642 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1643 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1644 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1645 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1646 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1647 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1648 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1649 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1650 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1651 @c human rights at 9...
1654 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1655 is the first buffer shown when gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1656 long as gnus is active.
1660 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1661 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1662 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1663 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1664 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1665 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1666 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1667 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1673 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1674 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1675 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1676 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1677 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1678 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1679 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1680 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1681 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1682 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1683 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1684 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1685 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1686 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1687 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1688 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1689 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1693 @node Group Buffer Format
1694 @section Group Buffer Format
1697 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1698 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1699 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1703 @node Group Line Specification
1704 @subsection Group Line Specification
1705 @cindex group buffer format
1707 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1708 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1710 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1713 25: news.announce.newusers
1714 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1719 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1720 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1721 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1722 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1724 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1725 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1726 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1727 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1728 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1729 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1731 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1733 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1734 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1735 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1736 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1737 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1739 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1740 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1741 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1743 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1748 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1751 Whether the group is subscribed.
1754 Level of subscribedness.
1757 Number of unread articles.
1760 Number of dormant articles.
1763 Number of ticked articles.
1766 Number of read articles.
1769 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1770 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1772 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1773 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1774 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1775 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1776 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1777 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1778 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1779 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1782 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1785 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1794 Newsgroup description.
1797 @samp{m} if moderated.
1800 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1809 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1813 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1816 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1817 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1818 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1819 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1820 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1823 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1825 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1829 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1832 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1836 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1837 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1838 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1839 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1840 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1841 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1846 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1847 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1848 group, or a bogus native group.
1851 @node Group Modeline Specification
1852 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1853 @cindex group modeline
1855 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1856 The mode line can be changed by setting
1857 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1858 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1862 The native news server.
1864 The native select method.
1868 @node Group Highlighting
1869 @subsection Group Highlighting
1870 @cindex highlighting
1871 @cindex group highlighting
1873 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1874 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1875 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1876 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1877 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1879 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1883 (cond (window-system
1884 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1885 (defface my-group-face-1
1886 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1887 (defface my-group-face-2
1888 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1889 (defface my-group-face-3
1890 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1891 (defface my-group-face-4
1892 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1893 (defface my-group-face-5
1894 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1896 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1897 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1898 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1899 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1900 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1901 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1904 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1906 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1913 The number of unread articles in the group.
1917 Whether the group is a mail group.
1919 The level of the group.
1921 The score of the group.
1923 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1925 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1926 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1928 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1929 topic being inserted.
1932 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1933 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal gnus
1934 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1936 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1937 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1938 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1939 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1940 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1943 @node Group Maneuvering
1944 @section Group Maneuvering
1945 @cindex group movement
1947 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1948 expected, hopefully.
1954 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1955 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1956 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1962 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1963 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1964 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1968 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1969 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1973 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1974 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1978 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1979 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1980 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1984 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1985 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1986 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1989 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1995 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1996 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1997 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2002 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2003 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2004 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2008 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2009 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2010 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2013 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2014 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2015 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2016 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2020 @node Selecting a Group
2021 @section Selecting a Group
2022 @cindex group selection
2027 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2028 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2029 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2030 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2031 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2032 this command, gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2033 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2034 determines the number of articles gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2035 positive, gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2036 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2038 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2039 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2040 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2042 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2043 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2048 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2049 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2050 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2051 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2052 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2056 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2057 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2058 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2059 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2060 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2061 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2062 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2063 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2064 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2065 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2068 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2069 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2070 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2071 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2072 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2075 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2076 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2077 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2078 doing any processing of its contents
2079 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2080 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2081 manner will have no permanent effects.
2085 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2086 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what gnus should consider
2087 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2088 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, gnus will query the user
2089 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2090 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2091 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2092 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2095 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2096 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2097 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2098 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2099 Which article this is is controlled by the
2100 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2106 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2109 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2112 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2114 @item unseen-or-unread
2115 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2116 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2120 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2124 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2125 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2127 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2128 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2129 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2130 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2134 @node Subscription Commands
2135 @section Subscription Commands
2136 @cindex subscription
2144 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2145 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2146 Toggle subscription to the current group
2147 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2153 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2154 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2155 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2156 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2162 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2163 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2164 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2170 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2171 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2174 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2175 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2176 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2177 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2178 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2184 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2185 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2189 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2190 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2193 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2194 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2195 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2196 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2197 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2198 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2199 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2200 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2201 @file{.newsrc} file.
2205 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2215 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2216 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2217 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2218 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2219 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2220 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2225 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2226 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2227 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2231 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2232 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2233 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2235 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2236 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2237 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2238 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2239 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2240 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2247 @section Group Levels
2251 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2252 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2253 can ask gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2254 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2255 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2257 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2263 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2264 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2265 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2266 prompted for a level.
2269 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2270 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2271 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2272 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2273 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2274 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2275 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2276 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2277 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2278 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2279 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2280 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2281 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2282 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2283 reasons of efficiency.
2285 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2286 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2288 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2289 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2290 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2291 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2292 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2293 groups are hidden, in a way.
2295 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2296 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2297 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2298 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2299 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2300 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2302 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2303 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2304 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2305 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2306 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2307 list of killed groups.)
2309 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2310 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2311 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2313 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2314 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2315 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2316 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2317 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2318 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2319 relevant valid ranges.
2321 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2322 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2323 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2324 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2325 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2326 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2329 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2330 one with the best level.
2332 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2333 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2334 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2337 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2338 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2339 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2340 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2343 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2344 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2345 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2346 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2348 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2349 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2350 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2351 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2352 to 5. The default is 6.
2356 @section Group Score
2361 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2362 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2363 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2366 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2367 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2368 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2369 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2370 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2371 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2372 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2373 least significant part.))
2375 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2376 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2377 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2378 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2379 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2380 action after each summary exit, you can add
2381 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2382 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2383 slow things down somewhat.
2386 @node Marking Groups
2387 @section Marking Groups
2388 @cindex marking groups
2390 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2391 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2392 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2393 bidding on those groups.
2395 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2396 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2397 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2405 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2406 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2412 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2413 Remove the mark from the current group
2414 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2418 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2419 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2423 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2424 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2428 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2429 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2433 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2434 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2435 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2438 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2440 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2441 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2442 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2443 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2444 the command to be executed.
2447 @node Foreign Groups
2448 @section Foreign Groups
2449 @cindex foreign groups
2451 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2452 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2453 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2454 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2461 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2462 @cindex making groups
2463 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2464 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2465 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2469 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2470 @cindex renaming groups
2471 Rename the current group to something else
2472 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2473 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2479 @findex gnus-group-customize
2480 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2485 @cindex renaming groups
2486 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2487 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2491 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2492 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2493 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2497 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2498 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2499 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2505 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2506 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2512 Make the gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2516 @cindex (ding) archive
2517 @cindex archive group
2518 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2519 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2520 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2521 Make a gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2522 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2523 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2524 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2530 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2531 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2532 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2533 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2537 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2539 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2540 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2541 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2545 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2546 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2548 Make a group based on some file or other
2549 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2550 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2551 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2552 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2553 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2554 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2555 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2556 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2557 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2561 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2562 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2563 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2564 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2568 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2573 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2574 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2575 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2576 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2577 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2578 @xref{Web Searches}.
2580 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2581 to a particular group by using a match string like
2582 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2585 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2586 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2587 This function will delete the current group
2588 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2589 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2590 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2591 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2592 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2596 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2597 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2598 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2602 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2603 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2604 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2607 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2610 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2611 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2612 gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2613 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2614 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2615 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2619 @node Group Parameters
2620 @section Group Parameters
2621 @cindex group parameters
2623 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2624 Here's an example group parameter list:
2627 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2631 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2632 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2633 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2634 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2636 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2637 is an alist of regexps and values.
2639 The following group parameters can be used:
2644 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2647 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2650 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2651 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2652 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2653 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2654 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2656 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2657 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2658 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2659 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2660 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2661 list address instead.
2663 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2667 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2670 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2673 It is totally ignored
2674 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2675 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2677 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2678 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2679 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2680 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2681 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2683 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2684 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2685 sending the message.
2687 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2688 @cindex Mail List Groups
2689 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2690 entering summary buffer.
2692 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2697 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2698 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2699 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information
2700 will help it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To headers for your
2701 posts to these lists.
2703 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2704 directly uses this group parameter.
2708 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2709 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2710 of whether it has any unread articles.
2712 @item broken-reply-to
2713 @cindex broken-reply-to
2714 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2715 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2716 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2717 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2718 broken behavior. So there!
2722 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2723 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2727 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, gnus
2728 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2729 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2734 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2735 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2736 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2737 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2738 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2739 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2740 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2741 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2742 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2746 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2747 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2748 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2750 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2753 @cindex total-expire
2754 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2755 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2756 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2757 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2760 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2764 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2765 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2766 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2767 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2768 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2769 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2772 @cindex score file group parameter
2773 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2774 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2775 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2778 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2779 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2780 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2781 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2784 @cindex admin-address
2785 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2786 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2787 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2788 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2792 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2793 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2797 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2800 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2801 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2804 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2808 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2810 Here are some examples:
2814 Display only unread articles.
2817 Display everything except expirable articles.
2819 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2820 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2824 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2825 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2826 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2827 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2828 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2832 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2833 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2834 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2838 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2839 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2840 gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2845 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2846 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2847 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2849 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2851 @item ignored-charsets
2852 @cindex ignored-charset
2853 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2854 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2855 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2857 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2860 @cindex posting-style
2861 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2862 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2863 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2864 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2865 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2867 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2868 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2869 like this in the group parameters:
2874 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2879 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2880 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2884 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2885 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2886 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2887 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2888 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2892 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2893 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2894 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2895 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2897 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2898 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2899 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2900 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2903 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2904 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2908 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2911 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2912 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2913 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2914 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2915 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2916 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2917 @code{eval}ed there.
2919 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2920 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2921 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2922 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2923 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2924 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2925 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2926 parameters for the group.
2929 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2930 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2931 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2932 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2933 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2937 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2938 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2939 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2940 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2941 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2943 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2944 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2948 (setq gnus-parameters
2950 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2951 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2952 (gnus-summary-line-format
2953 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2957 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2961 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2965 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2968 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2969 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2972 @node Listing Groups
2973 @section Listing Groups
2974 @cindex group listing
2976 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2984 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2985 List all groups that have unread articles
2986 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2987 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2988 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2989 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2996 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2997 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2998 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2999 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3000 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3001 unsubscribed groups).
3005 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3006 List all unread groups on a specific level
3007 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3008 with no unread articles.
3012 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3013 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3014 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3015 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3020 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3021 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3025 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3026 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3027 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3031 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3032 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3036 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3037 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3038 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3039 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3040 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3041 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3042 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3043 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3047 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3048 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3049 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3054 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3055 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3059 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3060 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3064 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3065 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3069 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3070 List groups limited within the current selection
3071 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3075 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3076 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3080 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3081 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3085 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3086 @cindex visible group parameter
3087 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3088 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3089 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3090 get the same effect.
3092 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3093 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3094 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3095 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3096 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3099 @node Sorting Groups
3100 @section Sorting Groups
3101 @cindex sorting groups
3103 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3104 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3105 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3106 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3107 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3108 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3113 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3115 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3117 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3118 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3119 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3121 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3122 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3123 Sort by group level.
3125 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3126 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3127 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3129 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3130 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3131 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3132 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3134 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3135 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3136 Sort by number of unread articles.
3138 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3139 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3140 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3142 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3144 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3149 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3150 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3154 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3155 some sorting criteria:
3159 @kindex G S a (Group)
3160 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3161 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3162 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3165 @kindex G S u (Group)
3166 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3167 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3168 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3171 @kindex G S l (Group)
3172 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3173 Sort the group buffer by group level
3174 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3177 @kindex G S v (Group)
3178 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3179 Sort the group buffer by group score
3180 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3183 @kindex G S r (Group)
3184 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3185 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3186 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3189 @kindex G S m (Group)
3190 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3191 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3192 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3196 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3197 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3199 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3200 commands will sort in reverse order.
3202 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3206 @kindex G P a (Group)
3207 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3208 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3209 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3212 @kindex G P u (Group)
3213 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3214 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3215 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3218 @kindex G P l (Group)
3219 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3220 Sort the groups by group level
3221 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3224 @kindex G P v (Group)
3225 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3226 Sort the groups by group score
3227 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3230 @kindex G P r (Group)
3231 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3232 Sort the groups by group rank
3233 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3236 @kindex G P m (Group)
3237 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3238 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3239 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3243 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3247 @node Group Maintenance
3248 @section Group Maintenance
3249 @cindex bogus groups
3254 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3255 Find bogus groups and delete them
3256 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3260 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3261 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3262 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3263 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3264 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3268 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3269 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3270 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3271 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3272 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3273 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3276 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3277 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3278 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3279 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3284 @node Browse Foreign Server
3285 @section Browse Foreign Server
3286 @cindex foreign servers
3287 @cindex browsing servers
3292 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3293 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3294 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3295 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3298 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3299 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3300 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3301 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3303 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3308 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3309 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3313 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3314 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3317 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3318 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3319 Enter the current group and display the first article
3320 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3323 @kindex RET (Browse)
3324 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3325 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3329 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3330 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3331 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3337 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3338 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3342 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3343 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3344 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3349 @section Exiting gnus
3350 @cindex exiting gnus
3352 Yes, gnus is ex(c)iting.
3357 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3358 Suspend gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit gnus,
3359 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3360 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3364 @findex gnus-group-exit
3365 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3366 Quit gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3370 @findex gnus-group-quit
3371 Quit gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3372 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3375 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3376 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3377 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend gnus and
3378 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit gnus, while
3379 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3384 If you wish to completely unload gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3385 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3386 trying to customize meta-variables.
3391 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3392 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3393 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3399 @section Group Topics
3402 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3403 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3404 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3405 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3406 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3407 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3411 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3412 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3423 2: alt.religion.emacs
3426 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3428 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3429 13: comp.sources.unix
3432 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3434 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3435 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3436 is a toggling command.)
3438 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3439 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3440 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3441 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3444 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3445 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3446 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3449 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3453 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3454 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3455 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3456 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3457 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3461 @node Topic Commands
3462 @subsection Topic Commands
3463 @cindex topic commands
3465 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3466 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3467 definitions slightly.
3469 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3470 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3471 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3472 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3473 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3474 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3476 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3483 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3484 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3485 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3489 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3491 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3492 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3493 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3494 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3497 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3498 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3499 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3500 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3504 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3505 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3506 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3507 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3513 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3514 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3515 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3519 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3520 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3521 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3524 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3525 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3526 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3527 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3528 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3530 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3531 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3535 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3536 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3543 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3545 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3546 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3547 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3548 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3549 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3550 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3554 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3560 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3561 Move the current group to some other topic
3562 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3563 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3567 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3568 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3572 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3573 Copy the current group to some other topic
3574 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3575 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3579 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3580 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3581 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3585 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3586 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3587 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3591 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3592 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3593 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3594 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3595 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3596 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3597 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3600 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3601 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3605 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3606 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3607 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3611 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3612 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3613 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3617 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3618 Toggle hiding empty topics
3619 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3623 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3624 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3625 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3628 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3629 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3630 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3631 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3634 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3635 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3636 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3637 expiry process (if any)
3638 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3642 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3643 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3646 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3647 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3648 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3652 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3653 List all groups that gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3654 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3657 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3658 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3659 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3662 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3663 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3664 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3668 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3669 @cindex group parameters
3670 @cindex topic parameters
3672 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3673 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3678 @node Topic Variables
3679 @subsection Topic Variables
3680 @cindex topic variables
3682 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3683 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3685 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3686 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3687 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3700 Number of groups in the topic.
3702 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3704 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3707 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3708 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3709 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3712 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3713 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3715 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3716 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3717 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3721 @subsection Topic Sorting
3722 @cindex topic sorting
3724 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3730 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3731 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3732 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3733 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3736 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3737 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3738 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3739 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3742 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3743 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3744 Sort the current topic by group level
3745 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3748 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3749 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3750 Sort the current topic by group score
3751 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3754 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3755 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3756 Sort the current topic by group rank
3757 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3760 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3761 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3762 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3763 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3766 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3767 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3768 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3769 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3773 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3774 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3775 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3776 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3780 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3781 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3785 @node Topic Topology
3786 @subsection Topic Topology
3787 @cindex topic topology
3790 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3796 2: alt.religion.emacs
3799 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3801 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3802 13: comp.sources.unix
3805 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3806 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3807 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3812 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3813 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3817 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3818 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3819 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3820 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3821 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3822 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3824 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3825 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3826 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3829 @node Topic Parameters
3830 @subsection Topic Parameters
3831 @cindex topic parameters
3833 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3834 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3835 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3837 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3842 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3843 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3844 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3847 @item subscribe-level
3848 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3849 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3850 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3854 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3855 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3856 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3857 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3863 2: alt.religion.emacs
3867 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3869 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3870 13: comp.sources.unix
3874 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3875 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3876 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3877 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3878 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3879 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3881 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3882 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3883 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3884 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3885 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3887 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3888 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3889 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3890 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3891 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3892 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3893 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3894 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3897 @node Misc Group Stuff
3898 @section Misc Group Stuff
3901 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3902 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3903 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3904 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3905 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3912 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3913 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3914 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3918 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3919 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3920 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3921 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3922 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3923 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3924 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3928 @findex gnus-group-mail
3929 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3930 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3931 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3932 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3936 @findex gnus-group-news
3937 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3938 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3939 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3941 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3942 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3943 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3944 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3945 for this to work though.
3949 Variables for the group buffer:
3953 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3954 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3955 is called after the group buffer has been
3958 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3959 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3960 is called after the group buffer is
3961 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3964 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3965 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3966 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3967 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3969 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3970 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3971 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3972 whether they are empty or not.
3974 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3975 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3976 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3977 non-ASCII group names.
3981 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3982 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3985 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3986 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3987 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3988 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3989 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3990 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3994 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3995 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4000 @node Scanning New Messages
4001 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4002 @cindex new messages
4003 @cindex scanning new news
4009 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4010 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4011 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4012 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4013 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4014 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4019 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4020 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4021 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4022 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4023 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4024 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4025 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4027 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4028 @cindex activating groups
4030 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4031 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4036 @findex gnus-group-restart
4037 Restart gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4038 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4039 gnus variables, and then starts gnus all over again.
4043 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4044 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4046 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4047 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4051 @node Group Information
4052 @subsection Group Information
4053 @cindex group information
4054 @cindex information on groups
4061 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4062 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4065 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4066 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4067 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4068 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4069 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4070 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4071 for fetching the file.
4073 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, gnus will attempt to go
4074 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4078 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4080 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4081 @cindex describing groups
4082 @cindex group description
4083 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4084 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4085 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4089 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4090 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4091 prefix, force gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4098 @findex gnus-version
4099 Display current gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4103 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4104 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4107 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4110 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4111 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4115 @node Group Timestamp
4116 @subsection Group Timestamp
4118 @cindex group timestamps
4120 It can be convenient to let gnus keep track of when you last read a
4121 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4122 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4125 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4128 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4130 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4131 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4134 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4135 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4138 This will result in lines looking like:
4141 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4142 0: custom 19961002T012713
4145 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4146 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4150 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4151 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4154 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4155 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4159 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4160 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4161 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4162 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4164 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4170 @subsection File Commands
4171 @cindex file commands
4177 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4178 @vindex gnus-init-file
4179 @cindex reading init file
4180 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4181 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4185 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4186 @cindex saving .newsrc
4187 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4188 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4189 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4192 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4193 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4194 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4199 @node Sieve Commands
4200 @subsection Sieve Commands
4201 @cindex group sieve commands
4203 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4204 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4205 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4206 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4207 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4209 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4210 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4211 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4212 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4213 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4214 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4215 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4216 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4217 regenerate the Sieve script.
4219 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4220 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4221 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4222 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4223 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4224 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4225 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4226 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4227 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4228 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4231 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4232 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4237 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4243 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4244 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4245 @cindex generating sieve script
4246 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4247 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4251 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4252 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4253 @cindex updating sieve script
4254 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4255 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4256 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4261 @node Summary Buffer
4262 @chapter Summary Buffer
4263 @cindex summary buffer
4265 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4266 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4268 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4269 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4271 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4274 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4275 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4276 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4277 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4278 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4279 * Delayed Articles::
4280 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4281 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4282 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4283 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4284 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4285 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4286 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4287 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4288 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4289 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4290 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4291 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4292 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4293 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4294 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4295 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4296 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4297 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4298 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4299 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4300 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4301 or reselecting the current group.
4302 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4303 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4304 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4305 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4309 @node Summary Buffer Format
4310 @section Summary Buffer Format
4311 @cindex summary buffer format
4315 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4316 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4317 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4323 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4324 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4325 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4326 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4329 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4330 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4331 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4332 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4333 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4334 @code{From} header. Three pre-defined functions exist:
4335 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4336 fast, and too simplistic solution;
4337 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works nicely, but is
4338 slower; and @code{std11-extract-address-components}, which works very
4339 nicely, but is slower. The default function will return the wrong
4340 answer in 5% of the cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the
4341 other function instead:
4344 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4345 'mail-extract-address-components)
4348 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4349 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4350 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4351 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4354 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4355 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4357 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4358 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4359 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4360 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4361 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4363 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4364 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4365 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4366 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4367 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4368 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4370 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4372 The following format specification characters and extended format
4373 specification(s) are understood:
4379 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4380 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4382 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4383 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4384 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4386 Full @code{From} header.
4388 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4390 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4391 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4393 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4394 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4395 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4396 may be more thorough.
4398 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4401 Number of lines in the article.
4403 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4404 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4406 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4408 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4411 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4412 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4414 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4415 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4417 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4418 for adopted articles.
4420 One space for each thread level.
4422 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4424 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4427 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4428 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4429 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4432 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4434 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4435 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4436 default level. If the difference between
4437 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4438 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4446 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4448 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4454 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4455 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4457 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4458 article has any children.
4464 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4465 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4467 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4468 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4469 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4470 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4471 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4472 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4475 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4476 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4477 There can only be one such area.
4479 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4480 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, gnus will
4481 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4482 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4483 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4484 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4486 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4487 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4489 This restriction may disappear in later versions of gnus.
4492 @node To From Newsgroups
4493 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4497 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4498 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4499 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4500 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4501 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4505 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4506 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4507 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4511 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4512 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4515 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4516 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4519 @findex gnus-extra-header
4520 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4521 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4522 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4525 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4529 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4530 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4531 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4532 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4533 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4534 headers are used instead.
4538 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4539 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4540 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4541 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4544 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4545 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4546 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4547 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4549 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4553 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4555 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4556 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4557 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4558 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4562 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4565 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4566 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4573 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4574 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4577 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4578 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4580 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4581 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4582 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4583 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4585 Here are the elements you can play with:
4591 Unprefixed group name.
4593 Current article number.
4595 Current article score.
4599 Number of unread articles in this group.
4601 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4604 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4605 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4606 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4607 and no unselected ones.
4609 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4610 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4612 Subject of the current article.
4614 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4616 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4618 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4620 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4622 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4624 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4628 @node Summary Highlighting
4629 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4633 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4634 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4635 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4636 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4637 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4639 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4640 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4641 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4642 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4644 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4645 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4646 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4647 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4649 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4650 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4651 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4652 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4653 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4654 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4657 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4658 ((> score default) . bold))
4660 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4661 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4665 @node Summary Maneuvering
4666 @section Summary Maneuvering
4667 @cindex summary movement
4669 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4670 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4672 None of these commands select articles.
4677 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4678 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4679 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4680 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4681 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4685 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4686 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4687 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4688 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4689 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4692 @kindex G g (Summary)
4693 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4694 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4695 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4698 If gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4699 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4700 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4701 to the group buffer.
4703 Variables related to summary movement:
4707 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4708 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4709 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4710 no more unread articles after the current one, gnus will offer to go to
4711 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4712 empty, gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4713 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, gnus will select the
4714 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4715 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, gnus will select the
4716 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4717 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4718 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4719 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4720 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4722 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4723 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4724 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4725 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4726 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4727 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4728 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4730 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4732 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4733 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4734 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4735 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4736 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4738 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4739 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4740 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4741 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4742 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4743 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4744 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4745 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4748 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4749 the given number of lines from the top.
4754 @node Choosing Articles
4755 @section Choosing Articles
4756 @cindex selecting articles
4759 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4760 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4764 @node Choosing Commands
4765 @subsection Choosing Commands
4767 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4768 and they all select and display an article.
4770 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4771 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4775 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4776 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4777 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4778 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4783 @kindex G n (Summary)
4784 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4785 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4786 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4791 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4792 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4793 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4798 @kindex G N (Summary)
4799 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4800 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4805 @kindex G P (Summary)
4806 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4807 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4810 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4811 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4812 Go to the next article with the same subject
4813 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4816 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4817 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4818 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4819 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4823 @kindex G f (Summary)
4825 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4826 Go to the first unread article
4827 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4831 @kindex G b (Summary)
4833 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4834 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4835 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4836 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4841 @kindex G l (Summary)
4842 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4843 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4846 @kindex G o (Summary)
4847 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4849 @cindex article history
4850 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4851 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4852 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4853 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4854 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4855 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4860 @kindex G j (Summary)
4861 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4862 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4863 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4868 @node Choosing Variables
4869 @subsection Choosing Variables
4871 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4874 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4875 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4876 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4877 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4878 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4879 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4881 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4882 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4883 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4884 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4886 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4887 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4888 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4889 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4890 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4891 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4892 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4893 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4894 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4895 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4896 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4897 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4898 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4899 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4904 @node Paging the Article
4905 @section Scrolling the Article
4906 @cindex article scrolling
4911 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4912 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4913 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4914 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4915 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4918 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4919 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4920 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4923 @kindex RET (Summary)
4924 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4925 Scroll the current article one line forward
4926 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4929 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4930 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4931 Scroll the current article one line backward
4932 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4936 @kindex A g (Summary)
4938 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4939 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4940 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4941 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4942 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4943 the way it came from the server.
4945 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4946 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4947 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4950 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4955 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4960 @kindex A < (Summary)
4961 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4962 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4963 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4968 @kindex A > (Summary)
4969 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4970 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4974 @kindex A s (Summary)
4976 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4977 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4978 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4982 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4983 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4988 @node Reply Followup and Post
4989 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4992 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4993 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4994 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4995 * Canceling and Superseding::
4999 @node Summary Mail Commands
5000 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5002 @cindex composing mail
5004 Commands for composing a mail message:
5010 @kindex S r (Summary)
5012 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5013 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5014 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5015 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5016 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5021 @kindex S R (Summary)
5022 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5023 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5024 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5025 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5026 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5029 @kindex S w (Summary)
5030 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5031 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5032 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5033 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5034 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5037 @kindex S W (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5039 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5040 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5041 the process/prefix convention.
5044 @kindex S v (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5046 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5047 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5048 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5049 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5050 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5054 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5055 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5056 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5057 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5058 Forward the current article to some other person
5059 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5060 headers of the forwarded article.
5065 @kindex S m (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5067 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5068 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5069 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5070 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5075 @kindex S i (Summary)
5076 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5077 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5078 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5079 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5081 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5082 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5083 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5084 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5085 for this to work though.
5088 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5089 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5090 @cindex bouncing mail
5091 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5092 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5093 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5094 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5095 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5096 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, gnus will try to fetch
5097 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5098 very well fail, though.
5101 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5102 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5103 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5104 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5105 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5106 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5107 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5108 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5109 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5110 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5112 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5113 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5114 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5115 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5116 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5118 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5119 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5122 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5123 @findex gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward
5124 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5125 result using mail (@code{gnus-summary-digest-mail-forward}). This
5126 command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5129 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5130 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5131 @cindex crossposting
5132 @cindex excessive crossposting
5133 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5134 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5136 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5137 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5138 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5139 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5140 command understands the process/prefix convention
5141 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5145 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5146 Manual}, for more information.
5149 @node Summary Post Commands
5150 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5152 @cindex composing news
5154 Commands for posting a news article:
5160 @kindex S p (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5162 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5163 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5164 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5165 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5170 @kindex S f (Summary)
5171 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5172 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5173 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5177 @kindex S F (Summary)
5179 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5180 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5181 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5182 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5183 process/prefix convention.
5186 @kindex S n (Summary)
5187 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5188 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5189 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5192 @kindex S N (Summary)
5193 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5194 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5195 message through mail and include the original message
5196 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5197 the process/prefix convention.
5200 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5201 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5202 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5203 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
5204 headers of the forwarded article.
5207 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5208 @findex gnus-summary-digest-post-forward
5210 @cindex making digests
5211 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5212 (@code{gnus-summary-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5213 process/prefix convention.
5216 @kindex S u (Summary)
5217 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5218 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5219 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5220 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5223 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5224 Manual}, for more information.
5227 @node Summary Message Commands
5228 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5232 @kindex S y (Summary)
5233 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5234 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5235 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5236 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5237 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5242 @node Canceling and Superseding
5243 @subsection Canceling Articles
5244 @cindex canceling articles
5245 @cindex superseding articles
5247 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5248 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5250 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5252 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5254 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5255 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5256 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5257 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5258 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5259 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5261 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5262 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5265 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5266 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5267 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5269 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5270 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5271 your original article.
5273 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5275 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5276 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5277 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5280 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5281 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5282 have posted almost the same article twice.
5284 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5285 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5286 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5287 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5288 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5289 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5290 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5291 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5292 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5293 canceled/superseded.
5295 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5297 @node Delayed Articles
5298 @section Delayed Articles
5299 @cindex delayed sending
5300 @cindex send delayed
5302 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5303 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5304 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5305 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5308 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5311 @findex gnus-delay-article
5312 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5313 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5314 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5315 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5319 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5320 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5321 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5322 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5325 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5326 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5327 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5330 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5331 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5332 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5333 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5334 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5335 that means a time tomorrow.
5338 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5339 couple of variables:
5342 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5343 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5344 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5345 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5347 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5348 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5349 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5350 formats described above.
5352 @item gnus-delay-group
5353 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5354 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5355 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5356 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5358 @item gnus-delay-header
5359 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5360 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5361 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5362 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5365 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5366 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5367 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5368 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5369 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5371 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5372 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5373 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5374 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5375 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5376 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5379 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5380 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5381 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5382 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5383 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5384 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5385 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5386 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5388 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5389 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5390 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5391 forget to set that up :-)
5395 @node Marking Articles
5396 @section Marking Articles
5397 @cindex article marking
5398 @cindex article ticking
5401 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5403 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5404 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5405 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5407 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5410 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5411 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5412 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5416 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5420 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5421 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5422 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5426 @node Unread Articles
5427 @subsection Unread Articles
5429 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5434 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5435 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5437 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5438 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5439 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5440 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5441 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5442 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5443 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5446 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5447 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5449 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5450 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5451 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5452 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5456 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5457 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5459 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5464 @subsection Read Articles
5465 @cindex expirable mark
5467 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5472 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5473 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5474 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5477 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5478 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5481 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5482 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5483 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5486 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5487 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5490 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5491 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5494 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5495 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5498 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5499 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5502 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5503 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5506 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5507 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5510 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5511 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5515 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5516 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5517 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5521 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5522 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5524 One more special mark, though:
5528 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5529 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5531 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5532 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5533 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5534 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by gnus at
5540 @subsection Other Marks
5541 @cindex process mark
5544 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5550 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5551 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5552 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5553 in the article, and gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5554 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5557 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5558 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5559 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5560 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5563 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5564 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5565 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5568 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5569 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5570 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5573 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5574 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5575 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5576 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5579 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5580 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5581 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5582 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5583 mark, in which case it simply never appears.
5586 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5587 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5588 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5591 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5592 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5593 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5594 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5595 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5598 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5599 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5600 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5601 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5602 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5603 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5607 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5608 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5609 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5611 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5612 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5613 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5617 @subsection Setting Marks
5618 @cindex setting marks
5620 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5625 @kindex M c (Summary)
5626 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5627 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5628 @cindex mark as unread
5629 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5630 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5636 @kindex M t (Summary)
5637 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5638 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5639 @xref{Article Caching}.
5644 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5645 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5646 Mark the current article as dormant
5647 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5651 @kindex M d (Summary)
5653 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5654 Mark the current article as read
5655 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5659 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5660 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5661 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5666 @kindex M k (Summary)
5667 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5668 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5669 and then select the next unread article
5670 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5674 @kindex M K (Summary)
5675 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5676 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5677 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5678 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5681 @kindex M C (Summary)
5682 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5683 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5684 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5687 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5688 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5689 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5690 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5693 @kindex M H (Summary)
5694 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5695 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5696 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5699 @kindex M h (Summary)
5700 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5701 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5702 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5705 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5706 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5707 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5708 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5711 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5712 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5713 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5714 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5718 @kindex M e (Summary)
5720 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5721 Mark the current article as expirable
5722 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5725 @kindex M b (Summary)
5726 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5727 Set a bookmark in the current article
5728 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5731 @kindex M B (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5733 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5734 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5737 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5739 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5740 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5743 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5745 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5746 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5749 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5751 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5752 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5753 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5756 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5757 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5758 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5759 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5760 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5761 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5762 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5763 The default is @code{t}.
5766 @node Generic Marking Commands
5767 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5769 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5770 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5771 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5772 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5773 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5776 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5777 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5780 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5781 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5782 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5783 to list in this manual.
5785 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5786 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5787 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5788 article, you could say something like:
5791 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5792 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5793 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5799 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5800 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5804 @node Setting Process Marks
5805 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5806 @cindex setting process marks
5813 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5814 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5815 Mark the current article with the process mark
5816 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5817 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5821 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5822 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5823 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5824 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5827 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5829 Remove the process mark from all articles
5830 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5833 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5835 Invert the list of process marked articles
5836 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5839 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5840 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5841 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5842 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5845 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5846 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5847 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5848 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5851 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5852 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5853 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5856 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5857 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5858 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5859 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5862 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5863 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5864 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5865 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5868 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5870 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5871 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5874 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5875 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5876 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5879 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5880 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5881 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5882 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5885 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5887 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5890 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5892 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5893 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5896 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5897 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5898 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5899 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5902 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5904 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5905 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5908 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5910 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5911 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5915 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5916 set process marks based on article body contents.
5923 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5924 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5925 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5928 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5929 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5930 additional articles.
5936 @kindex / / (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5938 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5939 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5943 @kindex / a (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5945 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5946 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5950 @kindex / x (Summary)
5951 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5952 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5953 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5954 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5959 @kindex / u (Summary)
5961 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5962 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5963 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5964 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5965 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5968 @kindex / m (Summary)
5969 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5970 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5971 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5974 @kindex / t (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5976 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5977 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5978 articles younger than that number of days.
5981 @kindex / n (Summary)
5982 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5983 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5984 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5985 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5988 @kindex / w (Summary)
5989 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5990 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5991 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5995 @kindex / v (Summary)
5996 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5997 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5998 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6001 @kindex / p (Summary)
6002 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6003 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6004 group parameter predicate
6005 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6006 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6010 @kindex M S (Summary)
6011 @kindex / E (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6013 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6014 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6017 @kindex / D (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6019 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6020 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6023 @kindex / * (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6025 Include all cached articles in the limit
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6029 @kindex / d (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6031 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6032 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6035 @kindex / M (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6037 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6040 @kindex / T (Summary)
6041 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6042 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6045 @kindex / c (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6047 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6051 @kindex / C (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6053 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6054 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6055 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6058 @kindex / N (Summary)
6059 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6060 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6061 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6064 @kindex / o (Summary)
6065 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6066 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6067 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6075 @cindex article threading
6077 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6078 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6079 hierarchical fashion.
6081 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6082 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6083 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6084 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6085 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6086 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6087 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6089 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6093 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6096 A tree-like article structure.
6099 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6102 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6103 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6104 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6105 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6106 called loose threads.
6108 @item thread gathering
6109 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6111 @item sparse threads
6112 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6113 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6119 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6120 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6124 @node Customizing Threading
6125 @subsection Customizing Threading
6126 @cindex customizing threading
6129 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6130 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6131 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6132 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6137 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6140 @cindex loose threads
6143 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6144 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6145 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6146 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6147 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6148 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6150 When there is no real root of a thread, gnus will have to fudge
6151 something. This variable says what fudging method gnus should use.
6152 There are four possible values:
6156 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6157 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6158 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6159 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6160 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6165 @cindex adopting articles
6170 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6171 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6172 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6173 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6176 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6177 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6178 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6179 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6180 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6181 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6182 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6185 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6186 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6187 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6191 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6192 display them after one another.
6195 Don't gather loose threads.
6198 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6199 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6200 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6201 variable is @code{nil}, gnus requires an exact match between the
6202 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6203 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6204 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6205 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6206 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6207 variable to a really low number, you'll find that gnus will gather
6208 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6210 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6211 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, gnus will
6212 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6215 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6216 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6217 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6218 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6219 simplification is used.
6221 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6222 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6223 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6224 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6226 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6228 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6234 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6235 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6236 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6237 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6242 (mapconcat 'identity
6243 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6245 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6248 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6251 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6252 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6253 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6254 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6255 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6256 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6258 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6261 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6262 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6263 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6265 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6266 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6269 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6270 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6271 Remove excessive whitespace.
6274 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6277 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6278 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6279 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6280 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6281 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6282 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6283 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6284 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6286 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6287 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6288 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6289 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6290 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6291 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6292 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6293 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6294 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6298 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6299 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6300 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6301 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6303 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6304 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6305 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6308 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6312 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6313 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6319 @node Filling In Threads
6320 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6323 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6324 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6325 If non-@code{nil}, gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6326 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6327 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6328 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6329 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6330 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6331 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6332 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6333 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6334 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6337 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6338 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6339 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6341 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6342 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6343 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6344 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6345 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6346 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6347 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where gnus guesses that an article
6348 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6349 lines. If you select a gap, gnus will try to fetch the article in
6350 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, gnus will display all these
6351 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6352 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, gnus won't cut
6353 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6354 @code{nil} by default.
6356 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6357 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6358 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6359 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6360 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6361 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6362 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6364 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6365 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6366 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6371 @node More Threading
6372 @subsubsection More Threading
6375 @item gnus-show-threads
6376 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6377 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6378 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6379 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6380 slower and more awkward.
6382 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6383 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6384 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6387 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6388 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6389 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6394 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6395 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6396 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6399 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6400 unread, but you get my drift.)
6403 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6404 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6405 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6406 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6407 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6408 threads are expunged.
6410 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6411 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6412 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6415 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6416 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6417 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6418 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6419 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6420 result in a new thread.
6422 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6423 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6424 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6427 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6428 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6429 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6430 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6431 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6432 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6433 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6434 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6435 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6436 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6437 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6442 @node Low-Level Threading
6443 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6447 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6448 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6449 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
6450 @code{(gnus-set-summary-default-charset)}, which sets up local value of
6451 @code{default-mime-charset} in summary buffer based on variable
6452 @code{gnus-newsgroup-default-charset-alist}.
6454 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6455 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6456 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6457 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6458 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6459 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6460 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6461 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6462 meaningful. Here's one example:
6465 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6467 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6468 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6470 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6472 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6479 @node Thread Commands
6480 @subsection Thread Commands
6481 @cindex thread commands
6487 @kindex T k (Summary)
6488 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6489 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6490 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6491 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6492 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6497 @kindex T l (Summary)
6498 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6499 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6500 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6501 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6504 @kindex T i (Summary)
6505 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6506 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6507 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6510 @kindex T # (Summary)
6511 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6512 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6513 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6516 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6517 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6518 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6519 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6522 @kindex T T (Summary)
6523 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6524 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6527 @kindex T s (Summary)
6528 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6529 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6530 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6533 @kindex T h (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6535 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6538 @kindex T S (Summary)
6539 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6540 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6543 @kindex T H (Summary)
6544 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6545 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6548 @kindex T t (Summary)
6549 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6550 Re-thread the current article's thread
6551 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6552 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6555 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6556 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6557 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6558 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6562 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6563 understand the numeric prefix.
6568 @kindex T n (Summary)
6570 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6572 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6573 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6574 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6577 @kindex T p (Summary)
6579 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6581 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6582 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6583 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6586 @kindex T d (Summary)
6587 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6588 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6591 @kindex T u (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6593 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6596 @kindex T o (Summary)
6597 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6598 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6601 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6602 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6603 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6604 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6605 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6606 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6607 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6608 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6609 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6610 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6611 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6612 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6616 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6617 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6619 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6620 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6621 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6622 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6623 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6624 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6625 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6626 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6627 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6628 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6629 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6630 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6632 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6633 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6634 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6635 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6636 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6637 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date} and
6638 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6640 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6641 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6642 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6644 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6645 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6646 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6647 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6648 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6649 ascending article order.
6651 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6652 by number, you could do something like:
6655 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6656 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6657 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6658 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6661 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6662 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6663 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6664 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6665 which the articles arrived.
6667 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6671 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6673 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6674 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6677 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6678 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6679 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6680 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6683 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6684 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6685 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6686 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6687 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6688 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6689 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6690 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6691 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6692 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6693 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6694 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6695 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6697 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6701 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6702 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6703 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6708 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6709 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6710 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6711 @cindex article pre-fetch
6714 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6715 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6716 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6717 article appears. Why can't gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6718 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6720 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6721 article fetching, especially the way gnus does it.
6723 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6724 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6725 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6726 article 3, but since gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6727 connection is blocked.
6729 To avoid these situations, gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6730 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6731 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6732 extra connection takes some time, so gnus startup will be slower.
6734 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6735 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6736 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6737 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6740 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6743 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6744 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6745 happen automatically.
6747 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6748 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6749 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6750 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6751 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6752 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6753 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6755 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6756 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6757 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6758 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6759 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6760 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6761 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6762 data structure as the only parameter.
6764 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6767 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6768 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6769 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6770 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6773 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6776 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6777 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down gnus too much.
6778 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6780 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6781 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6782 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6783 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6787 Remove articles when they are read.
6790 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6793 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6795 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6796 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6797 @c from the next group.
6800 @node Article Caching
6801 @section Article Caching
6802 @cindex article caching
6805 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6806 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6807 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6808 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6809 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6811 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6813 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6814 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6815 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6816 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6817 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6818 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6819 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6820 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6822 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6823 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6824 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6825 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6826 as dormant, and don't worry.
6828 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6830 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6831 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6832 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6833 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6834 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6835 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6836 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6837 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6838 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6839 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6841 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6842 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6843 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6844 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6845 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6846 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6847 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6848 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6849 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6850 not then be downloaded by this command.
6852 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6853 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6854 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6855 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6856 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6857 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6859 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6860 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6861 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6862 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6863 variables, the group is not cached.
6865 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6866 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6867 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6868 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6869 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6870 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, gnus
6871 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6872 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6873 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6876 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
6877 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
6878 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
6879 where, isn't that cool?
6881 @node Persistent Articles
6882 @section Persistent Articles
6883 @cindex persistent articles
6885 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6886 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6887 useful in my opinion.
6889 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6890 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6891 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6892 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6893 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6894 the expiry going on at the news server.
6896 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6897 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6898 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6904 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6905 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6908 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6909 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6910 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6911 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6915 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6917 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6918 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6919 interested in persistent articles:
6922 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6926 @node Article Backlog
6927 @section Article Backlog
6929 @cindex article backlog
6931 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6932 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6933 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where gnus will buffer
6934 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6935 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6936 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6937 that, turning the backlog on will slow gnus down a little bit, and
6938 increase memory usage some.
6940 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6941 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, gnus will store
6942 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6943 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, gnus will store
6944 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6945 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6946 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6948 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6951 @node Saving Articles
6952 @section Saving Articles
6953 @cindex saving articles
6955 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6956 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6957 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6958 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6959 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6961 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6962 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, gnus will not delete
6963 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6965 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6966 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6967 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6968 deleted before saving.
6974 @kindex O o (Summary)
6976 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6977 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6978 Save the current article using the default article saver
6979 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6982 @kindex O m (Summary)
6983 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6984 Save the current article in mail format
6985 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6988 @kindex O r (Summary)
6989 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6990 Save the current article in rmail format
6991 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6994 @kindex O f (Summary)
6995 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6996 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6997 Save the current article in plain file format
6998 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7001 @kindex O F (Summary)
7002 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7003 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7004 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7007 @kindex O b (Summary)
7008 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7009 Save the current article body in plain file format
7010 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7013 @kindex O h (Summary)
7014 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7015 Save the current article in mh folder format
7016 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7019 @kindex O v (Summary)
7020 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7021 Save the current article in a VM folder
7022 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7026 @kindex O p (Summary)
7028 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7029 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7030 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7033 @kindex O P (Summary)
7034 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7035 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7036 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7037 external program Muttprint (see
7038 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7039 options to use is controlled by the variable
7040 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7044 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7045 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7046 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7047 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7048 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7049 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7050 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7051 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7052 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7053 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7054 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7055 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7059 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7060 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7061 gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7062 functions below, or you can create your own.
7066 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7067 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7068 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7069 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7070 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7071 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7072 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7074 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7075 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7076 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7077 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7078 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7079 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7081 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7082 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7083 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7084 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7085 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7086 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7087 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7089 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7090 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7091 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7092 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7093 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7094 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7096 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7097 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7098 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7099 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7100 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7102 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7103 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7104 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7105 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7106 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7109 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7110 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7111 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7112 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7113 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7115 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7116 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7117 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7118 reader to use this setting.
7121 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7122 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7123 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7124 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7127 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7128 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7129 available functions that generate names:
7133 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7134 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7135 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7137 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7138 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7139 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7141 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7142 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7143 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7145 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7146 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7147 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7149 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7150 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7151 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7154 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7155 You can have gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7156 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7157 save articles related to gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7158 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7162 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7163 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7164 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7165 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7168 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7169 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7170 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7171 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7172 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7173 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7174 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7175 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7176 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7178 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7179 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7180 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7181 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7183 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7184 means that gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7185 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7188 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7189 lots of mail groups called things like
7190 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7191 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7192 following will do just that:
7195 (defun my-save-name (group)
7196 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7197 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7199 (setq gnus-split-methods
7200 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7205 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7206 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7207 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7208 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7209 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7210 all the files in the top level directory
7211 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7212 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7213 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7214 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7216 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7217 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7218 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7219 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7220 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7223 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7227 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7228 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7229 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7232 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7233 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7234 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7235 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7238 @node Decoding Articles
7239 @section Decoding Articles
7240 @cindex decoding articles
7242 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7243 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7246 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7247 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7248 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7249 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7250 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7251 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7255 @cindex article series
7256 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7257 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7258 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7259 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7260 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7262 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7263 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7264 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7266 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, gnus
7267 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7268 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7270 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7271 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7272 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7275 @node Uuencoded Articles
7276 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7278 @cindex uuencoded articles
7283 @kindex X u (Summary)
7284 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7285 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7286 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7289 @kindex X U (Summary)
7290 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7291 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7292 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7295 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7296 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7297 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7300 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7301 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7302 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7303 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7307 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7308 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7309 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7310 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7311 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7313 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7314 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7315 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7316 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7319 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7320 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7321 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7322 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7323 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7324 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7328 @node Shell Archives
7329 @subsection Shell Archives
7331 @cindex shell archives
7332 @cindex shared articles
7334 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7335 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7336 some commands to deal with these:
7341 @kindex X s (Summary)
7342 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7343 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7346 @kindex X S (Summary)
7347 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7348 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7351 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7353 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7356 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7358 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7359 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7363 @node PostScript Files
7364 @subsection PostScript Files
7370 @kindex X p (Summary)
7371 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7372 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7375 @kindex X P (Summary)
7376 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7377 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7378 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7381 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7382 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7383 View the current PostScript series
7384 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7387 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7388 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7389 View and save the current PostScript series
7390 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7395 @subsection Other Files
7399 @kindex X o (Summary)
7400 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7401 Save the current series
7402 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7405 @kindex X b (Summary)
7406 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7407 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7408 doesn't really work yet.
7412 @node Decoding Variables
7413 @subsection Decoding Variables
7415 Adjective, not verb.
7418 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7419 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7420 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7424 @node Rule Variables
7425 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7426 @cindex rule variables
7428 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7429 variables are of the form
7432 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7439 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7440 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7442 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7443 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7446 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7447 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7450 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7451 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7452 This variable is consulted if gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7453 user and default view rules.
7455 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7456 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7457 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7462 @node Other Decode Variables
7463 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7466 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7468 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7469 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7470 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7471 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7472 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7476 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7477 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7480 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7481 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7482 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7485 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7486 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7487 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7488 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7489 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7492 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7493 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7494 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7496 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7497 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7498 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7499 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7500 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7503 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7504 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7505 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7507 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7508 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7509 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7510 looking for files to display.
7512 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7513 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7514 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7517 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7518 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7519 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7522 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7523 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7524 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7527 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7528 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7529 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7532 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7533 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7534 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7535 decoded articles as unread.
7537 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7538 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7539 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7540 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7542 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7543 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7544 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7546 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7547 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7549 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7550 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7551 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7552 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7554 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7555 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7556 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7557 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7558 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7559 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7560 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7561 simply dropped them.
7566 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7567 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7571 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7572 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7573 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7574 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7575 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7576 for you when you post the article.
7578 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7579 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7580 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7581 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7583 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7584 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7585 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7586 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7587 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7588 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7589 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7591 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7592 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7593 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7594 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7595 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7596 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7597 Default is @code{t}.
7603 @subsection Viewing Files
7604 @cindex viewing files
7605 @cindex pseudo-articles
7607 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, gnus will attempt
7608 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7609 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7610 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, gnus will
7611 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7612 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7613 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7615 Finally, gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7616 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7617 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7618 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7620 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7621 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7622 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7624 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7625 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7626 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7627 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7628 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7630 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7631 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7632 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7633 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7634 a list of parameters to that command.
7636 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7637 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7638 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7640 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7641 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7642 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7645 @node Article Treatment
7646 @section Article Treatment
7648 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7649 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7650 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7651 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7652 these articles easier.
7655 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7656 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7657 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7658 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7659 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7660 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7661 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7662 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7663 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7664 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7668 @node Article Highlighting
7669 @subsection Article Highlighting
7670 @cindex highlighting
7672 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7673 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7678 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7679 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7680 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7681 Do much highlighting of the current article
7682 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7683 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7686 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7687 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7688 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7689 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7690 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7691 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7692 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7693 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7694 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7695 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7696 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7697 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7700 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7701 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7702 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7704 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7707 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7709 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7710 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7711 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7713 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7714 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7715 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7717 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7718 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7719 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7720 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7721 gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7722 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7724 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7725 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7726 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7728 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7729 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7730 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7732 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7733 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7734 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7735 that it's a citation.
7737 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7738 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7739 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7741 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7742 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7743 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7745 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7746 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7747 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7748 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7754 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7755 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7756 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7757 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7758 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7759 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7760 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7761 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7766 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7769 @node Article Fontisizing
7770 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7772 @cindex article emphasis
7774 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7775 @kindex W e (Summary)
7776 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7777 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7778 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7779 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7781 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7782 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7783 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7784 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7785 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7786 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7787 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7788 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7792 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7793 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7794 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7803 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7804 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7805 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7806 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7807 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7808 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7809 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7810 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7811 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7812 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7813 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7814 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7815 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7817 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7818 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7819 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7823 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7826 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7828 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7829 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7830 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7831 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7833 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7836 @node Article Hiding
7837 @subsection Article Hiding
7838 @cindex article hiding
7840 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7841 too much cruft in most articles.
7846 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7847 @findex gnus-article-hide
7848 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7849 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7850 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7853 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7854 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
7855 Toggle hiding of headers (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7859 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7860 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7861 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7862 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7865 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7866 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7867 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7871 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7872 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7873 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7874 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7875 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7876 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7877 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7878 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7882 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7883 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7884 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7885 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7890 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7891 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7892 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7893 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7894 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7895 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7896 articles that have signatures in them do:
7898 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7900 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7902 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7903 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7905 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7908 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7913 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7914 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7915 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7916 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7919 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7920 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7923 @cindex stripping advertisements
7924 @cindex advertisements
7925 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7926 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7927 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7928 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7929 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7930 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7931 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7932 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7933 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7934 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7938 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7939 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7940 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7941 customizing the hiding:
7945 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7946 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7947 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7948 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7949 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7950 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7951 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7956 Starting point of the hidden text.
7958 Ending point of the hidden text.
7960 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7962 Number of lines of hidden text.
7965 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7966 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7967 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7968 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7969 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7974 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7975 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7977 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7978 following two variables:
7981 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7982 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7983 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7984 50), hide the cited text.
7986 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7987 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7988 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7993 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7994 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7995 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7996 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7997 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7998 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8002 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8003 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8004 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8006 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8007 citation customization.
8009 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8013 @node Article Washing
8014 @subsection Article Washing
8016 @cindex article washing
8018 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8019 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8021 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8022 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8025 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8026 articles by default.
8031 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8032 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8036 @kindex W l (Summary)
8037 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8038 Remove page breaks from the current article
8039 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8043 @kindex W r (Summary)
8044 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8045 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8046 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8047 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8048 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8049 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8051 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8052 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8053 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8054 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8058 @kindex W t (Summary)
8060 @findex gnus-article-toggle-headers
8061 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8062 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-headers}).
8065 @kindex W v (Summary)
8066 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
8067 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8068 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
8071 @kindex W m (Summary)
8072 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
8073 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
8074 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
8077 @kindex W o (Summary)
8078 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8079 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8082 @kindex W d (Summary)
8083 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8084 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8086 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8088 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8089 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8090 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8091 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8094 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8095 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8096 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8097 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8100 @kindex W k (Summary)
8101 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8102 @cindex Outlook Express
8103 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8104 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8107 @kindex W w (Summary)
8108 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8109 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8111 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8115 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8116 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8117 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8120 @kindex W C (Summary)
8121 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8122 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8123 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8126 @kindex W c (Summary)
8127 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8128 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8129 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8130 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8131 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8134 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8135 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8136 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8137 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8138 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8139 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8140 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8142 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8145 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8146 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8147 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8148 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8149 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8152 @kindex W u (Summary)
8153 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8154 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8155 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8156 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8157 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8160 @kindex W h (Summary)
8161 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8162 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that the this is
8163 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8164 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8166 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8168 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8169 The default is to use w3 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is
8170 controlled by the @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable.
8171 Pre-defined functions you can use include:
8174 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8175 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3
8176 Use w3 (this is the default).
8178 @item gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8179 @findex gnus-article-wash-html-with-w3m
8180 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8185 @kindex W b (Summary)
8186 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8187 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8188 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8191 @kindex W B (Summary)
8192 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8193 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8194 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8197 @kindex W p (Summary)
8198 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8199 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8200 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8201 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8202 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8203 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8204 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8207 @kindex W s (Summary)
8208 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8209 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8210 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8213 @kindex W a (Summary)
8214 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8215 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8216 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8219 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8220 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8221 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8222 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8225 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8226 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8227 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8228 lines with a single empty line.
8229 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8232 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8233 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8234 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8235 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8238 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8239 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8240 Do all the three commands above
8241 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8244 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8245 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8246 Remove all blank lines
8247 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8250 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8251 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8252 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8253 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8256 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8257 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8258 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8259 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8263 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8266 @node Article Header
8267 @subsection Article Header
8269 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8274 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8275 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8276 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8279 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8280 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8281 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8282 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8285 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8286 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-header
8287 Fold all the message headers
8288 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8292 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8293 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8294 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8299 @node Article Buttons
8300 @subsection Article Buttons
8303 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8304 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8305 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8306 button on these references.
8308 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8309 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8310 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8315 @item gnus-button-alist
8316 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8317 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8320 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8326 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8327 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8328 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8331 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8332 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8333 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8336 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8337 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8338 avoid false matches.
8341 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8344 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8345 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8349 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8352 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8355 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8356 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8357 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8358 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8359 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8362 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8365 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8367 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8368 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8369 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8370 default values of the variables above.
8372 @item gnus-article-button-face
8373 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8374 Face used on buttons.
8376 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8377 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8378 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8382 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8386 @subsection Article Date
8388 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8389 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8390 when the article was sent.
8395 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8396 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8397 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8398 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8401 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8402 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8404 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8405 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8408 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8409 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8410 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8413 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8414 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8415 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8416 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8419 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8420 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8421 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8422 @findex format-time-string
8423 Display the date using a user-defined format
8424 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8425 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8426 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8427 for a list of possible format specs.
8430 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8431 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8432 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8433 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8434 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8435 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8438 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8441 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8442 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8445 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8446 into wonderful absurdities.
8448 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8451 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8454 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8455 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8459 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8460 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8461 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8462 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8463 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8464 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8465 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8469 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8470 preferred format automatically.
8473 @node Article Display
8474 @subsection Article Display
8479 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8480 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8482 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8483 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8485 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8486 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8488 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8489 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8491 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8496 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8497 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8498 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8499 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8502 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8503 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8504 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8507 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8508 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8509 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8512 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8513 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8514 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8515 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8518 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8519 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8520 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8521 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8524 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8525 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8526 Remove all images from the article buffer
8527 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8533 @node Article Signature
8534 @subsection Article Signature
8536 @cindex article signature
8538 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8539 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8540 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8541 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8542 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8543 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8544 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8545 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8546 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8549 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8550 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8551 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8552 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8553 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8554 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8555 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8556 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8559 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8562 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8563 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8564 signature when displaying articles.
8568 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8571 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8574 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8575 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8577 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8578 in question is not a signature.
8581 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8582 listed above. Here's an example:
8585 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8586 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8589 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8590 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8591 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8592 signature after all.
8595 @node Article Miscellania
8596 @subsection Article Miscellania
8600 @kindex A t (Summary)
8601 @findex gnus-article-babel
8602 Translate the article from one language to another
8603 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8609 @section MIME Commands
8610 @cindex MIME decoding
8612 @cindex viewing attachments
8614 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8615 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8621 @kindex K v (Summary)
8622 View the @sc{mime} part.
8625 @kindex K o (Summary)
8626 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8629 @kindex K c (Summary)
8630 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8633 @kindex K e (Summary)
8634 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8637 @kindex K i (Summary)
8638 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8641 @kindex K | (Summary)
8642 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8645 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8650 @kindex K b (Summary)
8651 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8652 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8656 @kindex K m (Summary)
8657 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8658 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8659 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8660 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8661 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8664 @kindex X m (Summary)
8665 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8666 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8667 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8668 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8671 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8672 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8673 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8674 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8677 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8678 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8679 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8682 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8683 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8684 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8686 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8687 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8688 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8689 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8690 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8691 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8694 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8695 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8696 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8703 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8704 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8705 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8706 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8709 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8712 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8716 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8717 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8718 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8719 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8720 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8721 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8724 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8725 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8726 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8727 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8728 displayed. This variable overrides
8729 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8731 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8732 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8733 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8735 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8736 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8737 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8738 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8739 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8740 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8741 save all jpegs into some directory).
8743 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8746 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8747 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8749 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8750 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8751 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8752 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8753 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8756 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8757 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8758 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8760 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8761 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8762 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8763 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8765 Ready-made functions include@*
8766 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8767 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8768 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8769 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8770 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8771 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8772 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8773 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8774 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8775 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8776 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8777 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8779 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8780 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8782 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8783 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8784 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8787 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8788 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8789 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8790 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8794 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8803 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8804 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8805 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8806 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8807 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8808 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8809 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8811 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8812 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8813 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8814 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8816 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8817 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8818 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8819 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8820 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8821 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8822 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8823 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8825 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8826 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8827 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8828 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8829 quoted-printable header encoding.
8831 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8832 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8833 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8837 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8840 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8841 means encode all charsets),
8843 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8844 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8845 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8852 @cindex coding system aliases
8853 @cindex preferred charset
8855 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8857 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8858 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8861 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8862 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8865 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8866 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8868 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8871 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8874 This will almost do the right thing.
8876 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8880 (codepage-setup 1251)
8881 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8885 @node Article Commands
8886 @section Article Commands
8893 @kindex A P (Summary)
8894 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8895 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8896 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8897 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8898 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8899 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8904 @node Summary Sorting
8905 @section Summary Sorting
8906 @cindex summary sorting
8908 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8909 can't really see why you'd want that.
8914 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8915 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8916 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8919 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8920 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8921 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8924 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8925 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8926 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8929 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8930 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8931 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8934 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8935 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8936 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8939 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8940 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8941 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8944 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8945 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8946 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8949 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8950 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8951 Sort using the default sorting method
8952 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8955 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8956 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8957 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8958 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8959 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8963 @node Finding the Parent
8964 @section Finding the Parent
8965 @cindex parent articles
8966 @cindex referring articles
8971 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8972 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8973 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8974 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8975 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8976 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8977 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8978 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8979 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8981 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8982 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8983 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, gnus will fetch the parent, the
8984 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8985 @kbd{-3 ^}, gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8989 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8990 @kindex A R (Summary)
8991 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8992 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8995 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8996 @kindex A T (Summary)
8997 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8998 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8999 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9000 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9001 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9002 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9003 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9005 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9006 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9007 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9008 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9009 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9010 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9013 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9014 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9016 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9017 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9018 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9019 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9020 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9021 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9022 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9025 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9026 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9027 by giving this command a prefix.
9029 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9030 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9031 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9032 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9033 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9034 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9037 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9038 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9039 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9042 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9043 then ask Deja if that fails:
9046 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9048 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
9051 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9052 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9053 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9054 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9055 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9056 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9057 support this at all.
9060 @node Alternative Approaches
9061 @section Alternative Approaches
9063 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9064 gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9067 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9068 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9073 @subsection Pick and Read
9074 @cindex pick and read
9076 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9077 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9078 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9079 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9081 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9082 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9083 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9084 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9085 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9086 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9088 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9093 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9094 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9095 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9096 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9097 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9098 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9099 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9100 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9103 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9104 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9105 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9106 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9110 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9111 Unpick the thread or article
9112 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9113 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9114 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9115 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9116 the thread or article at that line.
9120 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9121 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9122 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9123 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9124 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9125 will still be visible when you are reading.
9129 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9130 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9131 which is mapped to the same function
9132 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9134 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9137 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9140 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9141 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9143 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9144 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9145 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9147 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9148 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9149 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9150 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9151 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9152 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9153 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9157 @subsection Binary Groups
9158 @cindex binary groups
9160 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9161 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9162 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9163 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9164 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9165 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9166 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9169 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9170 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9171 command, when you have turned on this mode
9172 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9174 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9175 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9179 @section Tree Display
9182 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9183 If you don't like the normal gnus summary display, you might try setting
9184 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9185 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9188 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9191 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9192 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9193 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9195 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9196 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9197 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9198 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9199 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9201 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9202 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9203 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9204 default is @code{modeline}.
9206 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9207 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9208 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9209 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9210 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9211 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9212 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9218 The name of the poster.
9220 The @code{From} header.
9222 The number of the article.
9224 The opening bracket.
9226 The closing bracket.
9231 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9233 Variables related to the display are:
9236 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9237 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9238 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9239 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9240 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9241 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9243 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9244 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9245 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9246 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9250 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9251 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9252 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, gnus will try to keep the tree
9253 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other gnus
9254 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9255 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9256 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9257 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9258 other windows displayed next to it.
9260 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9264 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9265 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9268 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9269 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9270 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9271 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9272 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9273 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9274 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9278 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9281 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9291 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9295 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9296 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9298 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9300 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9305 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9306 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9307 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9310 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9311 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9312 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9313 (gnus-add-configuration
9317 (summary 0.75 point)
9322 @xref{Window Layout}.
9325 @node Mail Group Commands
9326 @section Mail Group Commands
9327 @cindex mail group commands
9329 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9330 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9332 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9333 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9338 @kindex B e (Summary)
9339 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9340 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9341 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9342 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9343 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9346 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9347 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9348 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9349 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9350 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9351 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9354 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9355 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9356 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9357 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9358 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9359 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9362 @kindex B m (Summary)
9364 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9365 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9366 Move the article from one mail group to another
9367 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9368 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9371 @kindex B c (Summary)
9373 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9374 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9375 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9376 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9377 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9380 @kindex B B (Summary)
9381 @cindex crosspost mail
9382 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9383 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9384 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9385 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9386 be properly updated.
9389 @kindex B i (Summary)
9390 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9391 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9392 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9393 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9396 @kindex B I (Summary)
9397 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9398 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9399 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9400 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9403 @kindex B r (Summary)
9404 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9405 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9406 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9407 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9408 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9409 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9410 (which is the default).
9414 @kindex B w (Summary)
9416 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9417 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9418 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9419 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9420 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9421 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9422 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9425 @kindex B q (Summary)
9426 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9427 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9428 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9429 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9432 @kindex B t (Summary)
9433 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9434 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9435 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9438 @kindex B p (Summary)
9439 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9440 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9441 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9442 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9443 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9444 article from your news server (or rather, from
9445 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9446 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9447 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9448 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9449 just not have arrived yet.
9452 @kindex K E (Summary)
9453 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9454 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9455 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9456 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9457 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9461 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9462 @cindex moving articles
9463 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have gnus
9464 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9465 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9466 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9467 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9468 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9469 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9472 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9473 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9474 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9475 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9479 @node Various Summary Stuff
9480 @section Various Summary Stuff
9483 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9484 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9485 * Summary Generation Commands::
9486 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9490 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9491 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9492 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9494 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9495 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9496 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9497 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9498 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9499 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9502 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9503 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9504 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9505 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9506 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9508 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9509 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9510 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9513 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9514 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9515 When gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9516 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9517 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9518 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9519 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), gnus will rename the
9520 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9521 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9522 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9524 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9525 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9526 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9527 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9528 list of articles to be selected.
9530 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9531 the list in one particular group:
9534 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9535 (if (string= group "some.group")
9536 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9540 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9541 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9542 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9543 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9544 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9545 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9546 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9547 buffers. For example:
9550 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9551 '(message-use-followup-to
9552 (gnus-visible-headers .
9553 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9559 @node Summary Group Information
9560 @subsection Summary Group Information
9565 @kindex H f (Summary)
9566 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9567 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9568 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9569 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9570 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9571 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9572 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9573 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9574 be used for fetching the file.
9577 @kindex H d (Summary)
9578 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9579 Give a brief description of the current group
9580 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9581 rereading the description from the server.
9584 @kindex H h (Summary)
9585 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9586 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9587 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9590 @kindex H i (Summary)
9591 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9592 Go to the gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9596 @node Searching for Articles
9597 @subsection Searching for Articles
9602 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9603 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9604 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9605 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9608 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9609 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9610 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9611 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9615 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9616 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9617 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9618 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9619 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9620 search backward instead.
9622 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9623 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9626 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9627 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9628 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9629 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9632 @node Summary Generation Commands
9633 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9638 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9640 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9643 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9645 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9646 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9651 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9652 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9658 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9659 @kindex A D (Summary)
9660 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9661 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9662 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9663 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9664 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9665 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9666 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9667 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9671 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9672 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9673 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9674 several documents into one biiig group
9675 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9676 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9677 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9678 command understands the process/prefix convention
9679 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9682 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9683 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9684 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9685 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9686 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9687 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9691 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9692 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9693 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9696 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9697 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9698 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9699 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9702 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9703 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9704 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9705 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9710 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9711 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9712 @cindex summary exit
9713 @cindex exiting groups
9715 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9716 group and return you to the group buffer.
9722 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9724 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9725 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9726 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9727 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9728 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9729 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9730 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9731 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9732 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9733 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9734 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9738 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9740 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9741 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9742 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9746 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9748 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9749 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9750 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9751 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9754 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9755 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9756 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9757 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9760 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9761 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9762 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9763 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9766 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9767 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9768 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9769 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9770 all articles, both read and unread.
9774 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9775 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9776 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9777 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9778 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9779 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9780 articles, both read and unread.
9783 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9784 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9785 Exit the group and go to the next group
9786 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9789 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9790 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9791 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9792 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9795 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9796 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9797 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9798 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9799 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9800 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9803 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9804 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9805 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9806 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9808 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9809 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9810 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9811 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9812 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9813 If you do that, gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9814 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9815 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9816 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9817 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9818 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9819 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9821 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9823 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9824 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9825 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9826 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9827 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9828 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9829 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9830 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9831 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9834 @node Crosspost Handling
9835 @section Crosspost Handling
9839 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9840 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9841 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9842 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9843 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9844 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9847 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9848 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9849 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9850 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9851 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9853 @cindex cross-posting
9856 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9857 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9858 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9859 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9860 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9861 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9862 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9863 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9864 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9865 the cross reference mechanism.
9867 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9868 @cindex overview.fmt
9869 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9870 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9871 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9872 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9873 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9874 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9877 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9878 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9879 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9884 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9887 @node Duplicate Suppression
9888 @section Duplicate Suppression
9890 By default, gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9891 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9892 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9893 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9898 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9899 is evil and not very common.
9902 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9903 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9906 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9907 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9910 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9913 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9914 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9916 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9917 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9918 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9919 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9920 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9921 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9922 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9925 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9926 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9927 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9928 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9929 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9933 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9934 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9935 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9937 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9938 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9939 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9940 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9941 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single gnus
9942 session are suppressed.
9944 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9945 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9946 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9947 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9949 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9950 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9951 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9952 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9955 If you have a tendency to stop and start gnus often, setting
9956 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9957 you leave gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9958 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9959 so that means that if you stop and start gnus often, you should set
9960 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9961 to you to figure out, I think.
9966 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9967 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
9968 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
9972 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
9973 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
9976 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
9977 or newer is recommended.
9981 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9982 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
9985 @item mm-verify-option
9986 @vindex mm-verify-option
9987 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9988 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9989 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9991 @item mm-decrypt-option
9992 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9993 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9994 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
9995 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10000 @section Mailing List
10002 @kindex A M (summary)
10003 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10004 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10005 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10006 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10007 summary buffer, or say:
10010 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10013 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10018 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10019 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10020 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10023 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10024 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10025 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10028 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10029 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10030 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10034 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10035 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10036 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10039 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10040 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10041 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10044 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10045 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10046 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10050 @node Article Buffer
10051 @chapter Article Buffer
10052 @cindex article buffer
10054 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10055 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10056 tell gnus otherwise.
10059 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10060 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10061 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10062 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10063 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10067 @node Hiding Headers
10068 @section Hiding Headers
10069 @cindex hiding headers
10070 @cindex deleting headers
10072 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10073 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10075 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10076 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10077 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10078 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10079 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10080 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10081 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10082 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10083 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10085 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10089 @item gnus-visible-headers
10090 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10091 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10092 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10093 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10095 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10096 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10099 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10102 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10105 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10106 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10107 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10108 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10109 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10110 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10112 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} field
10113 and the @code{Xref} field, you might say:
10116 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10119 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10122 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10123 variable will have no effect.
10127 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10128 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10129 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10130 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10131 the headers are to be displayed.
10133 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10134 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10137 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10140 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10141 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10143 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10144 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10145 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10146 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10147 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10148 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10149 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10152 These conditions are:
10155 Remove all empty headers.
10157 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10158 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10160 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10161 @code{From} header.
10163 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10166 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10167 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10169 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10172 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10174 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10177 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10180 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10181 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10184 This is also the default value for this variable.
10188 @section Using MIME
10191 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10192 while people stand around yawning.
10194 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10195 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10197 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10198 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10199 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10201 @vindex gnus-show-mime
10202 @vindex gnus-article-display-method-for-mime
10203 @findex gnus-article-display-mime-message
10204 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
10205 @code{gnus-article-display-method-for-mime}, which is
10206 @code{gnus-article-display-mime-message} by default. This function
10207 calls the @sc{semi} MIME-View program to actually do the work. For more
10208 information on @sc{semi} MIME-View, see its manual page (however it is
10209 not existed yet, sorry).
10211 Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
10212 @sc{mime} all the time. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime} set, then
10213 you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article buffer.
10214 These can't be avoided.
10216 In GNUS or Gnus, it might be best to just use the toggling functions
10217 from the summary buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance,
10218 you enter the group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it,
10219 @sc{mime} has decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible
10220 sing-a-long song comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find
10221 the volume button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to
10222 look at you, and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you
10223 can't find the program to control the volume, and everybody else in the
10224 room suddenly decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel
10227 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10229 To avoid such kind of situation, gnus stops to use
10230 @code{metamail-buffer}. So now, you can set @code{gnus-show-mime} to
10231 non-@code{nil} every-time, then you can push button in the article
10232 buffer when there are nobody else.
10234 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10237 @node Customizing Articles
10238 @section Customizing Articles
10239 @cindex article customization
10241 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10242 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10243 called automatically when you select the articles.
10245 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10246 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10247 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10248 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10250 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10251 for sensible values.
10255 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10258 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10261 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10264 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10267 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10271 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10272 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10273 regexps in the list.
10276 A list where the first element is not a string:
10278 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10279 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10280 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10284 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10288 @code{mime}: Do this treatment if the value of @code{gnus-show-mime}' is
10293 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10294 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10295 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10296 considered to contain just a single part.
10298 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10299 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10300 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10301 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10302 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10303 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10304 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10306 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10307 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10308 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10309 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10312 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10313 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10315 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10317 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10318 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10319 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10320 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10321 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10322 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10323 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10324 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10325 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10326 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10327 @item gnus-treat-decode-article-as-default-mime-charset (t, integer)
10329 @xref{Article Washing}.
10331 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10332 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10333 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10334 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10335 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10336 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10337 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10339 @xref{Article Date}.
10341 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10342 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10343 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10347 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10349 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10351 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10352 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10353 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10357 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10361 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10362 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10363 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10364 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10365 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10366 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10367 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10368 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10370 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10372 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10373 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10374 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10376 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10378 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10379 @item gnus-treat-translate
10380 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10382 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10383 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10384 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10385 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10387 @xref{Article Header}.
10392 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10393 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10394 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10395 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10396 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10400 @node Article Keymap
10401 @section Article Keymap
10403 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10404 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10405 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10406 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10409 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10414 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10415 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10416 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10419 @kindex DEL (Article)
10420 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10421 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10424 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10425 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10426 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10427 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10428 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10431 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10432 @findex gnus-article-mail
10433 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10434 given a prefix, include the mail.
10437 @kindex s (Article)
10438 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10439 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10440 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10443 @kindex ? (Article)
10444 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10445 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10446 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10449 @kindex TAB (Article)
10450 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10451 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10452 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10455 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10456 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10457 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10460 @kindex R (Article)
10461 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10462 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10463 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10464 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10468 @kindex F (Article)
10469 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10470 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10471 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10472 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10480 @section Misc Article
10484 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10485 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10486 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10487 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10490 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10491 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10493 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10494 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10496 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10497 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10498 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10499 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10500 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10501 the contents of the article buffer.
10503 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10504 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10505 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10507 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10508 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10509 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10510 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10512 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10513 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10514 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10515 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10516 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10522 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10523 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10524 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10529 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10532 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10535 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10536 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10537 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10540 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10543 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10546 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10551 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10555 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10557 @item gnus-break-pages
10558 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10559 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10560 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10561 paging will not be done.
10563 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10564 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10565 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10570 @node Composing Messages
10571 @chapter Composing Messages
10572 @cindex composing messages
10575 @cindex sending mail
10580 @cindex using s/mime
10581 @cindex using smime
10583 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10584 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10585 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10586 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10587 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10588 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10591 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10592 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10593 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10594 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10595 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10596 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10597 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10598 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10601 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10602 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10608 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10611 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10612 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10613 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10614 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10616 @item gnus-add-to-list
10617 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10618 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10619 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10624 @node Posting Server
10625 @section Posting Server
10627 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10628 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10630 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10632 It can be quite complicated.
10634 @vindex gnus-post-method
10635 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10636 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10637 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10638 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10639 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10640 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10641 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10642 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10643 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10646 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10649 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10650 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10651 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10652 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10654 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10655 gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10657 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10658 If that's the case, gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10661 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10662 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10664 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10665 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10666 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10667 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10668 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10669 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10670 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10671 package correctly. An example:
10674 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10675 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10678 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10679 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10680 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10682 @node Mail and Post
10683 @section Mail and Post
10685 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10689 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10690 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10691 @cindex mailing lists
10693 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10694 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10695 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10696 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10697 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10698 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10699 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10700 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10701 still a pain, though.
10705 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10706 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10707 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10710 @findex ispell-message
10712 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10715 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10716 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10719 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10723 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10724 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10726 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10729 Modify to suit your needs.
10732 @node Archived Messages
10733 @section Archived Messages
10734 @cindex archived messages
10735 @cindex sent messages
10737 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10738 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10739 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10740 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10743 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10744 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server gnus is to
10745 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10748 (nnfolder "archive"
10749 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10750 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10751 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10752 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10755 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10756 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10757 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10758 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10761 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10762 '(nnfolder "archive"
10763 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10764 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10765 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10768 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10770 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10771 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10772 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10774 This variable can be used to do the following:
10779 Messages will be saved in that group.
10781 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10782 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10783 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10784 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10785 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10786 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10787 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10788 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10792 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10794 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10795 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10798 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10803 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10805 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10808 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10810 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10813 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10815 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10816 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10817 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10818 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10821 More complex stuff:
10823 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10824 '((if (message-news-p)
10829 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10830 messages in one file per month:
10833 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10834 '((if (message-news-p)
10836 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10839 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10840 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10842 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10843 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10844 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10845 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10846 gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10847 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10848 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10849 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10850 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10851 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10853 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10854 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10855 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10856 this will disable archiving.
10859 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10860 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10861 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10862 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10863 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10866 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10867 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10868 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10871 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10872 but the latter is the preferred method.
10874 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10875 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
10876 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10878 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10879 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
10880 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
10881 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
10882 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
10883 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
10884 changed in the future.
10889 @node Posting Styles
10890 @section Posting Styles
10891 @cindex posting styles
10894 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10896 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10897 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10898 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10901 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10902 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10903 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10904 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10905 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10910 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10911 (organization "What me?"))
10913 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10914 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10915 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10918 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10919 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10920 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10921 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10922 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10923 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10924 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10925 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10927 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10928 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10929 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
10930 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
10931 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. If it's a function symbol, that
10932 function will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol,
10933 then the variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list
10934 will be @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil}
10935 value, then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10937 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10938 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10939 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10940 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
10941 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
10942 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
10943 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
10944 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
10945 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
10946 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
10949 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10950 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10951 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10952 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10953 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10954 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
10955 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
10956 references chars lines xref extra.
10958 @vindex message-reply-headers
10960 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10961 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10962 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10964 @findex message-mail-p
10965 @findex message-news-p
10967 So here's a new example:
10970 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10972 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10974 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10975 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10977 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10978 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
10979 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10980 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
10981 (signature my-news-signature))
10982 (window-system ;; A value symbol
10983 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
10984 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
10985 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
10986 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10987 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
10988 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10989 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10990 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10991 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10993 (From (save-excursion
10994 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10995 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10997 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11000 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11001 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11002 if you fill many roles.
11009 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11010 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11011 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11012 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11013 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11015 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11016 some sort using the gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11017 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11018 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11019 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11023 @vindex nndraft-directory
11024 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11025 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11026 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11027 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11028 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11029 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11031 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11032 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11035 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11036 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11037 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11038 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11039 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11040 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11041 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11042 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11043 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11044 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11045 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11046 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11047 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11048 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11050 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11051 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11052 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11054 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11055 @kindex D e (Draft)
11056 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11057 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11058 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11060 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11063 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11064 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11065 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11066 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11067 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11068 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11069 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11072 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11073 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11074 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11077 @node Rejected Articles
11078 @section Rejected Articles
11079 @cindex rejected articles
11081 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11082 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11083 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11084 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11086 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of gnus.
11087 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11088 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11089 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So gnus saves these
11090 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11092 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11093 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11094 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11096 @node Signing and encrypting
11097 @section Signing and encrypting
11099 @cindex using s/mime
11100 @cindex using smime
11102 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11103 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11104 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11105 (@pxref{Security}).
11107 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11108 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11109 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11111 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11112 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11113 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11118 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11119 @findex mml-secure-sign-smime
11121 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11124 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11125 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11127 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11130 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11131 @findex mml-secure-sign-pgp
11133 Digitally sign current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11136 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11137 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-smime
11139 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{s/mime}.
11142 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11143 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgp
11145 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using PGP.
11148 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11149 @findex mml-secure-encrypt-pgpmime
11151 Digitally encrypt current @sc{mime} part using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11154 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11155 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11156 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11160 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11162 @node Select Methods
11163 @chapter Select Methods
11164 @cindex foreign groups
11165 @cindex select methods
11167 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11168 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11169 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11170 personal mail group.
11172 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11173 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11174 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11175 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11176 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11177 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11179 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11180 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11182 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11185 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11186 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11187 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11188 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11189 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11191 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11194 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11195 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11196 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11197 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11198 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11199 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11200 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11201 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11205 @node Server Buffer
11206 @section Server Buffer
11208 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11209 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11210 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11211 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11212 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11213 back end represents a virtual server.
11215 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11216 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11217 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11218 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11220 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11221 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11222 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11223 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11224 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11225 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11226 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11228 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11229 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11232 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11233 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11234 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11235 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11236 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11237 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11238 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11241 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11242 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11245 @node Server Buffer Format
11246 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11247 @cindex server buffer format
11249 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11250 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11251 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11252 variable, with some simple extensions:
11257 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11260 The name of this server.
11263 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11266 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11269 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11270 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11271 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11272 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11282 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11285 @node Server Commands
11286 @subsection Server Commands
11287 @cindex server commands
11293 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11294 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11298 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11299 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11302 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11303 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11304 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11308 @findex gnus-server-exit
11309 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11313 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11314 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11318 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11319 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11323 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11324 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11328 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11329 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11333 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11334 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11335 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11340 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11341 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11342 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11343 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11348 @node Example Methods
11349 @subsection Example Methods
11351 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11354 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11357 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11363 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11364 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11367 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11368 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11370 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11371 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11375 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11378 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11379 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11381 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11382 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11383 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11387 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11390 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11393 Here's the method for a public spool:
11397 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11398 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11404 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11405 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11406 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11407 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11408 should probably look something like this:
11412 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11413 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11414 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11415 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11418 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11419 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11420 configuration to the example above:
11423 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11426 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11427 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11428 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11432 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11433 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11434 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11435 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11438 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11439 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11440 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11441 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11444 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11445 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11447 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11448 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11450 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11451 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11452 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11454 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11456 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11457 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11458 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11459 will contain the following:
11469 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11470 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11471 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11474 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11475 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11476 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11479 @node Server Variables
11480 @subsection Server Variables
11482 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11483 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11484 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11485 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11486 won't change the "derived" variables.
11488 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11489 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11490 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11491 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11492 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11493 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11494 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11495 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11496 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11500 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11501 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11502 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11506 @node Servers and Methods
11507 @subsection Servers and Methods
11509 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11510 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11511 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11512 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11516 @node Unavailable Servers
11517 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11519 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11520 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11521 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11522 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11523 actually the case or not.
11525 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11526 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11527 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11528 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11529 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11530 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11531 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11532 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11534 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11535 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11537 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11538 with the following commands:
11544 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11545 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11546 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11550 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11551 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11552 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11556 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11557 Mark the current server as unreachable
11558 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11561 @kindex M-o (Server)
11562 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11563 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11564 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11567 @kindex M-c (Server)
11568 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11569 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11570 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11574 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11575 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11576 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11580 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11581 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11587 @section Getting News
11588 @cindex reading news
11589 @cindex news back ends
11591 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11592 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11593 or it can read from a local spool.
11596 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11597 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11605 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11606 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11607 server as the, uhm, address.
11609 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11610 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11611 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11612 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11614 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11615 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11616 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11618 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11623 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11624 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11625 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11627 @cindex authentification
11628 @cindex nntp authentification
11629 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11630 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11631 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11632 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11633 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11634 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11635 present in this hook.
11637 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11638 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11639 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11640 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11641 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11642 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11643 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11644 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11645 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11646 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11647 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11648 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11652 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11655 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11657 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11658 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11659 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11660 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11661 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11662 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11663 @samp{force} is explained below.
11667 Here's an example file:
11670 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11671 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11674 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11675 have to be first, for instance.
11677 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11678 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11679 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11680 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11681 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11682 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11683 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11685 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11686 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11692 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11693 previously mentioned.
11695 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11697 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11698 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11699 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11700 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11701 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11704 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11705 '(("innd" (ding))))
11708 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11710 The default value is
11713 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11714 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11715 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11718 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11719 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11721 @item nntp-maximum-request
11722 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11723 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11724 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11725 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11726 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11727 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11728 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11730 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11731 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11732 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11733 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11734 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11735 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11736 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11737 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11738 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11739 no timeouts are done.
11741 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11742 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11743 @c @cindex PPP connections
11744 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11745 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11746 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11747 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11748 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11749 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11750 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11751 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11752 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11753 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11755 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11756 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11757 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11758 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11759 @c described above.
11761 @item nntp-server-hook
11762 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11763 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11766 @item nntp-buggy-select
11767 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11768 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11770 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11771 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11772 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11773 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11776 @item nntp-xover-commands
11777 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11780 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11781 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11785 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11786 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11787 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11788 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11789 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11790 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11791 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11792 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11793 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11794 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11795 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11797 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11798 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11799 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11801 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11802 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11803 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11804 server closes connection.
11806 @item nntp-record-commands
11807 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11808 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11809 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11810 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11811 that doesn't seem to work.
11813 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11814 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11815 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11816 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11817 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11818 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11819 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11820 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11822 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11823 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11824 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11825 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11826 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11827 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11828 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11831 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11834 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11835 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11837 @item nntp-list-options
11838 @vindex nntp-list-options
11839 List of newsgroup name used for a option of the LIST command to restrict
11840 the listing output to only the specified newsgroups. Each newsgroup name
11841 can be a shell-style wildcard, for instance, @dfn{fj.*}, @dfn{japan.*},
11842 etc. Fortunately, if the server can accept such a option, it will
11843 probably make gnus run faster. You may use it as a server variable as
11847 (setq gnus-select-method
11848 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11849 (nntp-list-options ("fj.*" "japan.*"))))
11852 @item nntp-options-subscribe
11853 @vindex nntp-options-subscribe
11854 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will be subscribed
11855 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11856 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11857 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11858 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11861 (setq gnus-select-method
11862 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11863 (nntp-options-subscribe "^fj\\.\\|^japan\\.")))
11866 @item nntp-options-not-subscribe
11867 @vindex nntp-options-not-subscribe
11868 Regexp matching the newsgroup names which will not be subscribed
11869 unconditionally. Use @dfn{ } instead of @dfn{$} for a regexp string.
11870 It may be effective as well as @code{nntp-list-options} even though the
11871 server could not accept a shell-style wildcard as a option of the LIST
11872 command. You may use it as a server variable as follows:
11875 (setq gnus-select-method
11876 '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"
11877 (nntp-options-not-subscribe "\\.binaries\\.")))
11882 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11883 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11884 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11888 @node Direct Functions
11889 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11890 @cindex direct connection functions
11892 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11893 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11894 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11895 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11898 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11899 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11900 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11903 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11904 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11905 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11906 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11907 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11908 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11909 define a server as follows:
11912 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11914 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11916 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11917 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11918 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11919 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11922 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11923 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11924 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11925 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11926 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11927 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11928 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11929 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11933 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11934 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11935 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11938 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11939 session, which is not a good idea.
11943 @node Indirect Functions
11944 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11945 @cindex indirect connection functions
11947 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11948 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11949 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11950 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11951 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11952 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11955 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11956 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11957 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11958 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11959 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11961 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11964 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11965 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11966 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11967 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11970 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11971 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11972 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11973 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11975 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11978 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11979 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11980 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11983 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11984 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11985 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11986 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11988 @item nntp-via-user-password
11989 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11990 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11992 @item nntp-via-envuser
11993 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11994 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11995 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11996 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11998 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11999 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12000 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12001 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12008 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12013 @item nntp-via-user-name
12014 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12015 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12017 @item nntp-via-address
12018 @vindex nntp-via-address
12019 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12024 @node Common Variables
12025 @subsubsection Common Variables
12027 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12028 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12033 @item nntp-pre-command
12034 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12035 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12036 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12037 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12038 wrapper for instance.
12041 @vindex nntp-address
12042 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12044 @item nntp-port-number
12045 @vindex nntp-port-number
12046 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12048 @item nntp-end-of-line
12049 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12050 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12051 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12052 using a non native connection function.
12054 @item nntp-telnet-command
12055 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12056 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12057 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12058 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12060 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12061 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12062 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12069 @subsection News Spool
12073 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12074 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12075 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12078 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12079 anything else) as the address.
12081 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12082 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12083 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12084 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12088 @item nnspool-inews-program
12089 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12090 Program used to post an article.
12092 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12093 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12094 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12096 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12097 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12098 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12099 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12101 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12102 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12103 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12104 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12106 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12107 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12108 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12110 @item nnspool-active-file
12111 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12112 The path to the active file.
12114 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12115 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12116 The path to the group descriptions file.
12118 @item nnspool-history-file
12119 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12120 The path to the news history file.
12122 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12123 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12124 The path to the active date file.
12126 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12127 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12128 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12131 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12132 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12134 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12135 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12136 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12142 @section Getting Mail
12143 @cindex reading mail
12146 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12150 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12151 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12152 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12153 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12154 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12155 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12156 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12157 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12158 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12159 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12160 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12161 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12162 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12166 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12167 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12169 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12170 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12171 of a culture shock.
12173 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12174 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12176 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12177 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12178 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12179 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12181 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12183 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12184 deleted? How awful!
12186 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12187 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12188 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12189 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12192 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12193 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12194 they want to treat a message.
12196 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12197 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12198 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12199 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12200 archived somewhere else.
12202 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12203 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12204 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12205 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12206 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12208 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12209 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12210 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12212 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12213 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12216 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12217 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12218 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12219 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12220 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12222 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12223 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12224 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12225 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12226 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12227 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12231 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12232 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12234 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12235 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12236 and things will happen automatically.
12238 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12239 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12242 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12245 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12246 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12247 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12248 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12249 like any other group.
12251 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12254 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12255 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12256 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12260 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12261 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12262 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12265 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12266 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12267 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12270 @node Splitting Mail
12271 @subsection Splitting Mail
12272 @cindex splitting mail
12273 @cindex mail splitting
12275 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12276 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12277 to be split into groups.
12280 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12281 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12282 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12283 ("mail.other" "")))
12286 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12287 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12288 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12289 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12290 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12291 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12292 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12295 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12298 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12299 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12300 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12301 mail belongs in that group.
12303 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12304 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12305 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12306 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12307 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12308 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12310 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12311 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12312 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12313 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12314 thinks should carry this mail message.
12316 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12317 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12318 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12319 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12321 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12322 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12323 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12324 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12325 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12327 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12330 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12331 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12332 links. If that's the case for you, set
12333 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12334 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12336 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12337 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12338 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12339 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12340 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12341 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12344 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12345 Header lines longer than the value of
12346 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12349 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12350 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12351 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12352 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12353 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12354 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12355 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12356 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12357 month's rent money.
12361 @subsection Mail Sources
12363 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12364 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12368 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12369 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12370 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12374 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12375 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12377 @cindex mail server
12380 @cindex mail source
12382 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12383 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12388 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12391 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12392 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12393 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12396 The following mail source types are available:
12400 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12406 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12407 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12410 An example file mail source:
12413 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12416 Or using the default path:
12422 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12423 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12424 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12427 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12431 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12434 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12438 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12441 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12443 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12446 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12450 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12451 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12452 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12453 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12454 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12455 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12456 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12457 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12463 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12467 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12471 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12472 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12473 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12474 predicate are considered.
12478 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12482 An example directory mail source:
12485 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12490 Get mail from a POP server.
12496 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12497 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12500 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12501 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12502 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12503 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12504 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12507 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12511 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12515 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12516 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12519 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12522 The valid format specifier characters are:
12526 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12527 included in this string.
12530 The name of the server.
12533 The port number of the server.
12536 The user name to use.
12539 The password to use.
12542 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12543 corresponding keywords.
12546 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12547 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12550 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12551 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12554 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12555 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12558 @item :authentication
12559 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12560 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12564 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this can be the symbol
12565 @code{ssl}, the symbol @code{tls} or others. The default is @code{nil}
12566 and use insecure connections. Note that for SSL/TLS, you need external
12567 programs and libraries:
12571 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL@. Requires OpenSSL (the program
12572 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
12573 library @samp{ssl.el}.
12575 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to SSL)@.
12576 Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
12581 Non-@code{nil} if mail is to be left on the server and UIDL used for
12582 message retrieval. The default is @code{nil}.
12586 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12587 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12589 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12590 default user name, and default fetcher:
12596 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12599 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12600 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12603 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12606 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12610 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12611 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12612 contains exactly one mail.
12618 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12619 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12622 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12623 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12625 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12626 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12627 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12630 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12631 from locking problems).
12635 Two example maildir mail sources:
12638 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12639 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12643 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12648 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12649 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12650 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12651 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12654 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12655 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12661 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12662 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12665 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12666 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12669 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12673 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12677 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12678 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12679 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12680 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12682 @item :authentication
12683 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12684 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12685 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12686 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12689 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12690 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12691 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12697 The valid format specifier characters are:
12701 The name of the server.
12704 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12707 The port number of the server.
12710 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12711 corresponding keywords.
12714 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12715 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12718 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12719 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12720 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12721 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12722 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12723 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
12726 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12727 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12728 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12729 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
12732 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12733 after finishing the fetch.
12737 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12740 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12742 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12746 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
12747 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
12748 @uref{www.my-deja.com}.
12750 NOTE: Now @uref{mail.yahoo.com} provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12753 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12754 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12756 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12762 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12763 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12766 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12770 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12774 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12775 folder after finishing the fetch.
12779 An example webmail source:
12782 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12784 :password "secret")
12789 @item Common Keywords
12790 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12796 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12797 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12801 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12806 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12807 useful when you use local mail and news.
12812 @subsubsection Function Interface
12814 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12815 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12816 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12817 consider the following mail-source setting:
12820 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12821 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12824 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12825 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12826 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12827 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12828 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12830 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12833 @node Mail Source Customization
12834 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12836 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12837 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12841 @item mail-source-crash-box
12842 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12843 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12844 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12846 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12847 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12848 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12850 @item mail-source-directory
12851 @vindex mail-source-directory
12852 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12853 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12854 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12857 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12858 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12859 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12860 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12861 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12862 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12864 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12865 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12866 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12868 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12869 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12870 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12871 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12876 @node Fetching Mail
12877 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12879 @vindex mail-sources
12880 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12881 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12882 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12883 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12885 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12886 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12889 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12890 mail server, you'd say something like:
12895 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12896 :password "secret")))
12899 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12903 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12904 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12907 :password "secret")))
12911 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12912 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12913 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12914 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12915 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12916 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12920 @node Mail Back End Variables
12921 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12923 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12927 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12928 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12929 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12930 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12932 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12933 @item nnmail-split-hook
12934 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12935 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12936 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12937 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12938 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12939 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12940 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12941 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12942 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12945 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12946 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12947 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12948 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12949 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12950 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12951 starting to handle the new mail) and
12952 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12953 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12954 default file modes the new mail files get:
12957 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12958 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12960 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12961 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12964 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12965 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12966 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12967 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12968 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12969 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12970 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12972 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12973 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12974 @findex delete-file
12975 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12977 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12978 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12979 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12980 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12981 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12986 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12987 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12988 @cindex mail splitting
12989 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12991 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12992 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12993 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12994 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12995 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12996 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12998 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13001 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13002 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13003 ;; from real errors.
13004 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13006 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13007 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13008 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13009 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13010 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13011 ;; Other mailing lists...
13012 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13013 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13014 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13015 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13016 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13017 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13018 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13019 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13021 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13022 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13026 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13027 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13028 the five possible split syntaxes:
13033 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13034 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13038 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13039 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13040 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13041 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13042 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13043 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13044 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13045 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13048 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13049 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13050 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13051 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13054 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13055 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13058 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13059 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13062 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13063 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13064 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13065 function should return a @var{split}.
13068 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13069 body of the messages:
13072 (defun split-on-body ()
13074 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13075 (goto-char (point-min))
13076 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13080 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13081 when the @code{:} function is run.
13084 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13085 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13086 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13090 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13094 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13095 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13096 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13097 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13098 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13100 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13101 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13102 are expanded as specified by the variable
13103 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13104 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13107 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13108 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13109 when all this splitting is performed.
13111 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13112 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13113 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13116 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13119 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13120 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13122 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13123 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13124 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13125 groupings 1 through 9.
13127 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13128 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13129 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13130 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13131 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13132 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13133 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13134 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13135 it once per thread.
13137 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13138 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13139 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13142 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13143 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13144 ;; other splits go here
13148 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13149 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13150 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13151 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13152 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13153 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13154 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13155 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13156 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13157 unless the group name matches the regexp
13158 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13159 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13160 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13161 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13162 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13163 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13164 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13165 messages goes into the new group.
13168 @node Group Mail Splitting
13169 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13170 @cindex mail splitting
13171 @cindex group mail splitting
13173 @findex gnus-group-split
13174 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13175 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13176 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13177 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13178 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13179 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13180 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13181 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13183 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13184 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13185 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13186 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13188 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13189 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13190 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13191 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13192 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13193 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13194 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13196 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13197 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13198 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13199 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13200 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13201 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13202 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13204 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13205 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13206 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13207 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13208 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13209 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13210 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13211 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13212 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13213 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13214 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13215 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13216 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13218 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13223 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13224 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13226 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13227 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13228 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13229 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13231 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13234 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13235 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13236 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13239 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13240 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13241 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13245 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13246 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13247 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13251 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13254 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13255 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13256 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13257 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13258 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13259 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13260 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13261 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13262 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13264 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13265 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13266 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13267 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13268 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13269 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13270 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13271 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13272 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13274 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13275 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13276 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13277 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13278 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13279 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13282 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13285 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13286 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13287 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13288 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13289 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13292 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13293 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13294 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13295 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13297 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13298 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13299 @cindex incorporating old mail
13300 @cindex import old mail
13302 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13303 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13304 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13307 Doing so can be quite easy.
13309 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13310 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13311 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13312 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13313 your @code{nnml} groups.
13319 Go to the group buffer.
13322 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13323 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13326 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13329 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13330 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13333 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13334 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13337 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13338 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13339 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13340 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13341 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13343 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13344 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13345 using the new mail back end.
13348 @node Expiring Mail
13349 @subsection Expiring Mail
13350 @cindex article expiry
13352 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13353 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13354 different approach to mail reading.
13356 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13357 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13358 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13359 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13360 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13361 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13364 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13365 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13366 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13367 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13368 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13369 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13370 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13371 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13373 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13374 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13375 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13376 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13377 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13378 column in the summary buffer.
13380 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13381 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13382 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13383 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13386 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13388 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13389 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13390 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13393 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13394 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13395 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13396 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13397 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13399 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13400 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13403 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13404 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13407 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13408 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13410 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13411 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13412 don't really mix very well.
13414 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13415 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13416 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13417 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13420 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13421 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13422 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13423 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13426 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13428 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13430 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13432 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13434 ((string= group "important")
13440 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13441 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13443 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13444 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13445 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13448 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13449 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13451 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13452 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13453 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13454 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13455 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13456 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13457 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13458 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13459 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13460 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13461 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13462 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13463 name or @code{delete}.
13465 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13467 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13470 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13471 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13472 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13473 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13474 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13477 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13478 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13479 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13480 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13481 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13484 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13485 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13486 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13487 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13488 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13489 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13491 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13492 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13493 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13494 easier for procmail users.
13496 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13497 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13498 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13499 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13500 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13501 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13502 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13503 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13504 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13505 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13506 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13507 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13508 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13511 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13513 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13514 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13515 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13516 auto-expire turned on.
13520 @subsection Washing Mail
13521 @cindex mail washing
13522 @cindex list server brain damage
13523 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13525 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13526 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13527 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13528 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13529 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13530 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13532 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13533 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13534 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13537 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13538 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13539 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13540 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13543 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13544 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13545 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13546 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13547 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13550 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13551 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13552 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13553 Emacs running on MS machines.
13557 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13558 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13559 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13560 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13563 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13564 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13565 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13566 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13568 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13569 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13570 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13571 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13572 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13573 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13574 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13577 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13578 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13581 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13582 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13585 This can also be done non-destructively with
13586 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13588 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13589 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13590 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13592 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13593 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13595 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13596 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13597 @code{References} headers.
13601 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13602 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13603 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13607 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13608 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13609 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13616 @subsection Duplicates
13618 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13619 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13620 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13621 @cindex duplicate mails
13622 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13623 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13624 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13625 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13626 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13627 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13628 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13629 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13630 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13631 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13632 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13633 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13634 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13636 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13637 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13638 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13639 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13641 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13644 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13645 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13649 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13650 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13651 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13652 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13653 (any mail "mail.misc")
13660 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13661 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13666 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13667 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13668 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13669 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13670 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13673 @node Not Reading Mail
13674 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13676 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13677 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13678 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13680 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13681 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13682 mail, which should help.
13684 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13685 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13686 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13687 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13688 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13689 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13690 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13691 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13692 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13693 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13694 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13696 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13697 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13701 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13702 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13704 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13705 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13706 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13708 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13709 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13710 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
13711 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
13712 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
13713 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
13714 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
13717 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13718 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13719 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13720 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13721 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13722 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13726 @node Unix Mail Box
13727 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13729 @cindex unix mail box
13731 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13732 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13733 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13734 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13735 which group it belongs in.
13737 Virtual server settings:
13740 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13741 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13742 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13745 @item nnmbox-active-file
13746 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13747 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13748 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13750 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13751 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13752 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13753 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13758 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13762 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13763 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13764 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13765 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13766 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13768 Virtual server settings:
13771 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13772 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13773 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13775 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13776 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13777 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13778 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13780 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13781 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13782 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13788 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13790 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13792 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13793 format. It should be used with some caution.
13795 @vindex nnml-directory
13796 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13797 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13798 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13799 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13801 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13804 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13805 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13806 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13807 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13808 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13809 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13810 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13811 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13813 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13814 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13815 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
13816 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
13818 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13819 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13820 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13821 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13822 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13823 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13824 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13825 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13826 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13829 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
13830 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
13831 them next time it starts.
13833 Virtual server settings:
13836 @item nnml-directory
13837 @vindex nnml-directory
13838 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13839 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13842 @item nnml-active-file
13843 @vindex nnml-active-file
13844 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13845 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13847 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13848 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13849 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13850 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13852 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13853 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13854 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13857 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13858 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13859 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13860 default is @code{nil}.
13862 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13863 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13864 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13866 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13867 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13868 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13870 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13871 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13872 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13873 default is @code{nil}.
13875 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13876 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13877 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13879 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
13880 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
13881 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
13886 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13887 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13888 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13889 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13890 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13891 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13892 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13897 @subsubsection MH Spool
13899 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13901 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13902 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13903 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13904 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13906 Virtual server settings:
13909 @item nnmh-directory
13910 @vindex nnmh-directory
13911 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13912 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13915 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13916 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13917 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13921 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13922 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13923 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13924 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13925 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13926 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13927 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13932 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13934 @cindex mbox folders
13935 @cindex mail folders
13937 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13938 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13939 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13942 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13943 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13944 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13945 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13946 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13947 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13948 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13949 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13950 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13951 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13952 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13954 Virtual server settings:
13957 @item nnfolder-directory
13958 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13959 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13960 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13963 @item nnfolder-active-file
13964 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13965 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13967 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13968 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13969 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13970 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13972 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13973 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13974 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13977 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13978 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13979 @cindex backup files
13980 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13981 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13982 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13983 your @file{.emacs} file:
13986 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13987 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13989 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13992 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13993 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13994 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13995 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13996 extract some information from it before removing it.
13998 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13999 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14000 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14001 default is @code{nil}.
14003 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14004 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14005 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14007 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14008 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14009 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14010 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14012 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14013 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14014 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14015 default is @code{nil}.
14017 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14018 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14019 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14021 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14022 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14023 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14024 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14029 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14030 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14031 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14032 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14033 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14034 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14037 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14038 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14040 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14041 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14042 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14043 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14044 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14046 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14047 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14048 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14049 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14050 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14051 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14052 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14053 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14056 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14057 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14058 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14059 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14064 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14065 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14066 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14067 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14068 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14069 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14070 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14071 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14072 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14073 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14074 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14075 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14076 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14081 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14082 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14083 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14084 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14085 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14086 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14087 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14088 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14089 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14090 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14091 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14092 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14093 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14094 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14096 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14097 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14102 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14103 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14104 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14105 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14106 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14107 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14108 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14109 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14110 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14111 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14112 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14113 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14114 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14115 provided by the active file and overviews.
14117 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14118 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14119 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14120 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14121 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14124 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14125 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14130 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14131 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14132 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14133 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14134 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14135 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14136 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14140 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14141 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14142 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14143 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14144 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14145 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14146 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14147 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14148 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14150 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14151 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14152 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14153 friendly mail back end all over.
14157 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14158 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14159 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14160 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14161 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14162 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14163 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14164 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14167 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14168 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14169 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14170 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14171 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14172 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14173 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14174 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14175 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14176 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14177 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14179 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14180 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14181 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14182 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14183 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14184 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14185 This will probably be changed in the future.
14187 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14188 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14189 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14190 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14191 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14194 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14195 parameters slightly different from those of other mail backends.
14197 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14198 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14199 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14200 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14201 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14202 would) to make it use less memory.
14204 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14205 with other backends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14206 depending in part on your filesystem.
14208 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14209 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived backend.
14214 @node Browsing the Web
14215 @section Browsing the Web
14217 @cindex browsing the web
14221 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14222 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14223 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14224 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14225 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14226 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14227 even know what a news group is.
14229 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14230 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14231 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14232 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14233 you mad in the end.
14235 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14238 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14239 interfaces to these sources.
14243 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14244 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14245 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14246 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14247 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14248 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14251 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14253 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14254 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14255 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14256 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14257 though, you should be ok.
14259 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14260 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14261 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14262 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14263 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14265 @node Archiving Mail
14266 @subsection Archiving Mail
14267 @cindex archiving mail
14268 @cindex backup of mail
14270 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14271 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14272 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14273 marks is fairly simple.
14275 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14276 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14279 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14280 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14281 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14282 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14283 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14284 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14285 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14286 before you restore the data.
14288 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14289 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14290 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14291 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14292 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14293 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14294 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14295 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14296 is unnecessary in that case.
14299 @subsection Web Searches
14303 @cindex InReference
14304 @cindex Usenet searches
14305 @cindex searching the Usenet
14307 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14308 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14309 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14310 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14311 searches without having to use a browser.
14313 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14314 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14315 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14316 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14317 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14319 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14320 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14321 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14322 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14323 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14324 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14325 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14326 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14327 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14328 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14331 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14332 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14333 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14334 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14335 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14336 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14338 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14339 to use @code{nnweb}.
14341 Virtual server variables:
14346 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14347 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
14351 @vindex nnweb-search
14352 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14354 @item nnweb-max-hits
14355 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14356 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14359 @item nnweb-type-definition
14360 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14361 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14362 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14367 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14371 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14374 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14377 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14381 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14388 @subsection Slashdot
14392 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14393 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14394 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14396 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14397 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14400 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14401 '((nnslashdot "")))
14404 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14405 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14406 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14407 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14408 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14411 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14412 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14414 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14415 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14416 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14417 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14418 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14419 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14422 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14425 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14426 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14427 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14428 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14429 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14430 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14431 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14433 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14434 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14435 The login name to use when posting.
14437 @item nnslashdot-password
14438 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14439 The password to use when posting.
14441 @item nnslashdot-directory
14442 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14443 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14444 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14446 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14447 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14448 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14449 news articles and comments. The default is
14450 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14452 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14453 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14454 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14456 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14458 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14459 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14460 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14462 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14464 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14465 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14466 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14468 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14469 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14470 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14471 updated. The default is 0.
14478 @subsection Ultimate
14480 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14482 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14483 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14484 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14485 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14487 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14488 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14489 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14490 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14491 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14492 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14493 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14495 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14498 @item nnultimate-directory
14499 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14500 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14501 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14506 @subsection Web Archive
14508 @cindex Web Archive
14510 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14511 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14512 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14513 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14516 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14517 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14518 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14519 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14520 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14521 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14522 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14524 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14527 @item nnwarchive-directory
14528 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14529 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14530 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14532 @item nnwarchive-login
14533 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14534 The account name on the web server.
14536 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14537 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14538 The password for your account on the web server.
14546 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14547 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14548 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14551 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14552 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14555 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14558 @item nnrss-directory
14559 @vindex nnrss-directory
14560 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14561 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14565 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14566 the summary buffer.
14569 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14570 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14572 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14574 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14575 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14578 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14581 (require 'browse-url)
14583 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14585 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14588 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14589 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14591 (browse-url (cdr url))
14592 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14594 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14595 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14596 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14597 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14600 @node Customizing w3
14601 @subsection Customizing w3
14607 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14608 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14609 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14611 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14612 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14613 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14616 (eval-after-load "w3"
14618 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14619 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14620 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14621 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14623 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14626 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14627 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14636 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14637 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14638 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14639 specify the network address of the server.
14641 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14642 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14643 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14644 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14645 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14647 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14648 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14649 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14650 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
14652 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14653 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
14654 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14655 usage explained in this section.
14657 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14658 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
14659 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
14662 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14663 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14664 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14666 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14667 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14668 ; a UW server running on localhost
14670 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14671 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14672 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14673 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14674 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14675 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14676 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14677 (nnimap-stream network))
14678 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14680 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14681 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14682 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14685 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14690 @item nnimap-address
14691 @vindex nnimap-address
14693 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14694 server name if not specified.
14696 @item nnimap-server-port
14697 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14698 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14700 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14703 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14704 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14707 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14708 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14709 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14710 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14711 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14712 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14713 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14715 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14716 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14717 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14720 Example server specification:
14723 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14724 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14725 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14728 @item nnimap-stream
14729 @vindex nnimap-stream
14730 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14731 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14732 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14733 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14735 Example server specification:
14738 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14739 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14742 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14746 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
14747 @samp{imtest} program.
14749 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14751 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14752 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14755 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14756 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14757 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14759 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14761 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14764 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14765 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14766 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14767 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14768 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14769 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14770 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14771 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14772 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14775 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14776 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14777 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14778 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14779 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14780 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14781 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14782 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14783 distribution, for instance).
14785 @vindex imap-shell-program
14786 @vindex imap-shell-host
14787 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14788 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14790 @item nnimap-authenticator
14791 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14793 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14794 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14796 Example server specification:
14799 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14800 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14803 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14807 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
14808 external program @code{imtest}.
14810 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
14813 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
14814 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14816 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14818 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14820 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14823 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14825 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14826 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14827 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14828 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14829 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14830 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14833 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14834 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14835 running in circles yet?
14837 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14838 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14841 The possible options are:
14846 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14849 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14850 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14851 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14852 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14854 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14859 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14860 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14862 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other
14863 @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still
14864 (only) be marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand
14865 out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap} clients. (In other
14866 words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap} has only one.)
14868 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14869 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14872 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14873 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14874 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14875 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14878 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14879 as ticked for other users.
14881 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14883 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14885 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
14886 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14887 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14888 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14890 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14891 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14892 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14893 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14895 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14896 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14898 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14899 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14900 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14906 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14907 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14908 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14913 @node Splitting in IMAP
14914 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
14915 @cindex splitting imap mail
14917 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14918 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14919 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14920 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14921 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14925 Here are the variables of interest:
14929 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14930 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14932 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14934 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14935 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14937 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14939 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14940 @cindex splitting, inbox
14942 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14944 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14945 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14949 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14950 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14953 No nnmail equivalent.
14955 @item nnimap-split-rule
14956 @cindex Splitting, rules
14957 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14959 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14962 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14963 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14964 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14965 Neither did I, we need examples.
14968 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14970 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14971 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14972 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14975 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14976 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14977 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14979 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14980 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14984 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14987 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14988 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14989 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14990 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14992 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14993 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14994 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14995 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14996 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14997 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14999 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15000 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15001 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15003 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15004 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15005 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15007 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15009 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15010 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15011 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15014 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15015 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15016 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15017 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15018 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15019 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15022 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15023 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15024 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15025 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15026 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15027 group/function elements.
15029 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15031 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15033 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15035 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15036 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15038 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15039 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15040 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15043 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15044 @cindex splitting, fancy
15045 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15046 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15048 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15049 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15050 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15052 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15053 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15054 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15055 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15060 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15061 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15064 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15068 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15069 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15070 @cindex editing imap acls
15071 @cindex Access Control Lists
15072 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15074 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15076 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15077 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15078 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15081 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15082 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15083 editing window with detailed instructions.
15085 Some possible uses:
15089 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15090 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15091 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15093 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15094 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15095 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15099 @node Expunging mailboxes
15100 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15104 @cindex Manual expunging
15106 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15108 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15109 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15110 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15112 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15117 @node Other Sources
15118 @section Other Sources
15120 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15121 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15125 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15126 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15127 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15128 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15129 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15133 @node Directory Groups
15134 @subsection Directory Groups
15136 @cindex directory groups
15138 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15139 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15142 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15143 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15144 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15145 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15147 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15148 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15149 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15150 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15151 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15153 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15155 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15156 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15157 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15158 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15161 @node Anything Groups
15162 @subsection Anything Groups
15165 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15166 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15167 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15170 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15171 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15172 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15173 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15174 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15175 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15176 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15177 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15178 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15179 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15182 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15183 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15184 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15185 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15187 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15188 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15189 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15190 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15192 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15193 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15194 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15195 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15196 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15197 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15198 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15199 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15204 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15205 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15206 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15207 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15209 @item nneething-exclude-files
15210 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15211 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15212 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15214 @item nneething-include-files
15215 @vindex nneething-include-files
15216 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15217 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15219 @item nneething-map-file
15220 @vindex nneething-map-file
15221 Name of the map files.
15225 @node Document Groups
15226 @subsection Document Groups
15228 @cindex documentation group
15231 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15232 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15239 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15244 The standard Unix mbox file.
15246 @cindex MMDF mail box
15248 The MMDF mail box format.
15251 Several news articles appended into a file.
15254 @cindex rnews batch files
15255 The rnews batch transport format.
15256 @cindex forwarded messages
15259 Forwarded articles.
15262 Netscape mail boxes.
15265 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15267 @item standard-digest
15268 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15271 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15273 @item lanl-gov-announce
15274 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15276 @item rfc822-forward
15277 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15280 The Outlook mail box.
15283 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15286 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15289 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15292 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15298 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15301 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15307 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15308 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15309 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15312 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15313 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15314 group. And that's it.
15316 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15317 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15318 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15319 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15320 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15321 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15322 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15323 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15324 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15325 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15327 Virtual server variables:
15330 @item nndoc-article-type
15331 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15332 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15333 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15334 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15335 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15336 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15338 @item nndoc-post-type
15339 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15340 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15341 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15346 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15350 @node Document Server Internals
15351 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15353 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15354 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15355 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15356 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15358 First, here's an example document type definition:
15362 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15363 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15366 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15367 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15368 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15369 types can be defined with very few settings:
15372 @item first-article
15373 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15374 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15377 @item article-begin
15378 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15379 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15381 @item head-begin-function
15382 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15385 @item nndoc-head-begin
15386 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15389 @item nndoc-head-end
15390 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15391 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15393 @item body-begin-function
15394 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15398 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15401 @item body-end-function
15402 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15406 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15409 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15410 regexp will be totally ignored.
15414 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15415 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15416 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15417 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15418 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15421 @item prepare-body-function
15422 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15423 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15424 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15426 @item article-transform-function
15427 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15428 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15429 body of the article.
15431 @item generate-head-function
15432 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15433 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15434 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15435 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15439 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15444 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15445 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15446 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15447 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15448 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15449 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15450 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15451 (subtype digest guess))
15454 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15455 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15456 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15457 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15458 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15460 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15461 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15462 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15463 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15464 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
15465 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15466 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15467 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15468 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15469 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15477 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15478 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15479 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15481 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15482 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15483 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15486 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15487 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15488 that interested in doing things properly.
15490 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15491 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15494 First some terminology:
15499 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15500 get news and/or mail from.
15503 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15504 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15507 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15511 @item message packets
15512 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15513 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15514 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15516 @item response packets
15517 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15518 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15519 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15529 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15530 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15531 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15532 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15535 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15538 You put the packet in your home directory.
15541 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15542 the native or secondary server.
15545 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15546 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15549 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15553 You transfer this packet to the server.
15556 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15559 You then repeat until you die.
15563 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15564 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15567 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15568 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15569 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15573 @node SOUP Commands
15574 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15576 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15580 @kindex G s b (Group)
15581 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15582 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15583 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15584 process/prefix convention.
15587 @kindex G s w (Group)
15588 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15589 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15592 @kindex G s s (Group)
15593 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15594 Send all replies from the replies packet
15595 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15598 @kindex G s p (Group)
15599 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15600 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15603 @kindex G s r (Group)
15604 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15605 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15608 @kindex O s (Summary)
15609 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15610 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15611 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15612 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15617 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15622 @item gnus-soup-directory
15623 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15624 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15625 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15627 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15628 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15629 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15630 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15632 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15633 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15634 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15635 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15637 @item gnus-soup-packer
15638 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15639 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15640 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15642 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15643 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15644 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15645 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15647 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15648 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15649 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15651 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15652 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15653 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15654 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15660 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
15663 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15664 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15665 you can read them at leisure.
15667 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15671 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15672 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15673 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15674 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15676 @item nnsoup-directory
15677 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15678 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15679 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15681 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15682 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15683 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15684 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15686 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15687 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15688 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15689 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15690 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15692 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15693 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15694 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15695 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15697 @item nnsoup-active-file
15698 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15699 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15700 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15701 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15702 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15704 @item nnsoup-packer
15705 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15706 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15707 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15709 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15710 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15711 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15712 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15714 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15715 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15716 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15719 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15720 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15721 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15724 @item nnsoup-always-save
15725 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15726 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15732 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15734 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15735 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15736 more for that to happen.
15738 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15739 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15740 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15743 In specific, this is what it does:
15746 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15747 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15750 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15751 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15752 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15755 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15756 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15757 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15760 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15761 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15762 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15764 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15770 @item nngateway-address
15771 @vindex nngateway-address
15772 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15774 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15775 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15776 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15777 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15778 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15779 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15780 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15783 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15784 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15785 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15788 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15791 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15794 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15797 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15799 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15802 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15803 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15804 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15806 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15808 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15809 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15810 @code{nngateway-address}.
15815 (setq gnus-post-method
15817 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15818 (nngateway-header-transformation
15819 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15827 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15830 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15835 @node Combined Groups
15836 @section Combined Groups
15838 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15842 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15843 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15847 @node Virtual Groups
15848 @subsection Virtual Groups
15850 @cindex virtual groups
15851 @cindex merging groups
15853 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15856 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15857 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15858 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15860 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15861 regexp to match component groups.
15863 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15864 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15865 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
15866 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
15867 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
15868 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
15869 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
15870 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
15872 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15873 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15876 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15879 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15880 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15882 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15883 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15884 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15885 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15888 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15891 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15892 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15893 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15895 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15896 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15897 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15898 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15899 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15901 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15902 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15903 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15905 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15906 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15907 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15908 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15909 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15910 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15911 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15912 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15913 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15914 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15915 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15917 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15918 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15919 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15920 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15921 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15922 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15923 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15925 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15926 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15928 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
15929 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
15933 @node Kibozed Groups
15934 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15938 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15939 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15940 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15941 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15943 @kindex G k (Group)
15944 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15947 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15948 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15949 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15950 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15952 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15953 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15954 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15956 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15957 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15958 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15959 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15960 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15961 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15962 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15963 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15965 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15966 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15967 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15968 Stranger things have happened.
15970 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15971 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15973 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15974 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15975 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15976 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15977 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15978 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15980 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15981 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15984 @node Gnus Unplugged
15985 @section Gnus Unplugged
15990 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15992 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15993 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15994 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15995 read news. Believe it or not.
15997 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15998 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15999 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16000 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16001 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16003 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16004 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16005 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16006 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16007 reading news on a machine.
16009 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
16013 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
16014 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
16018 Then, put the following magical incantation in your @file{.gnus.el}
16022 (setq gnus-agent t)
16026 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
16028 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16031 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16032 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16033 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16034 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16035 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16036 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16037 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16038 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16039 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16040 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16045 @subsection Agent Basics
16047 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16049 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16050 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16051 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16052 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16054 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16055 connected to the net continuously.
16057 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16058 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16060 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16065 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16066 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16067 already fetched while in this mode.
16070 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16071 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16072 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16073 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16074 Source Specifiers}).
16077 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16078 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16079 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16080 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16081 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16084 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16085 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16086 then you read the news offline.
16089 And then you go to step 2.
16092 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16098 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16099 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16100 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16101 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16102 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
16103 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
16106 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16113 @node Agent Categories
16114 @subsection Agent Categories
16116 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16117 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16118 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16119 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16120 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16121 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16122 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16124 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16125 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16126 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16127 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16128 managing categories.
16131 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16132 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16133 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16137 @node Category Syntax
16138 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16140 A category consists of two things.
16144 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16145 are eligible for downloading; and
16148 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16149 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16150 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16153 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16154 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16155 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16156 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16158 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16159 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16160 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16162 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16163 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16164 operators sprinkled in between.
16166 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16168 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16169 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16175 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16176 short (for some value of ``short'').
16178 Here's a more complex predicate:
16187 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16188 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16191 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16192 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16193 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16195 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16196 you want to do, you can write your own.
16200 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16201 lines; default 100.
16204 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16205 lines; default 200.
16208 True iff the article has a download score less than
16209 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16212 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16213 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16216 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16217 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16218 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16227 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16228 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16229 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16232 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16233 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16234 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16235 something along the lines of the following:
16238 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16239 "Say whether an article is old."
16240 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16241 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16244 with the predicate then defined as:
16247 (not my-article-old-p)
16250 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16251 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16255 (require 'gnus-agent)
16256 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16257 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16258 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16261 and simply specify your predicate as:
16267 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16268 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16269 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16270 just don't give a damn.
16272 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16273 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16274 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16275 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16276 parameters like so:
16279 (agent-predicate . short)
16282 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16283 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16284 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16286 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16289 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16292 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16293 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16294 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16297 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16298 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16299 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16300 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16301 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16302 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16304 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16305 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16306 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16307 if it's to be specific to that group.
16309 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16316 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16317 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16323 Category specification
16327 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16333 Group Parameter specification
16336 (agent-score ("from"
16337 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16342 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16348 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16355 Category specification
16358 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16364 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16368 Group Parameter specification
16371 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16374 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16379 Use @code{normal} score files
16381 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16382 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16383 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16384 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16386 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16387 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16388 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16389 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16393 Category Specification
16400 Group Parameter specification
16403 (agent-score . file)
16408 @node Category Buffer
16409 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16411 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16412 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16413 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16415 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16419 @kindex q (Category)
16420 @findex gnus-category-exit
16421 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16424 @kindex k (Category)
16425 @findex gnus-category-kill
16426 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16429 @kindex c (Category)
16430 @findex gnus-category-copy
16431 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16434 @kindex a (Category)
16435 @findex gnus-category-add
16436 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16439 @kindex p (Category)
16440 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16441 Edit the predicate of the current category
16442 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16445 @kindex g (Category)
16446 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16447 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16448 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16451 @kindex s (Category)
16452 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16453 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16454 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16457 @kindex l (Category)
16458 @findex gnus-category-list
16459 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16463 @node Category Variables
16464 @subsubsection Category Variables
16467 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16468 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16469 Hook run in category buffers.
16471 @item gnus-category-line-format
16472 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16473 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16474 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16478 The name of the category.
16481 The number of groups in the category.
16484 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16485 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16486 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16488 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16489 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16490 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16492 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16493 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16494 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16496 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16497 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16498 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16501 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16502 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16503 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16509 @node Agent Commands
16510 @subsection Agent Commands
16512 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16513 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16514 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16518 * Group Agent Commands::
16519 * Summary Agent Commands::
16520 * Server Agent Commands::
16523 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16524 following incantation:
16526 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16528 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16533 @node Group Agent Commands
16534 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16538 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16539 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16540 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16541 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16544 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16545 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16546 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16549 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16550 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16551 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16552 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16555 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16556 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16557 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16558 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16561 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16562 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16563 Add the current group to an Agent category
16564 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16565 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16568 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16569 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16570 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16571 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16572 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16575 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16576 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16577 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16583 @node Summary Agent Commands
16584 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16588 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16589 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16590 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16593 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16594 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16595 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16596 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16599 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16600 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16601 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16604 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16605 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16606 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16609 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16610 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16611 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16612 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16617 @node Server Agent Commands
16618 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16622 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16623 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16624 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16625 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16628 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16629 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16630 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16631 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16637 @subsection Agent Expiry
16639 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16640 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16641 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16642 @cindex Agent expiry
16643 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16646 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16647 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16648 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16649 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16650 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16651 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16653 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
16654 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
16655 expiry in different groups.
16658 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
16664 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
16665 method---it must always match all groups.
16667 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16668 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16669 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16670 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16671 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16673 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
16674 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
16675 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
16676 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
16678 @node Agent and IMAP
16679 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16681 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16682 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16683 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16684 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16686 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16687 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16688 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16689 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16691 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16692 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16693 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16694 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16695 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16697 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16698 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16699 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16700 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16701 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16702 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16704 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16705 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16706 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16707 in the group buffer by default.
16709 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16710 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16715 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16718 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16722 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16723 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16724 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16725 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16726 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16727 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16728 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16729 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16732 @node Outgoing Messages
16733 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16735 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16736 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16737 after posting, and edit them at will.
16739 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16740 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16741 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16742 messages in the draft group.
16746 @node Agent Variables
16747 @subsection Agent Variables
16750 @item gnus-agent-directory
16751 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16752 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16753 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16755 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16756 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16757 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16758 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16759 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16762 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16763 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16764 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16766 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16767 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16768 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16770 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16771 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
16772 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
16774 @item gnus-agent-cache
16775 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
16776 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and articles when
16779 @item gnus-agent-go-online
16780 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
16781 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
16782 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
16783 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
16784 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
16785 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
16791 @node Example Setup
16792 @subsection Example Setup
16794 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16795 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16796 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16799 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16800 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16801 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16803 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16804 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16805 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16807 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16808 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16810 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16811 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
16812 (setq gnus-agent t)
16815 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16816 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16819 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16820 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16821 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16822 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16823 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16826 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16827 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16828 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16829 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16830 back all the killed groups.)
16832 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16833 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16834 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16837 @node Batching Agents
16838 @subsection Batching Agents
16840 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16841 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16842 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16846 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16850 @node Agent Caveats
16851 @subsection Agent Caveats
16853 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16854 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16858 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
16862 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16864 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
16868 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16869 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
16870 locally stored articles.
16877 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16878 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16879 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16882 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16883 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16884 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16885 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16886 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16888 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16889 before generating the summary buffer.
16891 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16892 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16893 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16895 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16896 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16897 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16898 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16901 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16902 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16903 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16904 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16905 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16906 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16907 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16908 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16909 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16910 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16911 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16912 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16913 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16914 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16915 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16916 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16917 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16921 @node Summary Score Commands
16922 @section Summary Score Commands
16923 @cindex score commands
16925 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16926 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16927 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16928 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16929 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16931 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16932 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16933 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16934 score file the current one.
16936 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16941 @kindex V s (Summary)
16942 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16943 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16946 @kindex V S (Summary)
16947 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16948 Display the score of the current article
16949 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16952 @kindex V t (Summary)
16953 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16954 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16955 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16958 @kindex V w (Summary)
16959 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
16960 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
16963 @kindex V R (Summary)
16964 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16965 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16966 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16967 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16968 effect you're having.
16971 @kindex V c (Summary)
16972 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16973 Make a different score file the current
16974 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16977 @kindex V e (Summary)
16978 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16979 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16980 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16984 @kindex V f (Summary)
16985 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16986 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16987 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16990 @kindex V F (Summary)
16991 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16992 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16993 after editing score files.
16996 @kindex V C (Summary)
16997 @findex gnus-score-customize
16998 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16999 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17003 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17008 @kindex V m (Summary)
17009 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17010 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17011 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17014 @kindex V x (Summary)
17015 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17016 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17017 expunge all articles below this score
17018 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17021 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17022 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17025 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17026 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17030 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17031 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17033 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17034 keys are available:
17038 Score on the author name.
17041 Score on the subject line.
17044 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17047 Score on the @code{References} line.
17053 Score on the number of lines.
17056 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17059 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17060 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17063 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17064 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17065 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17074 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17080 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17081 what headers you are scoring on.
17093 Substring matching.
17096 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17125 Greater than number.
17130 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17131 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17132 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17137 Temporary score entry.
17140 Permanent score entry.
17143 Immediately scoring.
17147 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17148 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17149 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17153 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17154 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17155 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17156 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17158 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17159 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17160 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17161 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17162 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17164 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17165 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17166 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17167 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17168 current score file.
17170 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17171 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17172 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17175 @node Group Score Commands
17176 @section Group Score Commands
17177 @cindex group score commands
17179 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17184 @kindex W f (Group)
17185 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17186 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17187 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17188 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17192 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17194 @findex gnus-batch-score
17195 @cindex batch scoring
17197 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17201 @node Score Variables
17202 @section Score Variables
17203 @cindex score variables
17207 @item gnus-use-scoring
17208 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17209 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17210 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17212 @item gnus-kill-killed
17213 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17214 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17215 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17216 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17217 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17218 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17219 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17221 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17222 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17223 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17224 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17225 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17227 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17228 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17229 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17230 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17232 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17233 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17234 @cindex score cache
17235 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17236 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17237 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
17238 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17239 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17240 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17243 @item gnus-save-score
17244 @vindex gnus-save-score
17245 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17246 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17247 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17249 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17250 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17251 across group visits.
17253 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17254 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17255 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17256 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17257 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17258 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17259 manually entered data.
17261 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17262 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17263 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17265 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17266 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17267 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17268 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17269 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17270 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17272 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17273 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17274 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17275 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17277 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17278 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17279 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17280 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17282 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17283 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17284 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17285 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17287 Predefined functions available are:
17290 @item gnus-score-find-single
17291 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17292 Only apply the group's own score file.
17294 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17295 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17296 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17297 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17298 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17299 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17300 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17301 then a regexp match is done.
17303 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17304 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17306 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17307 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17308 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17309 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17311 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17312 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17313 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17314 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17315 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17319 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17320 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17321 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17322 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17323 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17324 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17325 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17328 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17329 overall score file, you could use the value
17331 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17332 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17335 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17336 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17337 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17338 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17339 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17341 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17342 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17343 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17344 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17345 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17346 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17347 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17348 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17350 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17351 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17352 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17354 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17355 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17356 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17357 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17358 threading---according to the current value of
17359 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17360 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17361 simplified in this manner.
17366 @node Score File Format
17367 @section Score File Format
17368 @cindex score file format
17370 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17371 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17372 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17374 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17378 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17380 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17382 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17384 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17389 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17393 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17394 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17395 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17396 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17400 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17401 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17403 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17404 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17405 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17407 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17412 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17413 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17414 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17415 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17416 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17417 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17418 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17419 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17420 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17421 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17422 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17423 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17424 to articles that matches these score entries.
17426 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17427 score entry has one to four elements.
17431 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17432 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17436 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17437 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17438 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17439 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17440 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17441 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17444 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17445 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17446 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17447 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17448 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17451 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17452 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17453 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17454 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17457 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17458 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17459 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17460 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17461 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17462 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17463 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17464 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17465 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17466 instead, if you feel like.
17469 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17470 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17471 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17472 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17473 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17474 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17477 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17481 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17482 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17484 These predicates are true if
17487 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17490 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17491 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17498 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17499 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17500 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17501 it's not. I think.)
17503 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17504 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17505 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17506 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17509 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17510 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17511 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17512 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17513 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17514 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17515 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17519 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17520 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17521 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17522 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17523 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17524 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17525 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17526 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17529 @item Head, Body, All
17530 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17534 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17535 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17536 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17537 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17538 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17539 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17540 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17544 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17545 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17546 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17547 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17548 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17549 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17550 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17551 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17552 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17553 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17554 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17558 @cindex Score File Atoms
17560 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17561 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17564 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17565 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17567 @item mark-and-expunge
17568 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17569 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17572 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17573 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17574 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17575 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17576 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17579 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17580 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17583 @item exclude-files
17584 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17585 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17589 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17590 ignored when handling global score files.
17593 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17594 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17595 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17596 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17599 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17600 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17601 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17602 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17604 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17608 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17611 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17612 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17613 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17614 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17615 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17617 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17618 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17619 scoring rules exist.
17622 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17623 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17624 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17625 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17626 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17627 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17628 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17629 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17630 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17631 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17632 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17636 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17637 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17638 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17639 file for a number of groups.
17642 @cindex local variables
17643 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17644 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17645 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17646 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17647 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17651 @node Score File Editing
17652 @section Score File Editing
17654 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17655 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17656 with a mode for that.
17658 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17659 additional commands:
17664 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17665 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17666 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17667 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17670 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17671 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17672 Insert the current date in numerical format
17673 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17674 you were wondering.
17677 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17678 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17679 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17680 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17681 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17686 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17688 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17689 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17691 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17692 e} to begin editing score files.
17695 @node Adaptive Scoring
17696 @section Adaptive Scoring
17697 @cindex adaptive scoring
17699 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17700 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17701 stupidity, to be precise.
17703 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17704 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17705 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17706 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17707 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17708 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17709 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17710 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17711 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17713 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17714 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17715 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17716 might look something like this:
17719 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17720 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17721 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17722 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17723 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17724 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17725 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17726 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17727 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17728 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17729 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17730 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17733 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17734 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17735 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17736 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17737 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17738 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17741 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17742 will be applied to each article.
17744 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17745 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17746 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17747 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17749 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17750 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17751 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17752 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17754 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17755 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17756 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17757 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17759 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17760 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17761 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17762 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17763 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17764 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17766 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17767 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17768 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17769 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17770 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17771 aspirins afterwards.)
17773 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17774 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17775 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17777 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17778 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17779 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17781 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17782 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17783 let you use different rules in different groups.
17785 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17786 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17787 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17790 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17791 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17792 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17793 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17794 the length of the match is less than
17795 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17796 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17799 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17800 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17801 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17802 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17803 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17806 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17807 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17808 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17809 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17810 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17813 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17814 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17815 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17816 score with 30 points.
17818 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17819 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17820 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17821 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17822 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17824 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17825 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17826 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17827 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17828 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17830 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17831 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17832 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17833 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17835 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17836 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17837 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17838 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17840 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17841 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17842 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17843 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17844 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17846 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17847 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17848 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17850 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17851 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17852 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17853 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17856 @node Home Score File
17857 @section Home Score File
17859 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17860 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17861 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17862 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17864 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17865 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17866 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17868 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17869 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17874 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17878 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17879 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17883 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17887 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17888 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17891 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17892 the home score file.
17895 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17898 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17903 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17906 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17907 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17910 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17911 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17913 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17915 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17916 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17919 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17920 Other functions include
17923 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17924 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17925 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17926 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17930 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17931 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17932 their own home score files:
17935 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17936 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17937 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17938 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17939 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17942 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17943 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17944 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17945 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17946 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17948 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17949 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17950 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17951 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17952 precedence over this variable.
17955 @node Followups To Yourself
17956 @section Followups To Yourself
17958 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17959 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17960 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17961 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17962 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17963 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17967 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17968 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17969 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17972 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17973 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17974 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17978 @vindex message-sent-hook
17979 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17980 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17982 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17986 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17987 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17991 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17992 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17995 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17996 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18001 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18005 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18006 is system-dependent.
18009 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18010 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18011 @cindex scoring on other headers
18013 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18014 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18015 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18016 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18017 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18019 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18020 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18021 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18022 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18023 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18025 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18028 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18029 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18032 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18033 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18034 time if you have much mail.
18036 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18037 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18043 @section Scoring Tips
18044 @cindex scoring tips
18050 @cindex scoring crossposts
18051 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18052 the @code{Xref} header.
18054 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18057 @item Multiple crossposts
18058 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18059 more than, say, 3 groups:
18062 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18066 @item Matching on the body
18067 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18068 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18069 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18070 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18071 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18072 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18073 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18076 @item Marking as read
18077 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18078 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18079 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18083 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18085 @item Negated character classes
18086 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18087 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18088 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18092 @node Reverse Scoring
18093 @section Reverse Scoring
18094 @cindex reverse scoring
18096 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18097 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18098 like this in your score file:
18102 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18107 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18108 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18111 @node Global Score Files
18112 @section Global Score Files
18113 @cindex global score files
18115 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18116 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18117 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18119 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18120 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18121 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18123 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18124 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18125 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18126 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18127 files are applicable to which group.
18129 To use the score file
18130 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18131 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18135 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18136 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18137 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18140 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18142 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18143 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18144 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18145 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18147 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18148 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18150 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18151 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18152 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18153 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18154 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18155 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18157 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18163 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18165 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18167 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18169 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18170 lowered out of existence.
18172 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18173 articles completely.
18176 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18177 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18178 old articles for a long time.
18181 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18182 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18183 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18184 holding our breath yet?
18188 @section Kill Files
18191 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18192 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18193 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18195 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18196 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18197 files into score files.
18199 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18200 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18201 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18202 that isn't a very good idea.
18204 Normal kill files look like this:
18207 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18208 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18212 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18213 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18215 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18216 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18219 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18224 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18225 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18226 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18229 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18230 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18231 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18234 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18239 @kindex M-k (Group)
18240 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18241 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18244 @kindex M-K (Group)
18245 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18246 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18249 Kill file variables:
18252 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18253 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18254 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18255 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18256 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18257 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18258 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18260 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18261 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18262 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18263 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18266 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18267 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18268 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18269 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18270 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18271 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18272 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18273 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18274 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18276 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18277 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18278 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18283 @node Converting Kill Files
18284 @section Converting Kill Files
18286 @cindex converting kill files
18288 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18289 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18290 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18293 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18294 You can fetch it from
18295 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18297 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18298 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18299 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18307 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18308 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18309 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18310 news articles generated every day.
18312 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18313 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18314 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18315 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18316 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18317 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18318 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18319 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18322 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18323 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18326 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18327 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18328 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18329 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18333 @node Using GroupLens
18334 @subsection Using GroupLens
18336 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18338 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18339 better bit in town at the moment.
18341 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18345 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18346 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18347 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18348 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18350 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18351 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18352 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18353 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18355 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18356 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18357 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18361 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18362 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18363 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18364 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18365 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18366 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18369 @node Rating Articles
18370 @subsection Rating Articles
18372 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18373 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18374 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18375 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18378 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18383 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18384 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18385 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18388 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18389 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18390 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18391 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18392 threads in rec.humor.
18396 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18397 the score of the article you're reading.
18402 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18403 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18404 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18407 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18408 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18409 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18413 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18414 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18417 @node Displaying Predictions
18418 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18420 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18421 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18422 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18423 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18424 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18426 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18427 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18428 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18429 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18430 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18431 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18432 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18433 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18434 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18435 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18436 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18437 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18438 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18440 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18441 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18442 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18443 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18445 The following are valid values for that variable.
18448 @item prediction-spot
18449 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18452 @item confidence-interval
18453 A numeric confidence interval.
18455 @item prediction-bar
18456 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18458 @item confidence-bar
18459 Numerical confidence.
18461 @item confidence-spot
18462 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18464 @item prediction-num
18465 Plain-old numeric value.
18467 @item confidence-plus-minus
18468 Prediction +/- confidence.
18473 @node GroupLens Variables
18474 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18478 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18479 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18480 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18481 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18484 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18485 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18488 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18489 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18491 @item grouplens-score-offset
18492 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18493 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18496 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18497 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18498 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18503 @node Advanced Scoring
18504 @section Advanced Scoring
18506 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18507 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18508 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18509 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18510 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18512 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18516 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18517 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18518 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18522 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18523 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18525 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18526 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18527 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18528 non-@code{nil} value.
18530 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18531 operator, and various match operators.
18538 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18539 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18540 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18545 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18546 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18547 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18552 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18553 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18557 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18558 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18559 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18560 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18561 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18562 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18563 the ancestry you want to go.
18565 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18566 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18567 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18568 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18569 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18572 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18573 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18575 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18576 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18579 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18580 when he's talking about Gnus:
18584 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18585 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18591 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18595 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18602 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18603 really don't want to read what he's written:
18607 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18608 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18612 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18613 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18614 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18621 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18622 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18623 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18624 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18628 The possibilities are endless.
18631 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18632 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18634 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18635 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18636 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18637 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18638 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18639 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18640 @samp{subject}) first.
18642 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18643 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18654 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18655 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18661 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18668 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18669 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18674 @section Score Decays
18675 @cindex score decays
18678 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18679 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18680 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18681 use them in any sensible way.
18683 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18684 @findex gnus-decay-score
18685 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18686 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18687 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18688 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18689 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18690 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18691 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18692 definition of that function:
18695 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18697 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18698 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18701 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18703 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18705 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18708 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18709 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18710 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18711 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18715 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18718 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18721 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18725 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18726 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18727 the new score, which should be an integer.
18729 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18730 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18735 @include message.texi
18736 @chapter Emacs MIME
18737 @include emacs-mime.texi
18739 @include sieve.texi
18747 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18748 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18749 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18750 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18751 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18752 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18753 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18754 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18755 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18756 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18757 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18758 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18759 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18760 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
18761 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18762 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18763 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18764 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18765 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18769 @node Process/Prefix
18770 @section Process/Prefix
18771 @cindex process/prefix convention
18773 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18774 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18776 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18777 command to be performed on.
18781 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18782 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18783 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18784 with the current one.
18786 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18787 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18788 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18790 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18791 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18794 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18795 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18797 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18800 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18801 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18802 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18803 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18805 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18806 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18807 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18808 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18809 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18810 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18811 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18812 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18814 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18815 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18816 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18817 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18818 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18822 @section Interactive
18823 @cindex interaction
18827 @item gnus-novice-user
18828 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18829 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18830 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18831 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18832 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18835 @item gnus-expert-user
18836 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18837 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18838 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18839 matter how strange.
18841 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18842 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18843 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18844 is @code{t} by default.
18846 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18847 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18848 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18853 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18854 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18855 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18857 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18858 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18859 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18860 rule of 900 to the current article.
18862 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18863 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18864 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18865 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18866 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18867 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18868 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18870 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18871 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18872 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18873 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18874 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18875 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18876 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18877 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18878 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18880 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18881 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18882 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18884 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18888 @node Formatting Variables
18889 @section Formatting Variables
18890 @cindex formatting variables
18892 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18893 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18894 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18895 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18896 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18899 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18900 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18901 lots of percentages everywhere.
18904 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18905 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18906 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18907 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18908 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18909 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18910 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18911 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18914 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18915 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18916 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18917 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18918 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18919 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18920 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18921 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18923 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18924 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18926 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18927 @findex gnus-update-format
18928 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18929 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18930 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18931 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18935 @node Formatting Basics
18936 @subsection Formatting Basics
18938 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18939 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18940 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18942 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18943 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18944 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18945 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18946 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18949 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18950 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18951 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18952 less than 4 characters wide.
18954 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18955 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18958 @node Mode Line Formatting
18959 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18961 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18962 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18963 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18964 with the following two differences:
18969 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18972 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18973 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18974 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18975 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18976 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18977 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18978 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18983 @node Advanced Formatting
18984 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18986 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18987 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18988 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18989 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18991 These are the valid modifiers:
18996 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19000 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19005 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19008 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19013 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19016 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19019 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19022 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19028 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19033 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19034 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19035 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19036 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19037 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19038 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19039 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19041 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19042 last operation, padding.
19044 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19045 If @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} is set to @code{nil} (@code{t} by
19046 default) with your strong personality, and use a lots of these advanced
19047 thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets quite slow. This can be helped
19048 enormously by running @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with
19049 the look of your lines.
19050 @xref{Compilation}.
19053 @node User-Defined Specs
19054 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19056 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19057 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19058 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19059 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19060 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19061 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19062 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19063 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19064 should protect against that.
19066 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19067 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19069 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19070 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19071 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19072 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19076 @node Formatting Fonts
19077 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19079 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19080 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19081 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19082 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19085 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19086 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19087 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19088 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19089 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19090 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19092 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
19093 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
19094 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
19095 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
19096 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
19097 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
19098 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
19099 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
19101 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19104 ;; Create three face types.
19105 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19106 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19108 ;; We want the article count to be in
19109 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19110 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19111 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19113 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19114 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19116 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19117 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19118 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19121 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19122 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19124 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19125 mode-line variables.
19127 @node Positioning Point
19128 @subsection Positioning Point
19130 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19131 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19132 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19134 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19136 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19137 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19138 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19140 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19141 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19142 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19147 @subsection Tabulation
19149 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19150 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19151 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19152 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19154 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19155 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19157 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19158 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19159 This is the soft tabulator.
19161 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19162 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19163 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19166 @node Wide Characters
19167 @subsection Wide Characters
19169 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19170 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19171 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19173 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19174 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19175 these coutries, that's not true.
19177 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19178 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19179 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19180 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
19184 @node Window Layout
19185 @section Window Layout
19186 @cindex window layout
19188 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19190 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19191 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19192 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19193 @code{t} by default.
19195 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19196 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19198 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19199 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19200 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19203 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19204 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19205 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19209 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19210 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19211 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19212 possible names is listed below.
19214 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19215 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19218 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19222 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19223 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19224 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19225 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19226 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19227 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19228 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19229 size spec per split.
19231 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19232 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19233 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19234 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19235 present) gets focus.
19237 Here's a more complicated example:
19240 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19241 (summary 0.25 point)
19242 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19246 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19247 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19248 occupy, not a percentage.
19250 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19251 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19252 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19253 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19254 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19257 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19260 (article (horizontal 1.0
19265 (summary 0.25 point)
19270 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19271 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19273 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19274 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19275 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19276 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19277 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19279 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19280 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19281 lines from the splits.
19283 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19287 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19288 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19289 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19290 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19291 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19292 size = number | frame-params
19293 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19296 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19297 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19298 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19299 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19301 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19302 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19303 @cindex window height
19304 @cindex window width
19305 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19306 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19307 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19308 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19309 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19310 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19312 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19313 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19314 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19315 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19317 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19318 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19319 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19320 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19321 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19322 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19323 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19324 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19325 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19326 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19327 configuration list.
19330 (gnus-configure-frame
19334 (article 0.3 point))
19342 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19343 @code{frame} split:
19346 (gnus-configure-frame
19349 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19351 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19352 (user-position . t)
19353 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19358 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19359 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19360 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19361 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19362 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19363 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19364 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19365 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19367 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19368 be found in its default value.
19370 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19371 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19372 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19376 (message (horizontal 1.0
19377 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19379 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19384 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19385 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19386 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19391 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19392 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19393 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19394 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19395 (name . "Message"))
19396 (message 1.0 point))))
19399 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19400 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19401 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19402 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19403 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19406 (gnus-add-configuration
19407 '(article (vertical 1.0
19409 (summary .25 point)
19413 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19414 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19415 Gnus has been loaded.
19417 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19418 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19419 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19420 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19421 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19423 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19424 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19425 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19428 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19432 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19433 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19448 (gnus-add-configuration
19451 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19453 (summary 0.16 point)
19456 (gnus-add-configuration
19459 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19460 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19466 @node Faces and Fonts
19467 @section Faces and Fonts
19472 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19473 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19474 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19479 @section Compilation
19480 @cindex compilation
19481 @cindex byte-compilation
19483 @findex gnus-compile
19485 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19486 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19487 on. By default, T-gnus will use the byte-compiled codes of these
19488 variables and we can keep a slow-down to a minimum. However, if you set
19489 @code{gnus-compile-user-specs} to @code{nil} (@code{t} by default),
19490 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19491 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19492 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19495 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19496 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19497 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19498 you'll get top speed again. Note that T-gnus will not save these
19499 compiled specs in the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19502 @item gnus-compile-user-specs
19503 @vindex gnus-compile-user-specs
19504 If it is non-nil, the user-defined format specs will be byte-compiled
19505 automatically. The default value of this variable is @code{t}. It has
19506 an effect on the values of @code{gnus-*-line-format-spec}.
19511 @section Mode Lines
19514 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19515 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19516 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19517 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19518 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19519 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19520 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19523 @cindex display-time
19525 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19526 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19527 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19528 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19529 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19530 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19531 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19532 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19535 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19537 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19538 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19540 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19541 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19542 (length display-time-string)))))
19545 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19546 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19547 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19548 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19549 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19552 @node Highlighting and Menus
19553 @section Highlighting and Menus
19555 @cindex highlighting
19558 @vindex gnus-visual
19559 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19560 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19561 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19564 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19565 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19568 @item group-highlight
19569 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19570 @item summary-highlight
19571 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19572 @item article-highlight
19573 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19575 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19577 Create menus in the group buffer.
19579 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19581 Create menus in the article buffer.
19583 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19585 Create menus in the server buffer.
19587 Create menus in the score buffers.
19589 Create menus in all buffers.
19592 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19593 buffers, you could say something like:
19596 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19599 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19602 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19605 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19606 in all Gnus buffers.
19608 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19611 @item gnus-mouse-face
19612 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19613 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19614 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19618 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19622 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19623 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19624 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19626 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19627 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19628 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19630 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19631 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19632 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19634 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19635 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19636 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19638 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19639 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19640 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19642 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19643 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19644 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19655 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19656 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19657 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19658 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19659 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19663 @vindex gnus-carpal
19664 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19665 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19666 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19671 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19672 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19673 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19675 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19676 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19677 Face used on buttons.
19679 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19680 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19681 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19683 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19684 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19685 Buttons in the group buffer.
19687 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19688 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19689 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19691 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19692 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19693 Buttons in the server buffer.
19695 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19696 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19697 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19700 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19701 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19702 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19710 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19711 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19712 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19713 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19714 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19716 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19717 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19718 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19720 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19721 been idle for thirty minutes:
19724 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19727 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19731 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19734 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19735 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19736 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19738 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19739 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19740 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19741 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19743 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19744 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19745 @var{idle} minutes.
19747 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19748 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19751 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19752 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19753 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19755 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19756 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19757 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19758 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19760 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19761 your @file{.gnus} file:
19763 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19765 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19768 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19769 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19770 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19771 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19772 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19773 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19774 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19775 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19776 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19777 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19778 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19780 @findex gnus-demon-init
19781 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19782 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19783 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19784 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19785 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19787 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19788 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19789 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19798 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19799 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19801 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19802 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19803 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19804 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19807 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19808 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19809 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19810 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19812 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19813 this will make spam disappear.
19815 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19818 @item gnus-use-nocem
19819 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19820 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19823 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19824 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19825 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19826 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19827 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19829 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19830 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19831 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19832 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19833 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19834 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19836 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19837 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19839 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19840 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19841 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19842 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19843 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19844 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19845 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19846 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19847 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19848 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19850 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19851 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19854 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19857 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19858 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19861 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19864 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19867 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19868 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19870 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19871 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19872 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19873 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19875 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19876 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19879 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19881 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19889 This might be dangerous, though.
19891 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19892 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19893 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19894 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19896 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19897 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19898 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19899 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19900 might then see old spam.
19902 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19903 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19904 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19905 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19906 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19909 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19910 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19911 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19912 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19916 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19917 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19918 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19919 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19926 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19927 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19928 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19930 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19931 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19932 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19933 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19934 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19935 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19936 @code{undo} function.
19938 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19939 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19940 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19941 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19942 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19943 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19944 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19945 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19946 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19947 never be totally undoable.
19949 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19950 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19952 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19953 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19954 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19955 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19959 @node Predicate Specifiers
19960 @section Predicate Specifiers
19961 @cindex predicate specifiers
19963 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
19964 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
19965 to type all that much.
19967 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
19972 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
19973 gnus-article-unread-p)
19976 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
19977 functions all take one parameter.
19979 @findex gnus-make-predicate
19980 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
19981 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
19982 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
19987 @section Moderation
19990 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19991 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19992 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19995 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19999 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20002 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20004 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20009 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20010 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20011 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20014 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20015 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20018 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20019 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20023 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20026 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20027 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20031 @node Image Enhancements
20032 @section Image Enhancements
20034 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20035 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20038 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20039 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20040 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20041 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20042 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20055 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20056 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20057 over your shoulder as you read news.
20060 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20061 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20062 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20063 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20064 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20069 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20071 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20080 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20081 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20082 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20083 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20084 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20085 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20086 @code{GIF} formats.
20089 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20090 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20091 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20092 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20093 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20095 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20096 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20097 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20098 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20099 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20100 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20102 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20103 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20106 @node Picon Requirements
20107 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20109 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20110 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20111 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20112 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20114 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20115 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20116 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20117 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20118 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20119 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20122 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20124 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20125 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20128 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20129 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20132 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20133 containing the Picons databases.
20135 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20138 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20139 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20144 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20152 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20153 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20154 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20155 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20156 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20161 @item gnus-picons-database
20162 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20163 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20164 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20165 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20166 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20167 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20169 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20170 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20171 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20172 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20173 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20174 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20175 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20177 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20178 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20179 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20180 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20181 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20182 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20183 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20184 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20186 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20187 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20188 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20193 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20194 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20196 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20197 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20200 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20202 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20203 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20204 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20205 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20207 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20208 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20209 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20210 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20216 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20217 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20225 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20226 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20227 don't need to worry about.
20231 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20232 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20233 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20234 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20236 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20237 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20238 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20239 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20241 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20242 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20243 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20244 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20245 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20247 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20248 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20249 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20250 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20251 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20252 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20253 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20254 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20256 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20257 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20258 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20259 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20260 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20262 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20263 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20264 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20265 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20266 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20267 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20268 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20270 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20271 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20272 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20273 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20275 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20276 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20277 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20278 Defaults to @code{t}.
20280 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20281 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20282 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20283 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20285 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20286 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20287 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20289 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20290 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20291 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20292 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20294 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20295 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20297 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20298 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20299 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20300 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20301 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20302 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20303 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20304 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20315 @subsection Smileys
20320 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20325 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20326 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20328 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20329 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20332 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20335 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20336 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20337 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20338 text and maps that to file names.
20340 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20341 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20342 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20343 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20344 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20345 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20347 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20348 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20350 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20351 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20352 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20354 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20355 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20359 @item smiley-data-directory
20360 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20361 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20363 @item smiley-flesh-color
20364 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20365 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20367 @item smiley-features-color
20368 @vindex smiley-features-color
20369 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20371 @item smiley-tongue-color
20372 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20373 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20375 @item smiley-circle-color
20376 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20377 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20379 @item smiley-mouse-face
20380 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20381 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20390 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20391 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20392 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20396 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20397 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20398 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20399 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20407 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20408 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20409 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20410 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20412 The variable that controls this is the
20413 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20414 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20415 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20416 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20417 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20419 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20420 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20421 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20422 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20425 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20426 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20427 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20428 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20429 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20430 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20431 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20432 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20434 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20437 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20438 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20440 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20441 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20442 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20443 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20444 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20445 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20447 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a file as the parameter, and then
20448 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20449 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20451 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20452 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20455 (setq message-required-news-headers
20456 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20457 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20460 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20463 (setq message-required-news-headers
20464 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20465 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20466 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20467 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20472 @subsection Toolbar
20482 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20483 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20484 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20485 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20486 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20488 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20489 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20490 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20492 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20493 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20494 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20496 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20497 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20498 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20504 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20507 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20508 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20509 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20510 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20511 unusual directory structure.
20513 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20514 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20515 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20516 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20518 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20519 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20520 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20521 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20522 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20523 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20525 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20526 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20527 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20541 @node Fuzzy Matching
20542 @section Fuzzy Matching
20543 @cindex fuzzy matching
20545 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20546 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20548 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20549 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20550 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20552 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20553 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20554 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20555 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20556 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20559 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20560 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20564 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20566 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20567 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20568 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20569 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20570 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20571 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20572 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20573 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20576 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20577 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20578 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20579 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20580 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20581 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20585 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20586 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20588 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20589 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20590 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20591 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20592 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20593 part of the mail address.)
20596 (setq message-default-news-headers
20597 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20600 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20601 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20606 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20607 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20608 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20614 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20615 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20616 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20617 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20619 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
20620 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20621 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20622 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20623 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20624 your fancy split rule in this way:
20629 (to "larsi" "misc")
20633 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20634 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20635 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20636 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20637 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20639 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20640 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20641 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20642 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20643 cosmic balance somewhat.
20645 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20646 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20647 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20648 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20651 @node Various Various
20652 @section Various Various
20658 @item gnus-home-directory
20659 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20660 defaults to @file{~/}.
20662 @item gnus-directory
20663 @vindex gnus-directory
20664 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20665 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20666 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20668 Note that gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20669 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20670 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20671 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20673 @item gnus-default-directory
20674 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20675 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20676 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20677 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20678 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20679 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20680 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20683 @vindex gnus-verbose
20684 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20685 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20686 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20687 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20688 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20690 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20691 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20692 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20693 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20695 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20696 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20697 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20698 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20699 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20700 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20701 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20702 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20703 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20704 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20706 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20707 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20708 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20709 read when doing the operation described above.
20711 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20712 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20714 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20715 @cindex characters in file names
20716 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20717 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20718 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20721 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20725 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20726 Windows (phooey) systems.
20728 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20729 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20730 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20731 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20732 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20734 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20735 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20736 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20737 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20738 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20740 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20741 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20742 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20744 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20745 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20747 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20748 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20749 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20750 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20753 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20761 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20762 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20764 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20766 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20772 Not because of victories @*
20775 but for the common sunshine,@*
20777 the largess of the spring.
20781 but for the day's work done@*
20782 as well as I was able;@*
20783 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20784 but at the common table.@*
20789 @chapter Appendices
20792 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20793 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20794 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20795 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20796 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20797 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20798 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20799 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20800 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20807 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20809 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20810 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20811 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20812 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20813 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20820 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20821 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20823 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20824 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20825 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20826 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20827 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20829 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20830 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20831 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20832 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20833 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20834 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20836 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20837 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20838 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20839 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20842 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20843 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20844 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20845 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20846 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20847 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20848 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20849 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20850 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20854 @node Gnus Versions
20855 @subsection Gnus Versions
20857 @cindex September Gnus
20859 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20860 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20864 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20865 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20866 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20868 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20869 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20871 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20872 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20874 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20875 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20877 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20878 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20881 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20883 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20884 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20885 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20886 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20887 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20888 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20891 @node Other Gnus Versions
20892 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20895 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20896 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20897 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20898 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20900 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20901 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20902 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20903 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20910 What's the point of Gnus?
20912 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20913 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20914 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20915 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20916 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20917 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20918 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20919 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20920 keep track of millions of people who post?
20922 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20923 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20924 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20925 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20926 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20927 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20928 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20929 every one of you to explore and invent.
20931 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20932 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20935 @node Compatibility
20936 @subsection Compatibility
20938 @cindex compatibility
20939 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20940 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20941 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20946 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20950 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20953 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20956 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20957 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20958 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20959 important variables have their values copied into their global
20960 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20961 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20963 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20964 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20965 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20966 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20967 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20971 @cindex highlighting
20972 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20973 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20974 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20975 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20976 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20977 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20980 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20981 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20982 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20983 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20985 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20986 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20987 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20988 to stop doing it the old way.
20990 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20992 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20994 @cindex reporting bugs
20996 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20997 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20998 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
21000 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
21001 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
21002 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
21003 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
21008 @subsection Conformity
21010 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
21011 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
21019 There are no known breaches of this standard.
21023 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
21025 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
21026 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
21027 We do have some breaches to this one.
21033 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
21034 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
21035 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
21036 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
21037 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
21042 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
21043 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
21044 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
21045 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
21047 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
21049 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
21051 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
21052 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
21054 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
21057 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
21058 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
21059 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
21060 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
21061 decoding (verification and decryption).
21063 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
21064 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
21065 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
21066 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
21068 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
21069 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
21071 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
21072 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
21073 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
21074 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
21075 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
21076 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
21077 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
21081 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
21082 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
21087 @subsection Emacsen
21093 Gnus should work on :
21101 XEmacs 21.1.1 and up.
21105 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
21106 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
21107 Emacs versions. However, T-gnus does support ``Mule 2.3 based on Emacs
21108 19.34'' and possibly the versions of XEmacs prior to 21.1.1, e.g. 20.4.
21109 See the file ``README'' in the T-gnus distribution for more details.
21111 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
21112 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
21113 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
21117 @node Gnus Development
21118 @subsection Gnus Development
21120 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
21121 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
21122 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
21123 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
21124 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
21125 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
21126 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
21127 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
21129 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
21130 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
21131 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
21132 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
21133 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
21136 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
21137 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
21138 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
21139 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
21140 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
21142 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
21143 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
21144 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
21145 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
21146 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
21147 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
21148 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
21149 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
21150 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
21151 can't be assumed to do so.
21156 @subsection Contributors
21157 @cindex contributors
21159 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
21160 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
21161 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
21162 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
21163 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
21164 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
21165 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
21166 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
21167 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
21168 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
21170 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
21176 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
21179 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
21180 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
21181 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
21182 functionality and stuff.
21185 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
21186 well as numerous other things).
21189 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
21192 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
21195 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
21198 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
21201 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
21202 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
21205 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
21208 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
21209 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21212 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
21215 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
21218 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
21221 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
21224 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
21225 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
21228 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
21231 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
21234 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
21237 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
21241 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
21244 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
21247 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
21250 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
21251 well as autoconf support.
21255 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
21256 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
21258 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
21267 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
21271 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
21281 Alexei V. Barantsev,
21296 Massimo Campostrini,
21301 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
21302 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
21306 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
21309 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
21315 Michael Welsh Duggan,
21320 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
21324 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
21332 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
21334 Michelangelo Grigni,
21338 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
21340 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
21342 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
21349 François Felix Ingrand,
21350 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
21351 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
21353 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
21364 Peter Skov Knudsen,
21365 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
21367 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
21368 Thor Kristoffersen,
21371 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
21389 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
21390 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
21397 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
21402 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
21406 John McClary Prevost,
21412 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
21417 Christian von Roques,
21420 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
21427 Philippe Schnoebelen,
21429 Randal L. Schwartz,
21443 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
21448 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
21464 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
21469 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
21470 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
21471 (550kB and counting).
21473 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
21476 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
21477 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
21481 @subsection New Features
21482 @cindex new features
21485 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
21486 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
21487 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
21488 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
21489 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
21492 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
21493 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
21494 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
21497 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
21499 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
21504 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
21505 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
21508 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
21509 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
21512 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
21515 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
21516 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
21517 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
21520 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
21521 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
21522 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
21523 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21526 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
21527 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21530 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
21531 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
21532 (@pxref{The Active File}).
21535 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
21536 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
21539 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
21540 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
21541 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21544 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
21545 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
21546 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
21549 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
21550 the @file{.emacs} file.
21553 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
21554 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
21557 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
21558 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
21561 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
21562 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21565 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
21566 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
21569 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
21570 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21573 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
21576 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
21577 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
21580 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
21581 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
21584 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
21585 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
21588 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21591 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21592 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21595 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21599 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21603 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21604 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21607 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21613 @node September Gnus
21614 @subsubsection September Gnus
21618 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21622 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21627 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21628 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21632 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21633 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21637 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21641 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21642 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21645 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21649 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21652 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21655 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21658 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21662 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21663 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21666 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21670 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21674 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21678 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21682 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21685 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21686 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21689 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21693 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21694 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21697 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21700 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21701 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21702 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21705 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21709 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21712 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21716 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21717 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21720 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21721 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21724 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21725 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21728 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21729 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21730 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21733 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21734 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21737 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21740 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21743 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21746 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21749 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21750 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21753 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21757 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21760 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21765 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21768 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21772 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21775 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21779 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21782 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21785 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21786 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21789 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21790 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21794 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21795 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21798 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21802 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21803 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21806 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21809 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21813 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21817 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21818 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21821 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21825 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21826 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21829 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21830 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21833 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21837 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21840 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21843 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21849 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21851 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21855 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21862 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21865 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21866 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21869 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21870 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21874 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21875 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21878 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21881 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21882 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21885 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21889 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21890 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21894 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21895 Server Internals}).
21898 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21902 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21905 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21906 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21909 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21910 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21911 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21914 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21915 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21918 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21919 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21922 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21926 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21927 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21930 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21931 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21934 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21938 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21941 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21945 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21946 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21949 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21950 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21953 A new command for reading collections of documents
21954 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21955 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21958 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21962 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21963 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21966 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21967 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21968 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21971 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21972 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21976 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21980 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21984 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21989 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21993 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21997 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21998 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
22001 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
22007 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
22009 New features in Gnus 5.6:
22014 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
22015 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
22016 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
22019 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
22020 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
22021 group, which is created automatically.
22024 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
22028 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
22031 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
22032 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
22035 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
22039 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
22042 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
22043 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
22046 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
22049 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
22050 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
22053 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
22054 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
22057 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
22058 control over simplification.
22061 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
22064 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
22068 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
22071 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
22074 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
22075 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
22076 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
22079 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
22080 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
22083 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
22087 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
22088 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
22091 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
22092 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
22095 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
22099 A history of where mails have been split is available.
22102 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
22105 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
22106 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
22109 A new function for citing in Message has been
22110 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
22113 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
22116 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
22120 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
22121 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
22124 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
22125 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
22128 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
22131 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
22135 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
22136 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
22138 New features in Gnus 5.8:
22143 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
22144 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
22146 If you used procmail like in
22149 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
22150 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
22151 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
22152 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
22155 this now has changed to
22159 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
22163 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
22164 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
22167 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
22168 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
22171 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
22172 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
22175 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
22176 called to position point.
22179 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
22180 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
22183 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
22184 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
22187 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
22188 subtly different manner.
22191 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
22192 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
22193 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
22196 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
22204 @section The Manual
22208 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
22209 either @code{texi2dvi}
22211 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
22212 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
22214 to get what you hold in your hands now.
22216 The following conventions have been used:
22221 This is a @samp{string}
22224 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
22227 This is a @file{file}
22230 This is a @code{symbol}
22234 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
22238 (setq flargnoze "yes")
22241 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
22244 (setq flumphel 'yes)
22247 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
22248 ever get them confused.
22252 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
22253 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
22254 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
22255 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
22256 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
22257 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
22258 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
22264 @node On Writing Manuals
22265 @section On Writing Manuals
22267 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
22268 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
22269 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
22270 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
22271 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
22272 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
22275 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
22276 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
22277 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
22280 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
22281 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
22286 @section Terminology
22288 @cindex terminology
22293 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
22294 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
22295 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
22296 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
22297 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
22301 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
22302 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
22303 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
22304 not posting, and replying is not following up.
22308 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
22312 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
22317 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
22318 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
22319 is all done by the back ends.
22323 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
22324 default, way of getting news.
22328 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
22329 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
22334 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
22335 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
22339 A message that has been posted as news.
22342 @cindex mail message
22343 A message that has been mailed.
22347 A mail message or news article
22351 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
22356 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
22361 A line from the head of an article.
22365 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
22366 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
22370 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
22371 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
22372 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
22373 normal @sc{head} format.
22377 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
22378 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
22379 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
22380 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
22381 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
22382 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
22384 @item killed groups
22385 @cindex killed groups
22386 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
22387 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
22389 @item zombie groups
22390 @cindex zombie groups
22391 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
22394 @cindex active file
22395 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
22396 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
22397 is rather large, as you might surmise.
22400 @cindex bogus groups
22401 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
22402 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
22403 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
22406 @cindex activating groups
22407 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
22408 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
22409 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
22413 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
22415 @item select method
22416 @cindex select method
22417 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
22420 @item virtual server
22421 @cindex virtual server
22422 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
22423 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
22424 whole is a virtual server.
22428 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
22429 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
22432 @item ephemeral groups
22433 @cindex ephemeral groups
22434 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
22435 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
22436 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
22439 @cindex solid groups
22440 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
22441 group buffer are solid groups.
22443 @item sparse articles
22444 @cindex sparse articles
22445 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
22446 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
22450 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
22451 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
22455 @cindex thread root
22456 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
22457 articles in the thread.
22461 An article that has responses.
22465 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
22469 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
22470 specified by RFC 1153.
22476 @node Customization
22477 @section Customization
22478 @cindex general customization
22480 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
22481 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
22482 for some quite common situations.
22485 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
22486 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
22487 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
22488 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
22492 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
22493 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
22495 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
22496 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
22497 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
22501 @item gnus-read-active-file
22502 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
22503 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
22504 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22505 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
22506 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
22508 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
22509 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
22510 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
22511 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
22515 @node Slow Terminal Connection
22516 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
22518 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
22519 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
22520 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
22524 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
22525 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
22526 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
22527 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
22528 horizontal and vertical recentering.
22530 @item gnus-visible-headers
22531 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
22532 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
22533 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
22534 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
22536 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
22538 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
22539 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
22540 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
22543 @item gnus-use-full-window
22544 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
22545 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
22546 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
22547 want to read them anyway.
22549 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
22550 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
22554 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
22555 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
22556 lines, which might save some time.
22560 @node Little Disk Space
22561 @subsection Little Disk Space
22564 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
22565 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
22569 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
22570 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
22571 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22572 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22575 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
22576 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
22577 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
22578 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
22581 @item gnus-save-killed-list
22582 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
22583 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
22584 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
22585 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22591 @subsection Slow Machine
22592 @cindex slow machine
22594 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22595 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22597 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22598 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22600 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22601 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22602 summary buffer faster.
22606 @node Troubleshooting
22607 @section Troubleshooting
22608 @cindex troubleshooting
22610 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22618 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22621 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22622 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22626 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22627 like @samp{T-gnus 6.15.* (based on Oort Gnus v0.*; for SEMI 1.1*, FLIM
22628 1.1*)} you have the right files loaded. If, on the other hand, you get
22629 something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp flee}, you have some old
22630 @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22633 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22637 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22638 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22639 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22640 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22641 something like that.
22644 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22647 @cindex reporting bugs
22649 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22651 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22652 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22653 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22654 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22656 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22657 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22658 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22659 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22662 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22663 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22664 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22665 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22666 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22667 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22669 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22670 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22671 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22675 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22676 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22678 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22679 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22681 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22682 @cindex ding mailing list
22683 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22684 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22688 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22689 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22691 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22692 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22693 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22694 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22697 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22698 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22699 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22700 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22701 and general methods of operation.
22704 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22705 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22706 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22707 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22708 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22709 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22710 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22711 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22712 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22716 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22717 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22718 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22719 @cindex utility functions
22721 @cindex internal variables
22723 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22724 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22725 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22729 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22730 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22731 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22733 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22734 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22735 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22737 @item gnus-group-real-name
22738 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22739 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22742 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22743 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22744 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22745 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22747 @item gnus-get-info
22748 @findex gnus-get-info
22749 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22751 @item gnus-group-unread
22752 @findex gnus-group-unread
22753 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22757 @findex gnus-active
22758 The active entry for @var{group}.
22760 @item gnus-set-active
22761 @findex gnus-set-active
22762 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22764 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22765 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22766 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22769 @item gnus-continuum-version
22770 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22771 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22772 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22775 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22776 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22777 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22779 @item gnus-news-group-p
22780 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22781 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22783 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22784 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22785 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22787 @item gnus-server-to-method
22788 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22789 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22791 @item gnus-server-equal
22792 @findex gnus-server-equal
22793 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22795 @item gnus-group-native-p
22796 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22797 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22799 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22800 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22801 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22803 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22804 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22805 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22807 @item group-group-find-parameter
22808 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22809 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22810 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22812 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22813 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22814 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22816 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22817 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22818 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22820 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22821 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22822 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22823 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22826 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22830 @item gnus-read-method
22831 @findex gnus-read-method
22832 Prompts the user for a select method.
22837 @node Back End Interface
22838 @subsection Back End Interface
22840 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22841 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22842 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22843 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22844 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22845 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22847 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22848 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22849 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22850 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22851 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22852 been opened, the function should fail.
22854 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22855 name. Take this example:
22859 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22860 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22863 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22864 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22866 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22867 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22868 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22870 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22871 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22872 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22874 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22875 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22876 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22877 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22878 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22879 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22882 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22883 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22884 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22885 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22888 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22889 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22890 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22891 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22892 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22893 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22894 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22895 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22896 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22897 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22899 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22900 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22901 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22902 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22903 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22904 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22905 of numbers as long as possible.
22907 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22910 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22913 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22914 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22915 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22916 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22917 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22918 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22922 @node Required Back End Functions
22923 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22927 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22929 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22930 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22931 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22932 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22934 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
22935 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22936 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22937 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22939 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22940 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22941 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22942 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22943 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22944 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22945 number, do maximum fetches.
22947 Here's an example HEAD:
22950 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22951 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22952 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22953 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22954 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22955 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22956 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22958 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22959 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22960 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22964 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22965 these in the data buffer.
22967 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22971 head = error / valid-head
22972 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22973 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22974 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22975 header = <text> eol
22978 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22979 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22983 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22984 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22985 field = <text except TAB>
22988 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22992 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22994 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22995 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22997 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22998 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22999 server. In fact, it should do so.
23001 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
23002 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
23005 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
23007 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
23008 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
23011 There should be no data returned.
23014 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
23016 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
23017 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
23018 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
23019 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
23021 There should be no data returned.
23024 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
23026 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
23027 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
23028 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
23029 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
23031 There should be no data returned.
23034 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
23036 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
23038 There should be no data returned.
23041 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
23043 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
23044 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
23045 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
23046 it would be nice if that were possible.
23048 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
23049 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
23050 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
23051 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
23052 into its article buffer.
23054 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
23055 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
23056 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
23057 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
23058 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
23059 on successful article retrieval.
23062 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
23064 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
23065 making @var{group} the current group.
23067 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
23070 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
23073 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
23076 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
23077 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
23078 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
23079 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
23080 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
23081 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
23082 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
23083 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
23084 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
23088 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
23089 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
23090 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
23094 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23096 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
23097 a no-op on most back ends.
23099 There should be no data returned.
23102 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
23104 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
23107 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
23110 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
23111 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
23114 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
23115 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
23116 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
23117 and the highest as 0.
23120 active-file = *active-line
23121 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
23123 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
23126 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
23127 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
23128 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
23131 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
23133 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
23134 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
23135 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
23136 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
23137 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
23138 clear if the posting could not be completed.
23140 There should be no result data from this function.
23145 @node Optional Back End Functions
23146 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
23150 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
23152 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
23153 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
23154 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
23156 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
23157 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
23158 former is in the same format as the data from
23159 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
23160 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
23163 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
23167 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
23169 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
23170 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
23171 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
23172 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
23173 should return the (altered) group info.
23175 There should be no result data from this function.
23178 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
23180 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
23181 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
23182 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
23183 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
23184 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
23185 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
23186 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
23187 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
23189 There should be no result data from this function.
23192 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
23194 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
23195 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
23196 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
23197 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
23198 propagate the mark information to the server.
23200 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
23203 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
23206 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
23207 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
23208 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
23209 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
23210 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
23211 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
23212 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
23213 possible, not limit itself to these.
23215 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
23216 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
23217 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
23218 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
23220 An example action list:
23223 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
23224 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
23225 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
23228 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
23229 mark on (currently not used for anything).
23231 There should be no result data from this function.
23233 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
23235 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
23236 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
23237 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
23238 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
23239 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
23241 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
23242 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
23243 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
23246 There should be no result data from this function.
23249 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
23251 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
23252 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
23253 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
23254 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
23255 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
23256 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
23257 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
23259 There should be no result data from this function.
23262 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
23264 The result data from this function should be a description of
23268 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
23270 description = <text>
23273 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
23275 The result data from this function should be the description of all
23276 groups available on the server.
23279 description-buffer = *description-line
23283 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
23285 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
23286 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
23287 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
23288 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
23289 in the active buffer format.
23291 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
23292 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
23293 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
23294 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
23295 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
23296 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
23297 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
23300 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
23302 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
23304 There should be no return data.
23307 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
23309 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
23310 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
23311 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
23312 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
23313 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
23316 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
23319 There should be no result data returned.
23322 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
23325 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
23326 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
23328 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
23329 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
23330 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
23331 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
23332 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
23333 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
23335 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
23336 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
23339 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23340 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23342 There should be no data returned.
23345 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
23347 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
23348 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
23349 this function in short order.
23351 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
23352 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
23354 There should be no data returned.
23357 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
23359 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
23360 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
23362 There should be no data returned.
23365 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
23367 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
23368 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
23369 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
23371 There should be no data returned.
23374 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
23376 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
23377 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
23379 There should be no data returned.
23384 @node Error Messaging
23385 @subsubsection Error Messaging
23387 @findex nnheader-report
23388 @findex nnheader-get-report
23389 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
23390 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
23391 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
23392 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
23393 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
23394 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
23397 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
23399 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
23402 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
23403 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
23404 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
23405 takes one argument---the server symbol.
23407 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
23408 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
23409 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
23412 @node Writing New Back Ends
23413 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
23415 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
23416 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
23417 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
23418 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
23419 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
23422 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
23423 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
23424 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
23426 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
23427 package called @code{nnoo}.
23429 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
23430 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
23436 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
23437 parameters. For instance:
23440 (nnoo-declare nndir
23444 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
23445 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
23448 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
23449 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
23450 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
23452 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
23453 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
23454 a function in those back ends.
23457 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23458 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23459 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23462 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
23463 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
23464 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
23466 @item nnoo-define-basics
23467 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
23471 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23475 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
23476 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
23477 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
23479 @item nnoo-map-functions
23480 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
23481 functions from the parent back ends.
23484 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23485 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23486 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
23489 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
23490 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
23491 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
23492 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
23495 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
23496 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
23497 haven't already been defined.
23503 nnmh-request-newgroups)
23507 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
23508 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
23509 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
23514 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
23517 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
23518 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
23522 (require 'nnheader)
23526 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
23528 (nnoo-declare nndir
23531 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
23532 "Where nndir will look for groups."
23533 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
23535 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
23536 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
23539 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
23541 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
23542 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
23543 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
23545 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
23546 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
23548 ;;; Interface functions.
23550 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
23552 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
23553 (setq nndir-directory
23554 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
23556 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
23557 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
23558 (push `(nndir-current-group
23559 ,(file-name-nondirectory
23560 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23562 (push `(nndir-top-directory
23563 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
23565 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
23567 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
23568 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23569 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
23570 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
23571 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
23575 nnmh-status-message
23577 nnmh-request-newgroups))
23583 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23584 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
23586 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
23587 @findex gnus-declare-backend
23588 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
23589 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
23590 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
23592 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
23593 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23598 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23601 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23603 The abilities can be:
23607 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23609 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23611 This back end supports both mail and news.
23613 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23616 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23617 articles and groups.
23619 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23620 true for almost all back ends.
23621 @item prompt-address
23622 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23623 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23624 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23628 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23629 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23631 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23632 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
23633 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
23634 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23637 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23638 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23639 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23642 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23643 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23646 This function takes four parameters.
23650 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23653 @item exit-function
23654 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23656 @item temp-directory
23657 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23660 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23661 performed for one group only.
23664 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23665 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23666 find the article number assigned to this article.
23668 The function also uses the following variables:
23669 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23670 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23671 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23672 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23676 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23677 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23681 @node Score File Syntax
23682 @subsection Score File Syntax
23684 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23685 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23686 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23688 Here's a typical score file:
23692 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23699 BNF definition of a score file:
23702 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23703 element = rule / atom
23704 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23705 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23706 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23707 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23709 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23710 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23711 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23712 date-header = "date"
23713 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23714 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23715 score = "nil" / <integer>
23716 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23717 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23718 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23719 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23720 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23721 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23722 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23723 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23724 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23725 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23726 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23727 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23728 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23729 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23730 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23731 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23732 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23733 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23734 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23735 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23736 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23737 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23738 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23739 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23740 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23741 eval = "eval" space <form>
23742 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23745 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23748 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23749 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23750 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23751 one looong line, then that's ok.
23753 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23754 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23758 @subsection Headers
23760 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23761 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23762 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23763 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23765 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23766 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23767 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23768 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23769 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23770 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23771 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23773 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23774 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23775 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23776 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23777 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23779 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23780 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23786 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23787 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23789 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23790 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23791 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23792 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23794 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23798 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23801 is transformed into
23804 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23807 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23808 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23811 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23814 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23815 is slightly tricky:
23818 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23824 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23827 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23833 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23840 and is equal to the previous range.
23842 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23843 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23844 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23848 range = simple-range / normal-range
23849 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23850 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23851 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23852 number *[ " " contents ]
23855 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23856 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23857 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23858 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23859 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23864 @subsection Group Info
23866 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23867 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23868 describes the group.
23870 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23871 second is a more complex one:
23874 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23876 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23877 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23879 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23882 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23883 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23884 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23885 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23886 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23887 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23888 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23889 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23890 this section is about.
23892 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23893 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23894 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23896 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23899 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23900 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23901 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23902 group = quote <string> quote
23903 ralevel = rank / level
23904 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23905 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23906 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23908 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23909 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23910 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23911 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23914 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23915 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23918 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23919 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23922 @item gnus-info-group
23923 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23924 @findex gnus-info-group
23925 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23926 Get/set the group name.
23928 @item gnus-info-rank
23929 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23930 @findex gnus-info-rank
23931 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23932 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23934 @item gnus-info-level
23935 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23936 @findex gnus-info-level
23937 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23938 Get/set the group level.
23940 @item gnus-info-score
23941 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23942 @findex gnus-info-score
23943 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23944 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23946 @item gnus-info-read
23947 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23948 @findex gnus-info-read
23949 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23950 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23952 @item gnus-info-marks
23953 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23954 @findex gnus-info-marks
23955 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23956 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23958 @item gnus-info-method
23959 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23960 @findex gnus-info-method
23961 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23962 Get/set the group select method.
23964 @item gnus-info-params
23965 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23966 @findex gnus-info-params
23967 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23968 Get/set the group parameters.
23971 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23972 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23974 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23975 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23976 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23977 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23980 @node Extended Interactive
23981 @subsection Extended Interactive
23982 @cindex interactive
23983 @findex gnus-interactive
23985 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23986 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23987 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23990 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23991 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23996 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23997 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23998 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23999 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
24000 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
24001 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
24002 @code{interactive}.
24004 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
24009 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
24010 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
24014 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
24015 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
24016 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
24019 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
24023 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
24027 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
24033 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
24034 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
24038 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
24039 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
24040 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
24042 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
24043 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
24044 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
24045 Gnus, that's very useful.
24047 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
24048 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
24049 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
24050 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
24051 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
24052 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
24053 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
24054 following function:
24057 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
24061 (,function ,@@args))
24065 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
24066 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
24067 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
24070 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
24071 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
24072 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
24074 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
24075 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
24076 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
24079 @node Various File Formats
24080 @subsection Various File Formats
24083 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
24084 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
24088 @node Active File Format
24089 @subsubsection Active File Format
24091 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
24092 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
24095 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
24098 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
24099 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
24100 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
24101 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
24102 no.general 1000 900 y
24105 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
24108 active = *group-line
24109 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
24110 group = <non-white-space string>
24112 high-number = <non-negative integer>
24113 low-number = <positive integer>
24114 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
24117 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
24118 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
24121 @node Newsgroups File Format
24122 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
24124 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
24125 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
24126 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
24129 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
24130 Here's the definition:
24134 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
24135 group = <non-white-space string>
24137 description = <string>
24142 @node Emacs for Heathens
24143 @section Emacs for Heathens
24145 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
24146 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
24147 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
24148 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
24149 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
24150 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
24151 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
24155 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
24156 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
24161 @subsection Keystrokes
24165 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
24168 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
24171 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
24172 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
24173 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
24174 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
24175 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
24176 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
24178 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
24179 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
24180 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
24181 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
24182 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
24183 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
24184 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
24186 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
24187 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
24188 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
24189 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
24190 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
24191 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
24192 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
24194 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
24195 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
24196 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
24197 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
24198 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
24204 @subsection Emacs Lisp
24206 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
24207 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
24208 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
24209 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
24211 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
24212 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
24213 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
24214 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
24215 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
24216 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
24217 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
24220 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
24221 write the following:
24224 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
24227 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
24228 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
24229 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
24232 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
24233 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
24234 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
24235 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
24236 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
24238 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
24239 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
24240 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
24244 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
24248 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
24251 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
24252 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
24255 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
24258 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
24259 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
24262 @include gnus-faq.texi
24282 @c Local Variables:
24284 @c coding: iso-8859-1
24286 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
24287 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
24288 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
24289 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
24290 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref